Luxury Vinyl Plank Installation in Vancouver, WA: Floating vs. Glue-Down, Prep and Timeline

Luxury vinyl plank is the floor we install more than any other in Vancouver, and it has a reputation for being easy. It is easier than hardwood or tile. It is not foolproof. The difference between an LVP floor that is still tight and flat in fifteen years and one that gaps, peaks and clicks underfoot in three is almost entirely in the installation.

Here is what a proper LVP install involves in a Clark County home, so you know what you are paying for and what to watch for.

Two ways to install LVP

Floating (click-lock). Planks lock to each other along the edges and ends and sit on the subfloor without being attached to it. The whole floor “floats” as one sheet, held down by its own weight and the trim around the edges. This is how the majority of residential LVP goes in, including most of what we install. It is fast, needs no adhesive, and can go over many existing floors.

Glue-down. Planks are adhered directly to the subfloor with a pressure-sensitive or hard-set adhesive. Nothing moves. Glue-down is the right choice for large open floor plans, rooms with heavy rolling loads, spaces with big temperature swings such as sunrooms and rooms with south-facing glass walls, and most commercial installs. It requires a cleaner, flatter subfloor and takes longer.

For most Vancouver homes, floating rigid-core LVP is the answer. Our LVP page covers the product side; this guide is about the install.

What has to be true about your subfloor

LVP is thin. Whatever is under it telegraphs through, and a floating floor bridges nothing. Three conditions have to be met.

Flat. The industry standard is no more than 3/16 of an inch of variation over ten feet. High spots get ground down; low spots get filled with a floor patch or self-leveling compound. Skipping this step is the single most common cause of LVP failure: the floor flexes over the low spot, the locking joint fatigues, and the seam opens.

Sound. Loose boards, soft spots from old water damage, and squeaks get fixed while the subfloor is exposed. On a wood subfloor that means screwing down and replacing sections. On concrete it means addressing cracks and spalling.

Dry. Concrete slabs, especially in basements and slab-on-grade homes, release moisture. Rigid-core LVP is waterproof, but the adhesive and the subfloor are not, and trapped moisture grows mold under a floating floor. We test slabs before installation. If a vapor barrier is needed, it goes in.

Our guide to what to expect during installation covers how we handle subfloor findings and how they are quoted.

Installing over existing floors

One of LVP’s real advantages is that it can often go over what is already there, saving tear-out cost and a day of dust.

Works over: existing ceramic or porcelain tile (grout lines may need filling), sheet vinyl that is well adhered, hardwood that is flat and solidly fastened, and concrete.

Does not work over: carpet and pad, cushioned or perimeter-glued sheet vinyl, floating floors of any kind, and anything loose, uneven or damaged.

The caveats: adding a floor on top of a floor raises the height, which affects door clearance, appliance clearance under counters, and transitions to adjacent rooms. Dishwashers in particular can get trapped under a countertop by a new floor in front of them. We check all of this at the estimate.

Acclimation, even for vinyl

Wood needs days of acclimation. LVP needs less, but not none. Most manufacturers specify 48 hours in the installation space at normal living temperature.

In Vancouver this matters most in winter. Planks delivered to a cold garage and installed the same morning will expand once the house warms them, and a floor installed tight will peak at the seams. Planks installed warm in summer and then subjected to a cold, unheated house will gap. Let them sit in the room they are going into, at the temperature the room will actually be.

Expansion gaps and transitions

A floating floor moves with temperature. It needs room to do it.

• A perimeter gap of about a quarter inch at every wall and fixed object, covered by baseboard or quarter round. Trim is fastened to the wall, never through the floor.
• Transition strips where LVP meets another floor, at doorways, and, on very long runs, at intervals the manufacturer specifies, often around 40 to 50 feet. A large open plan may need a T-molding somewhere. Where it goes is a design decision worth making on purpose.
• Undercut door jambs so the plank slides beneath the casing instead of being cut around it. It is a small detail that separates a professional install from a rushed one.

Glue-down floors need less of this because they do not move as a unit, which is part of why they suit large open spaces.

Stairs

LVP on stairs is a different job. Each tread needs a matching stair nosing, treads and risers are glued rather than floated, and the cutting is precise. It is done well all the time, but it is priced separately and takes longer per square foot than any floor area. If you are running LVP up a staircase, ask for it as a line item.

What a proper installation day looks like

For a typical Vancouver home:

1. Furniture moved. Our crews move standard household furniture; you handle fragile items, electronics and valuables.
2. Old floor removed and hauled away, if it is coming out.
3. Subfloor assessed, cleaned, and prepped: grinding, patching, leveling, moisture check.
4. Underlayment or vapor barrier laid, if the product does not have an attached pad or the subfloor calls for it.
5. Layout planned: starting wall, plank direction, stagger pattern, where cuts and transitions will fall.
6. Installation, row by row, with end joints staggered and undercut jambs.
7. Trim, transitions and quarter round.
8. Cleanup and walkthrough.

A single room is usually a day. A whole main level runs two to five days depending on square footage and prep. Floating floors are walkable immediately. Our installation page covers what is included as standard.

What drives the cost of an LVP install

Beyond the product itself, which our vinyl buyer’s guide covers:

• Square footage, and waste, typically 5 to 10 percent more than the room area
• Tear-out and disposal of the existing floor
• Subfloor prep, which can range from nothing to a full day of leveling
• Stairs, priced per step
• Transitions, thresholds and trim
• Glue-down vs. floating; glue-down is more labor

The guide to flooring cost in Vancouver puts these in context. If you are tempted by peel-and-stick vinyl to save labor, that guide explains where it holds up and where it does not.

Get a real number

The only way to price an LVP install accurately is to see the subfloor, the transitions and the stairs. Book a free in-home estimate and we will bring full-size samples, measure, and check whether your existing floor can stay under the new one.

Related reading

• Vinyl flooring in Vancouver, WA: a complete buyer’s guide
• Waterproof flooring in Vancouver, WA: what the label really means
• LVP vs. laminate: which is better for a rainy climate?
• Luxury vinyl tile in Vancouver, WA: the stone look without the cold
• Luxury vinyl flooring in Vancouver, WA
• Tile installation in Vancouver, WA: prep, large-format tile and timeline
• Hiring a flooring contractor in Vancouver, WA: what to verify