Luxury vinyl plank is the floor in most of our recent remodels, from a Tempe condo to a Gainey Ranch home, and it usually goes in with new baseboards. It is a forgiving floor, but every product comes with installation instructions, and the warranty depends on following them.
Two of those guides show what manufacturers ask for: the one for STAINMASTER luxury vinyl, made by Novalis Innovative Flooring (March 2017), and the one for LifeProof rigid core vinyl plank, sold by The Home Depot (May 1, 2023). Always follow the guide for the exact product going into your home.
It floats, so it needs room to move
LifeProof's guide calls it a floating floor that "should be allowed to expand and contract freely": it must not be glued, nailed or fastened to the subfloor. Cabinets, vanities and islands go in first, and the floor is laid around them, leaving an expansion gap. The guide lists quarter-inch (6 mm) spacers to hold that gap at the walls.
Large rooms need breaks. STAINMASTER's guide asks for expansion moldings where an area is over 1,076 square feet or a run is longer than 30 feet. LifeProof's asks for transitions where the floor runs more than 100 feet in any direction.
Baseboards cover the gap
LifeProof's guide says base or shoe molding can cover the quarter-inch gap at the edge of the room, and that trim is nailed into the walls, never the floor, so the floor can still move under it.
That is one reason a floor job so often comes with new baseboards. On one rent-ready home, our new plank floor went in with 4.5" baseboards; in Gainey Ranch, with new baseboards, doors and casing.
Keep the air conditioning on
Both guides assume a climate-controlled house. STAINMASTER's says the floor goes into an indoor, climate-controlled space between 65°F and 85°F, after the cartons acclimate for 24 to 48 hours at 71°F. LifeProof's says the heating and cooling must be on and working before, during and after installation, with the room between 50°F and 100°F while the floor goes in.
In a Phoenix summer that matters most in a vacant house: a flip or a rental between tenants. The guides are written for a home that is kept cool.
Watch the afternoon sun
Direct sun is the main thing both guides warn about. LifeProof's says long-term exposure to direct sunlight can discolor, fade and buckle the floor, and asks for window treatments or UV tint on the windows. STAINMASTER's asks for the planks to run perpendicular to big windows and glass doors, and strongly recommends window coverings during the hours of most direct sun.
So the big west-facing slider deserves a plan: blinds, drapes or tinted glass. LifeProof also leaves out rooms that aren't fully conditioned, such as seasonal porches and lanais, and allows sunrooms only for its products with a wear layer of 22 mil or more.
In short
Lay it floating, with the gap the guide asks for; cover the gap with trim fixed to the wall; keep the house conditioned; and keep strong sun off it. Followed that way, it is a floor that suits a Valley home.
Sources
- STAINMASTER luxury vinyl Clic FD installation instructions, Novalis Innovative Flooring, March 2017 (PDF via Lowe's)
- LifeProof rigid core luxury vinyl plank installation instructions, May 1, 2023 (PDF via The Home Depot)
