ServicesLuxury Vinyl Plank
Luxury Vinyl Plank Installation in Stafford
Vinyl plank is tough, water resistant and easy to live with. It only stays that way if the floor under it is flat and dry. We test the slab, fix the low spots and lay every plank the way the manufacturer says to, so the joints don't open up later.
What vinyl plank is good for
Luxury vinyl plank is a layered floor with a printed wood look on top and a rigid or flexible core underneath. Most of what we put in clicks together and floats. Nothing is nailed or glued to the slab. It handles spills, pets and kids better than wood or laminate, which is why people pick it for kitchens, baths and busy family rooms.
It is not a cure for a bad subfloor. A floating floor follows the slab. If there is a dip, the plank flexes there and the click joint wears out. Most houses around Stafford sit on concrete slabs, and those slabs move a little with the clay soil. So a lot of our work happens before the first plank goes down.
Every manufacturer prints install rules: how flat the floor has to be, how much moisture it can take, how big the gap at the walls must be. Those rules decide whether your product warranty holds. We follow them on paper and we show you the readings.
What the job includes
Old floor removal
We pull up carpet, pad, tack strip or old vinyl and haul it off. If old sheet vinyl or black adhesive might be from before the 1980s, we tell you to have it tested for asbestos before anyone tears it up.
Moisture testing
We check the slab with a meter before we order underlayment. If the reading is high, we use the vapor barrier the manufacturer calls for.
Getting the slab flat
Each plank maker sets a flatness limit, and for most lines it's roughly 3/16 of an inch across a 10-foot span. Humps get taken down with a grinder. Dips get built up with patch or self-leveling compound until a straightedge sits flat.
Install and trim
We leave the expansion gap at walls and doorways, undercut door jambs and set transitions so there is no lip to trip on. Baseboard or quarter round goes back on to cover the gap.
Toilets and appliances
In baths we pull the toilet, run plank under it and reset it on a new wax ring. Kitchen appliances come out and go back in.
Signs vinyl plank is the right call
- Carpet in wet rooms
- Carpet in a kitchen, laundry or kid's bath soaks up every spill. Vinyl plank wipes clean.
- Pets are wearing out the floor
- Claws scratch wood and accidents ruin carpet pad. A good wear layer holds up much better.
- Laminate swelling at the seams
- Laminate has a wood fiber core that puffs up when it gets wet. Plank with a vinyl or stone core does not.
- Your current floor clicks or gaps
- If a floating floor already moves underfoot, the slab was likely never leveled. Redoing it means fixing that first.
How the work goes
- 1
Look at the house
We measure each room, check the slab and look at doorways, stairs and where the floor meets tile or carpet. You hear what needs prep and why.
- 2
Let the plank settle
The boxes sit in the rooms they're going in, with the air conditioning running, for the time the maker lists. Plank that's put in cold or hot can shift after it adjusts.
- 3
Prep day
Old flooring comes up, we test moisture again and level the slab. Patch has to cure before the plank can go on top.
- 4
Install day
We lay out the rows so you don't end with a thin sliver at a wall. Planks get staggered, clicked together and cut around jambs and vents. Kitchen islands and heavy built-ins don't sit on top of the floating floor, because that pins it.
- 5
Finish and clean up
Trim and transitions go on, fixtures go back, and we sweep and vacuum. We walk the rooms with you before we pack up.
What moves the price
We don't quote vinyl plank by the box. The price depends on the house and on how much work the slab needs. You get a written breakdown so you can see where the money goes.
- Square footage and layout
- Open rooms go fast. Closets, hallways and lots of doorways mean more cuts and more time.
- Slab condition
- A flat, dry slab needs little prep. Cracks, dips or high moisture add leveling material, barrier and labor.
- What comes up first
- Carpet comes up quickly. Glued down tile or old vinyl takes longer, and suspect material may need testing first.
- Product and underlayment
- Thicker wear layers and rigid core plank cost more. Some lines need a separate pad and some have one attached.
- Stairs and transitions
- Stairs are priced on their own. See our Stair Flooring page for how we handle nosing and treads.
Vinyl plank questions
- Do I need a permit for vinyl plank?
- Usually no. Swapping floor covering inside a house doesn't normally need a city building permit. If your project changes more than the floor, we check with the city before we start and tell you what we found.
- Is vinyl plank really waterproof?
- The plank itself won't swell from water. Water can still get through the seams and edges and sit on the slab. That's why we seal around tubs and use the vapor barrier the maker requires.
- Can you put it over my tile?
- Sometimes. The tile has to be solid and flat, and grout lines may need to be filled so they don't show through. It also raises the floor, so we check door clearance and the height where it meets other rooms.
- What's the difference between plank and vinyl tile?
- Mostly the shape. Plank looks like wood boards. Our Luxury Vinyl Tile page covers the square and stone-look version, which suits baths and entries.
- Will the furniture all have to go?
- The rooms we're working in need to be empty. We'll tell you ahead of time which rooms and for how many days, so you can plan around it.
Ready to plan your plank floor
Tell us which rooms and what's on the floor now. We'll go over what the slab might need and when we can look at it.