Whew!So my husband and I have never completed a project like this before. We’ve done small things out of wood like shelves or a table but never a floor. So in our house the first floor was all carpet except for the kitchen. We decided to change it out for a new floor and did all sorts of research. We preferred vinyl planking over laminate as we were more concerned about the water proof capabilities. We don’t have children and our dog is small where I wasn’t concerned about scratches and honestly it pretty hard to scratch. After about 4 weekends (we took our time) we finally finished. The part that took longest was the prepping. You have to take the carpet off, take off the quarter rounds and remove the tile and thinset. Do yourself a favor and buy a rotary tool or rent it as it will save you SO MUCH TIME. You want to make sure everything is clean and even (the ground) for the most part. We learned that not every room is “square” meaning that one room could be a little angled where the planking starts shifting in terms of how it looks. I would recommend starting where you’re going to have the widest/biggest view, so for example the living room or walkway entrance. Ensure your wood planks look straight from the entrance or where it would be really noticeable if it was crooked and then start laying them down. Read the instructions. There is a direction they go in which makes it WAY easier to install as opposed to the “wrong” way. You have to toggle it a little to install the planks but you’ll know once it’s in correctly when you hear a little pop or if it lays down flat. If there is tension when you push down on it, it could be the inner corner or one of the ends not linking in correctly. I read reviews where people say they chipped it or it doesn’t link and it’s because you need patience and trust in the system. You may have to set down a plank like 2 times before it sits right. If it doesn’t easily sit right then it’s not in right. Plain and simple. We left about 1/4 inch space along the walls so it would have room to shift if the house shifts. This will prevent the planks coming up or warping. Once that was done we placed silicone and quarter rounds back and voila! Plank hardwood flooring look and we’re in love. It’s been about 3 weeks that they’ve been installed writing this review and photos.
by Wonderzone