Click/Clack Floating Vinyl Flooring Installation

In shops, "click vinyl" usually means one of two types of plank. Thinner, flexible planks made of solid vinyl feel pleasant underfoot, but they show every bump in the subfloor. Rigid planks with a mineral core, often sold as SPC or rigid core, are stiffer and hide small irregularities better. On an older, slightly uneven concrete floor in a flat, the rigid type usually performs better.

Vinyl itself copes well with water, but a floating floor has gaps along the walls. If water gets under the edges, it stays trapped beneath the floor. Click vinyl is a good choice for a kitchen or hallway. In a bathroom, only use it if the manufacturer explicitly allows it, and not right next to a shower without a tray.

Most click vinyl can go over underfloor heating. The manufacturer usually limits the surface temperature, often to roughly 27 °C, and specifies an underlay with low thermal resistance. Check this before you buy the floor.

Why is there so much talk about the subfloor? A click joint only holds when the plank is supported along its whole length. Over a bump or a dip the joint flexes, and over time it cracks or opens up.

• Old coverings: carpet, soft vinyl and glue residue need to come up. Firm, flat tiles can usually stay, and wide grout lines are filled with levelling compound.
• Flatness: manufacturers usually allow a deviation of about 2 mm per metre. High spots are ground down, and larger dips are levelled with self-levelling compound.
• Moisture: a new screed has to dry out properly. If in doubt, have the moisture measured, because judging by eye is not enough.
• Strength and cleanliness: the subfloor must not crumble or flex, and it should be vacuumed before laying.

Underlay reduces footfall noise and evens out small imperfections. Many rigid planks already have an underlay bonded to the back. Only add another layer under these if the manufacturer allows it, otherwise the floor will feel springy and the joints will be overloaded. On a concrete subfloor, especially on the ground floor, lay a damp-proof membrane first, either as a separate sheet or as part of the underlay. In a block of flats, think about the neighbours below: a good impact sound underlay is a considerate choice, and some leases or building rules require one. Check with the building management or owners' association, and plan noisy work for the hours the house rules allow.

Click vinyl is a job a handy homeowner can manage. You will need a sharp utility knife, a square, a tape measure, expansion spacers, a rubber mallet with a tapping block and a small saw for undercutting door frames.

1. Leave the packs in the room for usually 24 to 48 hours, as the manufacturer specifies, so they adjust to the temperature.
2. Check the subfloor with a straightedge, level any irregularities and vacuum up the dust.
3. Lay the membrane and underlay as instructed, butt the strips together and tape the joints.
4. Decide the direction of the planks, usually in line with the light from the window, and measure the room so the last row will not be too narrow.
5. Undercut wooden door frames and architraves to the height of the floor plus underlay, so the planks can slide underneath.
6. Lay the first row along the wall, using spacers to keep an expansion gap of usually 5 to 10 mm.
7. Insert each new plank at an angle into the previous row and lower it until the joint clicks shut.
8. Stagger the end joints between rows, usually by at least 30 cm according to the manufacturer.
9. Cut planks by scoring the top surface with the knife and snapping them, and make a template first for awkward shapes.
10. Drill holes around radiator pipes slightly larger than the pipe, so a gap remains.
11. Remove the spacers once finished and fix the skirting boards to the wall, not to the floor.
12. Fit threshold and end trims at doorways and where the floor meets other coverings.

A rectangular room with a flat subfloor and one door is a straightforward job. These things add work and time:

• An uneven or damp subfloor that needs grinding, levelling and drying time
• Removing old coverings and glue
• Many corners, alcoves, pipes and door frames to undercut
• Stairs, which are covered separately and slowly
• Large areas and long hallways, where the manufacturer usually requires an expansion profile, often at every doorway as well
• Clearing the room and moving furniture

The mistake seen most often in practice is a floor pinned tight against a wall, under a door frame or around a pipe, so it has no room to expand. In summer it then buckles and the joints lift. The same happens when kitchen units stand on top of the floating floor or a trim is screwed into the planks. Kitchen units belong on the subfloor, and the vinyl is laid up to them.

Other common mistakes:

• Joints that are not fully closed and open up into gaps over time
• Laying on an unlevelled subfloor, so planks flex and click when you walk on them
• A second underlay under planks that already have one built in
• No damp-proof membrane on concrete
• End joints in neighbouring rows too close together, which weakens the floor
• Missing threshold trims, so plank edges chip and dirt collects in the gaps

When you take over the work, walk slowly across the whole floor, including the corners and doorways.

• Joints are closed along their full length with no visible gaps
• Planks do not flex, click or creak underfoot
• End joints are properly staggered between rows
• Expansion spacers have been removed and the wall gaps are covered by skirting
• Skirting boards are fixed to the wall, not to the floor
• Gaps around pipes are covered with pipe collars
• The floor slides under the door frames without being trapped
• Trims at doorways and transitions are firmly fixed and do not rock
• The surface is free of scratches, marks and adhesive residue
• You have the product name and décor, and ideally some spare planks for later repairs