I'm going to be installing some of the Lifeproof vinyl plank flooring this week. The directions say that you should start with the tongue facing the wall and work your way away from the wall.

The setup I have is somewhat complex. Think of it as multiple rooms with a hallway and some of the rooms are different sizes and on different sides of the hallway. I still want everything to be one uniform consistent floor though.

So I may start with the tongue side facing the wall, but when I round the corner into the next room I may find myself clicking the opposite ends together.

Do you think I will have any problems with this? So instead of working with the NON Tongue side, I will be working with the tongue side.

 

It's possible to push the groove (non tongue side) into the tongue without angling the boards. It requires a light tap with a rubber mallet to get them seated. Once you get to the wall, you can get a sort of z-shaped bar to pull the last board into the floor.

The alternative, and sometimes easier method is to start into the room, then measure how many boards will be needed, and restart at the new wall and work back to where they join. Since you have a bit of a gap at the wall, if you're off 1/4" one way or another, it's not a big deal.

 

I would not suggest working backward. All you need to do when you have a layout like that is snap a chalk line as a reference down the hallway... start all the rooms on one side of that line, working in the same direction so that they are the same distance from the reference line, and check it now and then to ensure nothing moved or shifted. As mentioned, a floating floor is supposed to have an expansion gap around the perimeter of every room so that will give you a little wiggle room if you need any slight adjustment.

Depending on the size of your rooms and the layout, it might be necessary to have an expansion joint (t molding) somewhere in your layout, such as at a doorway. Follow manufacturers instructions regarding when this is necessary. Once you pass the chalk line, you just continue into the rooms on the other side, usually working from left to right.

 

Thanks for the reply. This sounds perfect in theory, but my measurements would need to be exact. When I'm working in the 2nd room, what if my measurements are off by just a 1/8 of an inch?

 

You have a 1/4 gap around a free floating floor. You would pry it over 1/8" and change your 1/4" shims to 3/8" shims. But I see no reason why someone couldn't read a tape measure accurately from point a to point b.

 

That requirement is going to make for a tough installation, That is why I always use transition/threshold pieces at each door.

It provides a separation point for each room, adds a bit of custom detail to the flooring, and makes that one huge project much more meanable!

 

XSleeper true.

I am somewhat of an armature though. I do a project like this only about every 2 years or so. I don't do them all the time. With my luck, I'll be off by more than 1/4 inch. We'll see what happens though

Thanks for the reply