Best Practices for LVP Floor Installation

[John Herold]

Hello all, what are some best practices for LVP floor installation for a manufactured home on a permanent foundation?

The click on / locking type seems like what most investors use, but repairs seem difficult without having to re-do a large area.  Is it possible to fix a soft spot without having to re-do the whole room?

How wet is too wet for existing subfloor?  Are moisture meters used or no?

What do investors use for the moisture membrane(s)?  Right under the wood and/or under the house in the crawlspace?  What materials are used besides the LVP itself?

I have heard that leaving 1/4 " along the perimeter can help expansion issues.  Is this true in your experience?

I assume it's typically best (if it's necessary to do so and if the budget allows) to re-level the home before the floors are installed.  Are floors typically installed before or after the cabinets are put in?

Thank you for your thoughts on any of the above!

[David Liu]

Quote from @John Herold:

Hello all, what are some best practices for LVP floor installation for a manufactured home on a permanent foundation?

The click on / locking type seems like what most investors use, but repairs seem difficult without having to re-do a large area.  Is it possible to fix a soft spot without having to re-do the whole room?

How wet is too wet for existing subfloor?  Are moisture meters used or no?

What do investors use for the moisture membrane(s)?  Right under the wood and/or under the house in the crawlspace?  What materials are used besides the LVP itself?

I have heard that leaving 1/4 " along the perimeter can help expansion issues.  Is this true in your experience?

I assume it's typically best (if it's necessary to do so and if the budget allows) to re-level the home before the floors are installed.  Are floors typically installed before or after the cabinets are put in?

Thank you for your thoughts on any of the above!

 Hey John, 

I used be a construction engineer and installed LVP in own house. 

The click-on/locking type is the one to use because contractors are used to using them. That means there are higher chances you will find someone who can do a good job at installing it vs using a less installed LVP connector system. 

In terms of a soft spot, that's usually the subfloor and not the LVP (I'm assuming that's what you meant). Depending on where it appears in the room , you may have to remove the LVP and do the whole room again after the subfloor is repaired. But this typically isn't the sequence of events since it seems like you are going to be installing new LVP , so have the contractor repair the soft spot first then install the LVP. 

It'd be good to use a moisture meter and get the opinion of 3 contractors. 

As for a moisture barrier on above the subfloor and below the LVP you'll want to install what they underlayment. This is a moisture barrier. Do not just buy LVP with underlayment already glued on it as a layer. Install a separate underlayment layer even if the LVP you have already has underlayment glued on (it's usually too thin). 

1/4" is the gap you want to leave for expansion during the hotter months. 

Re-leveling can be done using self-leveling concrete, flooring contractors can do that and it should be quoted. 

As for floors being installed before or after. It depends. If the cabinets are touching the floor, I'd say put the cabinets in first and this way you know exactly where you need cut the flooring to ensure a 1/4inch gap between the lvp and the foot of the cabinet. 

Hope this helps