1 Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) vs. Laminate: Which Should You Choose?

At first glance, it might seem like Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) has all the advantages—but when you look closely at scratch resistance, thickness, and realistic wood feel, high-quality modern laminate holds a massive edge in many homes. Not all plank is created equal: there are outstanding products on both sides (like Flooret Modin LVP and Flooret Arista Laminate) and cheap, brittle products to avoid on both sides.

2 What Type of Underlayment Pad Do You Need?

Here is my exact rule on underlayment pad so you never void your warranty or ruin your locking joints:

• If your plank already has an attached pad: Either put nothing at all underneath it, OR use QuietWalk LV—that is the only pad I would ever use underneath a plank with an attached pad! Never put standard squishy foam pad under an attached-pad plank (doubling up foam causes joint flex and breaks the locking system).
• If your plank does NOT have an attached pad: I always install QuietWalk LV (for vinyl plank) or QuietWalk (for laminate), even if the manufacturer says pad is optional. It gives your floor a solid, quiet feel underfoot and protects against moisture.
• On a concrete slab: I either use QuietWalk LV or nothing at all—I never use 6-mil poly plastic sheeting on concrete because plastic traps condensation and breeds mold and mildew!

3 Do You Need Transitions—and Where Do You Need Them?

First, remember that I never use transitions to break up continuous planks in doorways between rooms! You only need transitions where your plank ends against another surface (like carpet, tile, existing hardwood, a bare floor, or the top of the stairs). Along sliding patio doors, exterior doors, or railings, I always try to use clean quarter round first before buying an expensive transition strip.

Here are the 4 common transition types and where each one belongs:

4 What Direction Should Your Plank Run?

Because you are installing a floating floor—not nailing down hardwood—floor joist direction does not dictate which way your planks run. Instead, plank direction comes down to two things:

1. Run planks lengthwise down the main hallway: In almost every home, the hallway is the central visual focal point. Running planks the short way across a narrow hallway looks choppy and increases the risk of buckling. (If you have two hallways running opposite directions, pick the main entry hallway you want to look best!)
2. Plan your direction to avoid doorway transitions and minimize working backwards: Your planks have a tongue and a groove. Sliding the tongue into the groove (working forward) is fast and easy; inserting the groove onto the tongue (working backwards into a room or closet) is slower. Don't let working backwards scare you—I share simple tricks that make it easy—but picking the right starting wall keeps it to a minimum!

5 What Tools Will You Actually Need?

You don't need a truckload of expensive contractor equipment to install your own floor. Beyond the basic tools you likely already have in your garage, here is the simple checklist of what you need:

• Basic Homeowner Tools: Tape measure, utility knife, chalk line, speed square, a good pair of knee pads, a jigsaw with wood-cutting blades, an oscillating multi-tool (for undercutting door jambs), and a small block plane or sharp wood chisel.
• The 3 Specialty Plank Tools That Replace Junk $20 Store Kits: Big-box store plastic tapping blocks and thin stamped metal pull bars slip, bounce, and crush locking edges. That is why I invented these three tools:

Click here to see my full list of recommended tools, cutters, saws & supplies →

6 What Do You Do With All the Furniture?

Moving furniture is nobody's favorite part of a flooring project—and the goal is to never move heavy furniture more times than you have to!

Here is the good news: you do not have to empty your entire house at once. Once you plan your master hallway reference line and starting room ahead of time, you can clear just your starting room first, lay and anchor that section of flooring, apply felt protector pads to your furniture legs, and move your furniture right onto the newly finished floor while you tackle the next room in stages!

7 Where Do I Start Laying My First Planks?

Where you start determines how wide your planks will be against every wall, whether your floor flows cleanly through doorways without bulky transition strips, and how much working backwards you avoid.

• Installing in a single room? Center the room, check your wall piece width with 10 locked planks and The Layout Buddy, and build rows 2 through 6 anchored with scrap blocks before installing Row 1 last. Read my Single-Room Starting Guide here →
• Installing across multiple rooms and a hallway? Base your entire installation off the main hallway center line, then transfer that line in exact plank multiples into your starting room. Read my Multi-Room Starting Guide here →

8 Are Existing Floors Hard to Tear Out (Or Can You Build Up Instead)?

Whether tearing out your old floor is a breeze or a workout depends on what material is down right now—and what's hiding underneath it (for example, a kitchen with three layers of old sheet vinyl and stapled 1/4" underlayment takes more time than a single layer):