So you feel like it’s time to give your flooring a new face?
And no wonder. After all, a simple installation of hardwood floors can hike up your home value from 70% to 80%.
Yet, there are so many different options with a variety of price ranges. So things can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re thinking about installing your vinyl plan floors for the first time. And you’re classy so your hand-on choice would be the Black LVT Flooring which must be laid right.
If you’ve been looking to nail down the labor cost to install vinyl plank flooring, no worries. We’ve got your back.
Keep on reading for our full breakdown of the average labor cost to installing vinyl plank flooring. Also, we’ll give you the rundown of how to install them yourself, if you’re interested.
What Is Vinyl Flooring?
Before we start our deep dive into the cost breakdowns of labor, let’s make sure you’re completely familiar with vinyl flooring.
In the simplest of terms, vinyl plank flooring is a synthetic material used to cover floors. It’s affordable, easy to install, and durable.
Moreover, you’ll find that vinyl tiles and planks that lean towards the luxurious side are rather popular because of their versatility.
After all, vinyl can hold up in wet and damp environments, and you can choose to have it look like stone or even a wood plank.
The Labor Cost to Install Vinyl Plank Flooring
Generally speaking, you’ll find that vinyl plank flooring would cost you around $1.50-$2.75 for its labor.
This is the price per square foot of the majority of jobs. Yet, you’ll want to keep a couple of labor factors in mind, as those can hike up the price quite easily.
Having to Remove Old Flooring
Most professional installers will include this factor in your installation estimates. It runs an average of 35 to 75 cents for carpet, floating, or hardwood floors per square foot.
However, if they need to remove ceramic flooring, glued-down flooring, or ones that are made up of stone tiles, then you should expect an additional $2 to $4 increase per square foot.
The Amount of Necessary Trimming
Interestingly enough, if you have an open wide space, the installation will go by faster than if you have multiple smaller rooms.
Those rooms will need additional trimming, which is going to cost you more.
Covering Stairs
Similar in foundation to the adage “time is money,” stairs will require more time for trimming, cutting, and gluing of the treads.
Therefore, you’ll be dealing with a high cost of $60 to $100 for every single stair.
Vinyl Flooring Installation 101
Alright, at this point, you’re probably wondering whether you’d like to undertake this project yourself.
To be fair, if this is your first time doing it, you’re probably better off with leaving the project in the hands of professionals.
Yet, if you’re curious about the installation process, here’s how it goes.
1. Sketch Your Room
Before even thinking about buying your vinyl plank flooring, you’ll want to make a sketch of the room and measure where the vinyl would be installed.
You’ll need an accurate rundown of your room’s dimensions.
Then, you can bring your numbers to a vinyl store. Just make sure you’re adding a couple of extra inches, so you have some leeway for trimming and cutting the pattern.
2. Smooth Out Your Floors
You can’t install vinyl floors on bumpy ground.
You’ll want to ensure that your subfloor is in great condition. It has to be smooth, and flat.
3. Cut and Lay Your Vinyl Flooring
Now you’re ready to lay out your new vinyl flooring and mark all the areas where you’ll be cutting the excess parts.
Remember to save any excess vinyl, as you can make use of them later.
Lay out your flooring in the position you want, with a bit of excess around each wall. Then, you can also make some relief cuts if there are any obstructions.
4. Bring In the Craft Paper
Pick up your vinyl flooring, and put it aside for now.
You’ll want to bring in the craft paper to create a partial template along your walls. Therefore, you’ll need to roll out your craft paper along the length of your walls.
If you’re running short on craft paper, you can use single sheets that are around 8-1/2″x11″ and tape them together. You can use them instead of a craft paper roll.
5. Bring Back Your Vinyl and Cut
This is the fun part where you roll back your vinyl in the original position right over your craft paper template.
Press down to encourage your vinyl to adhere to the template. Then, slowly lift your vinyl back up to ensure that they’re stuck together and that the outer part of the paper is right where you need to cut the vinyl.
Now, you can carefully cut your vinyl along your template’s edge. Make sure you’re using a protective piece of scrap wood, or something similar, to place underneath your vinyl for protection.
6. Spread the Adhesive and Attach Flooring
When you’re dealing with perimeter adhesion, you’ll want to use a fine-notched trowel to spread the adhesive material in a band along the wall.
This band should be around 6 inches wide.
Put back the vinyl in the right position, and use a block of wood, or a hand roller to seat the flooring to the adhesive material.
7. Put Back Your Furniture and Clean Up
After you’ve waited for the indicated time on your adhesive’s label, you can move back your furniture.
Yet, you’ll want to avoid dragging your furniture all over your new vinyl and potentially scratching your new floors. You can use thin pieces of plywood to slide your furniture back in its place.
Finally, you can clean everything up using a slightly damp mop with a no-rinse cleaner, and you’re good to go.
Ready to Boost Your Home Design?
From mosaic patterns to ones that look like hardwood flooring, installing vinyl plank flooring is a versatile option for all homeowners.
Hopefully, our little guide has shed some light on the labor cost to install vinyl plank flooring, as well as the steps you need to take if you’d rather DIY the whole project. If you liked our article, make sure to check out our home improvement section for more tips and tricks.
