When installed over OSB and with quarter rounds, what actually keeps LVP from moving?

[majesticoj]

I have OSB subfloor installed in my closet (8ft x 6ft). I'm laying down "Home Decorators" LVP and then installing quarter round around closet...

If I'm supposed to keep about 1/4" of space between the planks and the wall and the quarter round does not actually get nailed into the floor/planks, exactly what keeps the floating planks from shifting (either the entire 8x6 floor or even individual planks)?

... Even with the planks all correctly locked together?

 

[C.J.]

The weight of the floating floor itself keeps it in place. That’s one reason your floor, while it needs to be flat, also has an out of level threshold that needs to be maintained otherwise your floor will ‘walk’ down to the low point. Same thing with installing a floating floor over carpet (I’ve seen it done before), the floor will caterpillar or ‘walk’ in the direction of the nap of the carpet.

If installed correctly your floor will just lay there until you’re tired of looking at it or it wears out or fails for whatever reason.

 

[majesticoj]

The weight of the floating floor itself keeps it in place. That’s one reason your floor, while it needs to be flat, also has an out of level threshold that needs to be maintained otherwise your floor will ‘walk’ down to the low point. Same thing with installing a floating floor over carpet (I’ve seen it done before), the floor will caterpillar or ‘walk’ in the direction of the nap of the carpet.

If installed correctly your floor will just lay there until you’re tired of looking at it or it wears out or fails for whatever reason.

Wow. Okay. Thank you for that information!!!

 

[C.J.]

I shoulda added that the expansion space is for your floor to expand and contract with seasonal humidity and temperature changes. For LVP that is supposed to be dimensionally stable, meaning it isn’t supposed to grow and shrink like laminate will, the expansion space is because your house itself grows and shrinks with seasonal changes. It’s made of wood and wood grows and shrinks. You want to allow the room for your floor and/or house to move with seasonal changes otherwise your floor will buckle when there is no more expansion space and things start to move.

 

[majesticoj]

I shoulda added that the expansion space is for your floor to expand and contract with seasonal humidity and temperature changes. For LVP that is supposed to be dimensionally stable, meaning it isn’t supposed to grow and shrink like laminate will, the expansion space is because your house itself grows and shrinks with seasonal changes. It’s made of wood and wood grows and shrinks. You want to allow the room for your floor and/or house to move with seasonal changes otherwise your floor will buckle when there is no more expansion space and things start to move.

Ah! Okay. Now, I understand.

Yes - in my research, I also found that you need to let the planks sit for a few days in your house after its delivered to let the planks acclimate to the temperature of the house. I guess this is necessary in case the planks were previously stored in a cool warehouse but your home has been 80-degrees for the past week (for instance)?

 

[C.J.]

Yes. Laminate floor will grow and shrink with changes in its moisture content. Plastic (LVP) is temperature sensitive and will grow and shrink with changes in temperature. LVP won’t grow n shrink as much as laminate will but acclimation of both is always a good idea.

 

[highup]

If it's simply a walk-in closet, that floor will grow or shrink about 128ths of an inch from summer to winter.
If that closet is directly connected to a room which is also connected to a hallway then this might be worth the discussion.
If it is simply the closet, you could leave 1/8 of an inch around that and it would never move at all.

 

[MikeAntonetti]

When installing some laminate floors I took the spacers out during the middle of floor, tapping the laminate in the whole section shifted against the wall, so pried it back in place, set the spacers and continued on. You can jump in direction you want it to go. So at the end of install you want your movement gap, and you want trim to cover enough so seasonal changes do not bind(material going up off floor) or shrink where you see a gap.

For Acclimating product some bamboo floors shrunk enough when product in home left 1/2” gaps from the trim around perimeter. The moisture in product did not equalize with its in place environment.

Think, question, find answers, next question.

A handyman pulled his van out of the way yesterday, he removed toilet and vanity for our tile demo, rolled down window said trying to make it simple, i

 

[majesticoj]

If it's simply a walk-in closet, that floor will grow or shrink about 128ths of an inch from summer to winter.
If that closet is directly connected to a room which is also connected to a hallway then this might be worth the discussion.
If it is simply the closet, you could leave 1/8 of an inch around that and it would never move at all.

Thanks for replying!

Yes - you brought up a really good point for me... I do actually plan to install the same planks in my bedroom eventually. I never considered that I would want the flooring to flow seamlessly into my bedroom. I thought I would need to use a lip at the closet door...?

Would it make sense to keep the planks flowing directing from the closet into my bedroom? And would I still need the 1/8" spacing around the closet? What would be the best way to handle this?

 

[majesticoj]

When installing some laminate floors I took the spacers out during the middle of floor, tapping the laminate in the whole section shifted against the wall, so pried it back in place, set the spacers and continued on. You can jump in direction you want it to go. So at the end of install you want your movement gap, and you want trim to cover enough so seasonal changes do not bind(material going up off floor) or shrink where you see a gap.

For Acclimating product some bamboo floors shrunk enough when product in home left 1/2” gaps from the trim around perimeter. The moisture in product did not equalize with its in place environment.

Think, question, find answers, next question.

A handyman pulled his van out of the way yesterday, he removed toilet and vanity for our tile demo, rolled down window said trying to make it simple, i

Thank you! Yes! I am running into this problem of keeping the spacing between the wall while I connect the planks. I guess I will just have to allow it to move and re-adjust as I go... But it is such a headache!

 

[C.J.]

You can buy spacers to keep the planks in place while you’re installing the floor. They’re cheap.

 

[majesticoj]

You can buy spacers to keep the planks in place while you’re installing the floor. They’re cheap.

thanks! I bought these wedge-shaped spacers. They’re working terribly. I think it’s because the gap between the floor and wall is too big. I think I need the block-shaped spacers.

 

[highup]

Thanks for replying!

Yes - you brought up a really good point for me... I do actually plan to install the same planks in my bedroom eventually. I never considered that I would want the flooring to flow seamlessly into my bedroom. I thought I would need to use a lip at the closet door...?

Would it make sense to keep the planks flowing directing from the closet into my bedroom? And would I still need the 1/8" spacing around the closet? What would be the best way to handle this?

It isn't written in stone that all the planks have to lay the same direction.
Every home is different and it may look okay to run the planks in the bedroom a different direction in the hallway or whatever rooms you intend to put this material in. If you do change out a doorway and make a 90° turn in the room, you would need a t molding or transition. The best way to determine the orientation of the planks would be to lay planks in the hallway and then lay the planks in the room which might create a perpendicular orientation. Lay them in place, then you have a true visualization which can let you know how to proceed.

 

[majesticoj]

It isn't written in stone that all the planks have to lay the same direction.
Every home is different and it may look okay to run the planks in the bedroom a different direction in the hallway or whatever rooms you intend to put this material in. If you do change out a doorway and make a 90° turn in the room, you would need a t molding or transition. The best way to determine the orientation of the planks would be to lay planks in the hallway and then lay the planks in the room which might create a perpendicular orientation. Lay them in place, then you have a true visualization which can let you know how to proceed.

Ah! Good. Thank you for that!