Lay click vinyl planks on a timber floor

Prepare a timber subfloor, then lay and finish click vinyl planks in one straightforward session.

VF-01Clear the room and check the subfloorRemove furniture, rugs and any old flooring down to the timber boards. Check the boards are dry, flat and not rotten or bouncy underfoot — a torch and a walk around on your hands and knees will show up problems. Sweep and vacuum thoroughly; any grit left under the planks will show through as lumps.

4 each · Heavy-duty bin bags

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VF-02Fix any loose or squeaking boardsScrew down any board that moves or squeaks, using a screw long enough to bite the joist below but not so long it can hit something in the void underneath. Before you drill, run a cable/pipe detector over the area, but don't trust it completely — detectors miss cables in metal conduit and pipes run deeper than expected, and this matters more over a floor void than you'd think. Find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns before you start, so you can shut the water off fast if you do hit a pipe. If you're at all unsure what's below a board, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit first.

20 each · Wood screws, 3.5 x 40mm

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1 each · Cable and pipe detector (if not already owned)

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VF-03Let the planks acclimatiseStack the unopened plank boxes flat in the room for at least 48 hours before fitting. This lets them settle to the room's temperature and humidity, so they don't expand or shrink after you've laid them. Skip this step and you risk gaps opening up or planks lifting at the edges within weeks.

VF-04Fit the underlayRoll out a thin foam or fibre underlay (2mm is typical for click vinyl) across the whole floor, butting the edges together without overlapping. Tape the joins with a strip of underlay tape so they don't shift as you work on top of them. Trim it flush at the walls with a utility knife.

1 roll (covers ~10m²) · Vinyl flooring underlay, 2mm

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1 roll · Underlay joining tape

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VF-05Plan your first row and expansion gapsMeasure the room's width and work out the width of your last row of planks — if it will end up thinner than 50mm, trim some width off your first row instead so both ends look balanced. Click vinyl needs a 5-10mm expansion gap all round the room to allow for movement, so plan your starting row that far back from the wall. Use 5-10mm spacers to hold this gap as you go.

20 each · Plastic spacers, 8mm

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VF-06Deal with the skirtingDecide whether to undercut the skirting so the planks slide underneath, or leave the skirting in place and cover the expansion gap with scotia beading afterwards. Undercutting gives a neater finish but takes longer; beading is quicker and easier for a beginner. If undercutting, use a multi-tool or jamb saw to cut a shallow slot behind the skirting, about 15mm deep.

VF-07Lay the first rowStart along the longest, straightest wall. Click the short ends of the planks together first, then lower the row into place against your spacers. Cut the last plank in the row to length with a utility knife and straight edge, scoring and snapping if the plank is over about 4mm thick.

1 m² (buy 10% extra for cutting waste) · Click vinyl plank flooring

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VF-08Lay the rest of the floorWork row by row, staggering the end joints by at least 200mm from the row before so the floor doesn't look like a brick pattern gone wrong and stays structurally sound. Use a tapping block and rubber mallet to close up each joint firmly — never hit the plank edge directly. Keep checking your spacers are still in place at the walls as you go.

1 each · Tapping block and pull bar kit

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1 each · Rubber mallet

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VF-09Cut planks around obstaclesFor door frames, pipes and other awkward shapes, make a cardboard template first and transfer it to the plank rather than guessing. A jigsaw with a fine blade gives a cleaner cut than a knife for curved shapes like pipe collars. Take your time here — it's the slowest part of the job but the most visible if it's wrong.

3 each · Jigsaw fine-tooth blades

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VF-10Fit door threshold stripsFit a threshold or transition strip wherever the flooring meets another room, a different floor level, or an exterior door. Screw-down strips need holes drilled into the floor — treat this exactly like the earlier fixing step: check with a detector, don't fully trust it, and know your stopcock is off if there's any doubt about what's underneath, especially near a kitchen or bathroom doorway. Self-adhesive strips avoid drilling entirely and are the simpler choice for most rooms.

1 each · Door threshold/transition strip

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VF-11Finish with beading and tidy upRemove all the spacers once the floor is fully laid. If you didn't undercut the skirting, fix scotia beading along the wall edges with panel adhesive (not nailed into the floor) to hide the expansion gap. Vacuum the whole floor, then wipe over with a slightly damp mop — avoid soaking it, since standing water can get into the joints.

10 m · Scotia beading

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1 tube · Panel adhesive

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