This fall my husband and I finally installed some LPV in our entry, kitchen, mudroom, and landing/stairs to our sunroom. There was a manufactured wood floor which could not be refinished (much to our disappointment). That floor lasted nearly 30 years which apparently is longer than would be expected. Anyway, we finally found a color we were OK with to match with the kitchen cabinets (no desire to refinish or paint those). The floor was not fun to install given the angles and continuing between rooms.
After weeks of crawling around on the floor with the LPV, I finally was able to do some woodworking with custom transitions. We have a larger entry into our living room so I used some oak of a similar width, so it looks "framed" (first 2 pictures). I cut a filler strip that was the height of the two floors and screwed that down between the two surfaces. After planing down the board, I then did some chamfering on the edges and trimmed the ends so they would slide under the trim. Screwed the board to that filler strip. If future renovations occur, it will be easy to remove.
We tried a metal transition where the laundry LVP meets the mudroom but it did not look acceptable, so I did another wood transition there (second set of 2 pictures). I rabbetted one side of the board to help with the difference in surface height. Had helpers to check my work.
Final one was where we had a floor level change between the kitchen and landing to our sunroom (this was an addition years ago) - again used a filler strip and then attached to the board to that (third set of 2 pictures - the black is the gate we have for the dogs). This is before we put the gate back in place.
I used oak on all of these, with GF pecan stain and then Odie's oil. Rather than glue or use adhesive, we used black countersunk screws. Perhaps not the most elegant but ended up looking OK to us. I like that we were able to customize the width as in the store, we saw oak transitions but they were rather narrow. We like the wider look and have found in other areas of the house, that these hold up well.
So...felt good to actually do some woodworking after the LPV. Also did some new trim (learned a lot on that as well!).
Hopefully, I have some more real shop time now that this is finally all done!!!
Splintergroup- thanks. Relieved to have it done. Not a big fan of the flooring (would have loved true hardwood). I've done laminate throughout other rooms in our house and have found LPV to be harder to install - really have to watch that the joints are truly closed.
Were those joints the snap-fit or the type that were taped? I've got a similar job with that LPV for the kitchen and dining room to do and am interested in the pros and cons.
Looks great, Barb! I like the wider transitions. Most of the store-bought ones look too tall/humpy. They’re probably really not that tall but just look that way because they’re so narrow. Yours look better.
Steve- thanks! Looks better than the original floor so calling it a win.
Splintergroup- these were "Uniclic system" connections. They were not DIY friendly. I've done laminate with ease compared to getting these to fully seat. Might be LVP in general? Good thing is that they can be taken apart if needed (that might be more of an issue with the ones that are "hammered" together). I would suggest smaller planks as easier to deal with. These were 9x48 and getting everything lined up and clicked was tough.
Thanks Ron. Had some head scratch moments with the angles. I ended up making paper templates in some spots. 🤷♀️. Silly but it worked.
Ron - thank you! I agree that the pre-made wood options are a bit more "abrupt" in their profile.
Corelz125-thanks! I don't think I'm made to be a carpenter. There is a different approach to this compared to a frame, etc. I made several aspects harder than needed with my desire for that elusive "perfection" (did not happen!).
Thanks Ryan. And yes, a pain, even with kneepads! Also was in and out to the garage where I had my mobile tablesaw set up and saw horses for jig saw cuts. It was quite a production. 🤣 Wanted to be done by end of November...instead made it by end of December.
barb from the pic's no pro would have done a better job. i just did our living room this past summer with engineered bamboo flooring. 3 days on my hands and knees so i know what you went through !
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Corelz125- it was such a long and painful process! Dealing with the kitchen and laundry, and moving appliances was an added "fun" 🙄. Much better to do an open room.
Pottz - yes, I'm guessing some of my stress points would have been covered or caulked by someone working on the clock. Also, I read of floor joints failing - I'm guessing they were never "fully" connected. There can be no bounce in the plank. And yes, I actually took a flashlight at floor level to ensure some stubborn sections were truly together.
Came out looking real good, Barb! I’ve got the same click-together stuff in my shop, and after just under 5 years it’s pretty well knackered. On the other hand, with the quarter inch pad under it, it sure feels a lot better than the concrete slab underfoot.
Dave - hope this lasts a long time as I don't want to do this again any time soon! We did bathrooms with different LVP products back in 2020 and they still look great.
Another project behind you Barb, and with your usual great outcome. well done. Thankfully my Wife fully understands the use of the nail guns, and has great knees. She is the measurer/nailer, and I am the cutter. My days of kneeling long past.
