Floating LVT flooring in a bath?

[Cacher_Chick]

We have been looking at options for flooring and like the look of some of the new vinyl planks. The manufacturers are clear about the need for a gap around the perimeter of the room because of the expansion/contraction of the flooring, but I have not seen anything to say how to deal with the flooring being pinned down by a toilet or weight of a vanity. I also don't know how one would deal the the expansion gap along the bathtub apron?
Hoping there might be some folks here who have some experience with LVT?

 

[Stuff]

I've looked a lot for definitive answers on this and haven't found any. Best statement I liked was you don't need to worry about it with a small bathroom as expansion/contraction would be minimal. I would still assume that you install around a vanity and not set it on top. Pedestal sink you don't really have options.

Other question not answered was for new install does it go under the toilet flange. Everything assumes flange already there and flush to floor so cut around and leave gap. Some instructions assume you don't pull the toilet so how do you trust any of it?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cacher_Chick]

I've looked a lot for definitive answers on this and haven't found any. Best statement I liked was you don't need to worry about it with a small bathroom as expansion/contraction would be minimal. I would still assume that you install around a vanity and not set it on top. Pedestal sink you don't really have options.

Other question not answered was for new install does it go under the toilet flange. Everything assumes flange already there and flush to floor so cut around and leave gap. Some instructions assume you don't pull the toilet so how do you trust any of it?

Agreed; I would rather not make a flooring job into an experiment that might end badly.

 

[Reach4]

I was looking into a floating floor. They were planning to pull the toilet, put down the floor, place a new wax ring, and place the toilet.

I decided to not go with the floor change, however.

That would have been a 1/2 bath, no toilet, with the floor continuing from the kitchen.

 

[ImOld]

Just got done with a Sani-Flo on-slab. Floating floor no problem with everything on top of it. The expansion space is hidden by the floor trim. Once you put weight on a floating floor and underlayment, it is no longer floating! I've done miles of it.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

View attachment 52799
Just got done with a Sani-Flo on-slab. Floating floor no problem with everything on top of it. The expansion space is hidden by the floor trim. Once you put weight on a floating floor and underlayment, it is no longer floating! I've done miles of it.

Looks nice!
Is there any window in the room where you would get direct sunlight? We have a window and the inside temperatures can swing from 55F to 80F during different times of the year.

 

[ImOld]

Only 80? This bath/laundry room is in the typical Florida block bunker where 80 is a low! Seriously, there is a huge difference in these types of floors and where you can expect them to survive. The floor in the picture is half inch thick vinyl 'waterproof' Pergo. Thanks to a slight senior moment, I have confirmed this! Here is a mobile home in NY that I did with HD's bottom of the line. The thinner the flooring, the more chance of it bowing up if you did not give it room for expansion on it's entire perimeter. Follow all directions that come with the flooring and you should have no problems.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Only 80? This bath/laundry room is in the typical Florida block bunker where 80 is a low! Seriously, there is a huge difference in these types of floors and where you can expect them to survive. The floor in the picture is half inch thick vinyl 'waterproof' Pergo. Thanks to a slight senior moment, I have confirmed this! Here is a mobile home in NY that I did with HD's bottom of the line. The thinner the flooring, the more chance of it bowing up if you did not give it room for expansion on it's entire perimeter. Follow all directions that come with the flooring and you should have no problems.

Good to hear that has been your experience, and thank you for sharing. Would you put a 250 lb vanity on top of the tile or tile around it?

 

[ImOld]

My preference is always to put a floor of any kind down and then put whatever on top. Left over from back in the day when real strip oak was put down for all the floors in the house. Then everything went on top. No cutting in for anything.

 

[Reach4]

My preference is always to put a floor of any kind down and then put whatever on top. Left over from back in the day when real strip oak was put down for all the floors in the house. Then everything went on top. No cutting in for anything.

There were not floating floors like today, I think.

 

[ImOld]

You got that right! Toenailing through the groove side of each piece with cut nails at each floor joist. Then comes the big rotary sander and you better know how to use it. Then half the time comes the stain. Then 2/3 coats of varnish. Oh yeah, I'm loving the snap it together and done.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

My preference is always to put a floor of any kind down and then put whatever on top. Left over from back in the day when real strip oak was put down for all the floors in the house. Then everything went on top. No cutting in for anything.

Yea I get that. I have a bad feeling about the LVT buckling or pulling apart if it is pinned down to floor by something big and heavy like a vanity. It makes sense to me that it has to be able to float for expansion and contraction.

 

[ImOld]

Stop and think about how millions of square feet of 'floating' flooring is installed in homes and other buildings and all the furniture sitting on top of it. Once it is squished down, it can no longer expand or contract and acts as one piece. No top pressure and the individual pieces have room to move and they will. This type of flooring has been around for quite awhile now and many companies make many versions of it. Now, go install your flooring and remember to follow all the directions or you will have a problem,

 

[ImOld]

I would be remiss if I didn't report this. I searched and have found LVT flooring, Mohawk is one, that specifically states not to put perimeter cabinets on the flooring. So, as I have suggested, read the instructions. Before you buy it.

 

[James Hughes]

Thanks for sharing guys. It's really helpful.

 

[MurrayYvonne]

The coolest thing is when natural wood can be visually transformed into an elegant style of the room. That is, natural wood so as not to swell from moisture, can be replaced with analogues. I used to have a parquet floor, then they moved it to laminate, but it was separated from the water on the sides. As a result, we bought vinyl laminate flooring, which can be glued on top of the same concrete or tile. This is an imitation of natural wood, and you can only replace a few strips so as not to change the floor covering completely