Mute Step Cali Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation 

If this is the mute step with a backing cushion already on it, I'm wondering why the Cali padded underlayment is being used. I was just told by Cali salesperson that you should only use 6mil polyethylene under the padded vinyl planks.

In real life, installation never goes as easy as seen in the video. Installing the first row straight is critical. In the video, the baseboards were in place, providing a firm surface to work against. I removed the baseboards so that they could sit on top of the planks and hide the expansion gap. There was a gap between the bottom of the drywall and floor, making it difficult to keep the spacers standing standing straight when pressure was applied because they tended to tilt under the gap at the bottom edge of the wall board. This made installation of the first couple of rows difficult because the planks were easily moved. I also found that after engaging the tongue into the grove along the long side of the plank, it was nearly impossible to slide the plank and engage the overlapping joint at the ends of the plank without damaging the the end of the plank where the hammer block was used. Instead, I engaged the tongue along the long edge at 45 degrees while aligning the butt ends of the plank and clicked the end into place when lowering the plank. Sometimes, the connecting edge joints had to be lifted slightly at the outside edge to get the joint to close. After getting the first few rows secured and mastering our technique, the rest of the installation went pretty well. One final comment. The boxes that the planks were shipped in were light weight and not very durable. Several planks were damaged in transit. Please consider upgrading the packaging.

A moisture barrier like Cali Complete or 6mil plastic is only required over a concrete subfloor. All other subfloors are optional.

I agree with you Steve in real life is really hard to install it 😟

What color is this flooring in the video? Seaboard Oak or one of the newer ones (salty strand or?)

Are there any tips for installing near sinks or wet areas?

Is ok to use a vinyl floor cutting tool to cut these planks?

Has anyone had gaps occurring after installation?

Why can’t I ever get my butt joints to meet as flush as flush at hey shout with out having to bang it endlessly?

This video is too generic and devoid of actual procedures the narrator just rambles on about. Most people are visual learners of home improvement techniques, and this video needs more visuals. Oh, by the way LVP flooring DOES expand and contract just so ya know in your comments.