Can vinyl plank flooring expand?

Because luxury vinyl plank is made from vinyl and that material is susceptible to temperature changes, it can. As long as a 5/16-inch gap is created between the outer edge of the floor and the wall or whatever the obstruction is, there won't be any warping, crowning, or peaks when it expands.

Of course, the best answer is to have a climate-controlled room. If possible, keep the temperature consistent; 65 to 80 degrees is optimal. If you use radiant underfloor heating, don't let it go above 85 degrees.

Sometimes you’ll need to do a little out-of-the-box thinking to protect the floor. For example, if you have a hot and sunny southern exposure, use protective window coverings. These days they can be motorized so you can even control it when you’re not home.

The floating floor installation

The pieces click and lock together to form a mat which is then placed over the existing subfloor without nails or staples. It’s fast and uncomplicated, but the installer needs to know how and when to create the gap, and then how to hide it with moldings or door sills.

Style right out of the design pages

Although it’s most associated with hardwood, some people also like vinyl plank flooring to mimic stone, because they like the larger format and fewer seams of a tile-sized cut.

This flooring is, as the name implies, a plank cut of luxury vinyl flooring. Images are taken with 3D photography and the knots, grains, swirls, wormholes, and veining/color variations just jump out. The vinyl is then cut into strips and mounted on boards to mimic a hardwood plank.

The flooring is embossed for greater depth, dimension, and textured appearances such as wire-brushed, hand scraped, weathered or distressed. Finishes come in matte, gloss or high-gloss.

Where would you use vinyl plank?

Since it's waterproof, it's ideal for the kitchen or bath where you might want the look of wood, but can't have genuine timber because of water and moisture challenges. It is so stylish that we're also seeing it in living and dining spaces, bedrooms, home libraries, entryways, and elsewhere and some high-end homes.

For more information about vinyl plank flooring or any of our other products and services, visit the Wholesale Flooring & Granite showroom in Baton Rouge, LA, serving Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Ascension Parish and Baker.