Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and laminate have become popular choices for homeowners who want the look of wood without some of the maintenance that can come with traditional hardwood. They’re attractive, durable, and available in enough colors and styles to fit just about any home.
They also have another thing in common: both are often advertised as DIY-friendly.
And they can be.
But if you’ve ever watched a weekend flooring project online and thought, “That doesn’t look too hard,” there are a few things worth knowing before you start pulling up your old floors.
At Floors & More by Stanford, we’ve worked with flooring long enough to know that installing LVP or laminate isn’t always as simple as clicking together a few planks. Sometimes DIY makes sense. Other times, professional installation can save you quite a bit of time and frustration.
Here’s how to decide.
The Pros of Installing LVP or Laminate Yourself
The biggest reason to consider DIY is pretty obvious: saving on labor costs.
If you’re handy, have the right tools, and you’re working with a straightforward room, installing a floating LVP or laminate floor can be a manageable home project.
You also get to work at your own pace. There’s no installation appointment to schedule, and you can tackle one room at a time if that’s easier for your household and budget.
And we’ll admit it—there’s something satisfying about standing back and looking at a room you finished yourself.
The Cons of DIY Flooring
Here’s where things can get tricky.
The planks themselves may be easy to connect, but that’s only one part of a good flooring installation.
What’s underneath them matters.
Your subfloor needs to be properly prepared, clean, and sufficiently level for the flooring you’re installing. Existing flooring may need to come out. Door jambs have to be handled correctly. Cuts need to be made around corners and obstacles. Expansion requirements have to be followed, and transitions between rooms need to look intentional.
The first few rows are especially important. If those aren’t laid out correctly, small mistakes can become much more noticeable as you move across the room.
Then there’s the time involved. What looks like a Saturday project can quickly turn into the entire weekend—or several weekends—once furniture moving, tear-out, prep work, measuring, cutting, trim, and cleanup are added to the list.
Where Professional Installation Makes a Difference
A professional installer isn’t simply there to put planks together.
One of the biggest advantages is having someone recognize potential problems before the new flooring goes down.
An uneven area, questionable subfloor, tricky doorway, unusual room shape, or transition into another flooring material may require a little extra planning. Those are exactly the details that can make a finished floor look polished rather than pieced together.
Professional installation can also make a lot of sense when you’re flooring several connected rooms. Keeping plank lines consistent from one space to another takes planning, particularly in open-concept homes.
For homeowners in Victoria, Texas and throughout the Crossroads area, professional installation also means you don’t have to spend your free time figuring all of this out yourself.
DIY vs. Professional: Which One Is Right for You?
We don’t think every homeowner needs to be talked out of a DIY project.
If you enjoy home improvement projects, have experience using the necessary tools, and you’re doing a small, simple room, DIY LVP or laminate may be completely reasonable.
On the other hand, consider professional installation if you’re dealing with a large area, multiple rooms, complicated cuts, uneven subfloors, stairs, lots of transitions, or simply don’t want to spend your weekends on your knees with a tape measure and flooring cutter.
Your time has value, too.
Sometimes paying for professional installation isn’t about whether you could install the floor yourself. It’s about whether that’s how you want to spend your time.
Don’t Forget About the Flooring Itself
Installation is important, but choosing the right product comes first.
Not every LVP or laminate is built for the same household. A busy family with kids and pets may have different priorities than someone updating a lightly used guest room. Kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, rentals, and commercial spaces can all call for different considerations.
That’s another benefit of working with a local flooring professional. You can talk through where the floor is going, how much traffic it gets, what kind of look you want, and what you’re expecting from it long term.
Local Help in Victoria and the Crossroads
If you decide DIY isn’t for you, that’s where we can help.
At Floors & More by Stanford, we provide professional flooring installation for homeowners in Victoria, Texas and communities throughout the Crossroads area. Whether you’re replacing the flooring in one room or updating much of your home, we can help you look at the project as a whole—from choosing the right flooring to making sure it’s installed properly.
And if you’re still deciding between LVP and laminate, you don’t need to know the answer before you come in. That’s part of what we’re here for.
Bring us your ideas, tell us about your home, and let us help you narrow down your options.
DIY can absolutely be the right choice for some flooring projects. Professional installation can be the better fit for others. What matters is knowing what the project really involves before you decide.
After all, new flooring is something you’re going to walk on and look at every day. Whether you install it yourself or bring in a professional, you want to be happy with the result when the tools are finally put away.