The old wood-based laminate is removed to reveal sub-floor, upon which the new vinyl plank with underlayment is laid.
The contrast between old and new is clearly evident after the kitchen section of flooring was completed and the lower cabinets and island were set back into position.
Contiguous vinyl flooring throughout the main floor provides a seamless transition from room to room.
The bottom and back boards were removed and replaced, to avoid tearing out the entire sink cabinet.
A small kitchen faucet leak caused significant damage to a homeowner’s kitchen island and wood-based laminate below. The list of tasks required to remedy this unfortunate issue grew to include replacement of all continuous laminates on the entire main floor. Before this could begin however, the kitchen would need to be completely dismantled to provide adequate access for installation.
When my client first made contact in the spring of 2021, he already knew the damage to the existing laminates was sufficient to warrant its complete removal. And because the laminates were virtually seamless throughout the main floor, it would be nearly impossible to salvage any of it. As such, the decision was made to proceed with new flooring throughout. After careful consideration and review, a premium vinyl plank with pad was chosen for the job. The big question was whether to stick with a similar dark colour that closely matched the old flooring, or to choose a lighter colour for something new and fresh.
No matter the colour choice, certain processes were essential: the displacement of the lower kitchen cabinets and island to provide access to the flooring areas below each respectively; the temporary dismantling of the water feeds and drain to the island before moving it; and the shifting around of main-floor furniture to allow proper access to the various areas that required new vinyl planking.
There was also the damage to the sink cabinet of the island to repair. Because it was fastened within the entire island structure, it was determined that retaining the main cabinet structure and simply replacing the back and bottom of the cabinet would suffice. After colour matching both the interior and exterior finishes, Richard Rochon at Cabinet Corner successfully recreated these necessary cabinet components, which would be introduced after the island was repositioned after the new flooring was laid down in that area.
After careful deliberation, the homeowner did indeed decide to take a leap of faith and selected a light-grey wood-tone Beckham Brothers Big Ben vinyl plank with underlayment. Although the client admits the choice was not an easy one, he relied heavily upon the expertise of Lisa Chammartin, a 25-year flooring specialist at Curtis Carpets. “Darker floors were trendy a few years back. However, now that manufacturers are able to achieve realistic wood flooring in vinyl, it is the lighter tones that make a space feel larger, and give it a modern but timeless look,” explains Chammartin. “Furthermore, the built-on underlayment makes the vinyl plank feel warmer, softer and gives you a built-in sound barrier for your home, condominium or commercial application.”
The homeowner remained skeptical about his colour choice until the vinyl flooring installation process began. Starting in the kitchen area, the flooring was installed along the far wall working my way into the main open-concept living room area. Once the the entire kitchen’s footprint was completed, the baseboards were reaffixed and the lower cabinets and island repositioned. With the newly fashioned cupboard elements secured within the sink cabinet, the new kitchen faucet was mounted to the granite countertop and all water feeds and drains were reconnected, including those for the adjacent dishwasher. Now that the kitchen was once again fully functional, the vinyl flooring installation continued by section, moving furniture from the unfinished areas back onto the completed flooring as needed.
Any skepticism the homeowner may have had regarding his colour choice was dismissed the moment he laid his eyes upon the completed kitchen section of newly laid floor — he was now convinced he had made the right choice, a notion reinforced daily as the project progressed.
By the time the new flooring installation process reached the far wall of the living room, the 78-box pile of vinyl plank had diminished by nearly half. I couldn’t help but dwell on the costs of vinyl, which had undergone a tremendous leap in recent months. Fortunately, we had locked in a price of $5.29 per square foot, slightly higher than the originally quoted $4.50 per square foot a few months previous. And it was a good thing we ordered it when we did, because this vinyl has soared to a cost of $7.98 per square foot. “Since last year, prices of certain types of flooring have greatly increased, some have nearly doubled and continue to rise,” Chammartin says. “There are many delays due to the pandemic — from manufacturing and transportation to not having enough employees on hand. As such, Curtis Carpets has been proactively bringing in a tremendous amount of inventory to have on hand, so we can continue to pass along any savings to be had to the homeowner.”
The remaining areas of the project entailed the front foyer area into the landing at the top of the stairs going to the basement, and back through the hallway to the spare and master bedrooms, respectively. There were three regular-sized closets, a larger walk-in closet off the master bedroom as well as the kitchen pantry with which to contend. Although a bit tricky here and there, careful negotiation during installation eliminated the tedious removal of doors and jambs by gently tucking the vinyl below these features where needed throughout the process. And with the final board in place, the remaining baseboards were reaffixed. The entire main floor looks and feels like being in a brand new home.
At first sight, the old charcoal grey flooring seemed a bit too dark, and actually conflicted with the tonal quality of the existing trim, which is a dark chocolate brown colour. By choosing the light-grey wood-tone Beckham Brothers vinyl plank, not only does every room seem brighter and larger, the dark brown casings and baseboards now beautifully outline the contours of every room, with an esthetic split between the flooring and the walls, the way it should have been right from the start.
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