I grew up in the flooring business with my father. My dad took both me and my brother out on installation jobs all too often. I preferred to watch TV in the air-conditioned office and keep Mom company but Dad had other ideas.
In retrospect, Dad was right to take us out, get to work, and learn a bunch. Hey, we made some pretty good money too! What a person learns over years of installing flooring is not how to lay it. No, that is learned very early, as flooring installation is not rocket science. Instead what you learn over time is how to fix things that you screwed up. That is the hard part!
For the first 25 years of my life my installation experiences were limited to carpet and sheet vinyl, with an occasional commercial vinyl tile thrown in to make sure that my knees would hurt for the rest of my life. After that we started installing solid hardwood and laminate, and life got easier (and more rewarding financially).
My brother and I installed alot of hardwood together, and we liked it much better than carpet and vinyl for multiple reasons. One, it went fast and you could see what you were accomplishing as you went. Secondly we could stop at any time for a breather, a smoke, or a Mountain Dew. When we worked with Dad we didn’t even get to stop for lunch!
I tell you all of this to establish my bonafides. While I have not installed alot of ceramic tile, I have done enough to tell you that I do not like doing it!
Sheet Vinyl Is Not an Easy Installation
First, go ahead and scratch out sheet vinyl. Most rooms cannot be done by one person. I have tried it and I want to save you from the torment.
What will happen is you start to wrestle the material when it won't stay still in all four corners of your room. That's when you make a mistake and tear the vinyl flooring. Then you get mad at yourself for even trying it. No more discussion is needed.
Carpet Is Not the Easiest Type Of Floor to Install Solo
Carpet is probably the next most difficult flooring option to work with alone. While it can be done it will require alot for time, as there is lots of getting up and getting down. Using a power stretcher in a large room is a 2-person job. That was one of my first jobs as a child. I would love to have a dollar for every time my dad yelled for me to move that foot.
Carpet Tile Should Be Considered
Any discussion about an easy or simple installation of floor covering would have to include carpet tile. Several years ago the the 2 biggest carpet manufacturers, Shaw and Mohawk, discovered that consumers would buy carpet tiles that were intended for residential installation. Previously carpet tile was only made for commercial applications. These products were built for longevity and could be expected to last for 5 or 10 years in a heavy traffic area. But that type of flooring had zero appeal to consumers that wanted an easy to install carpet tile for their home or dorm room. The product that they came up with was a peel and stick carpet tile that was soft and comfortable, as well as inexpensive. Now a consumer that has a sharp knife can complete an easy installation of carpet tiles in their home in no time.
Having A Helper Makes the Job Go Way Faster
Besides those two, I would say that all of the more common installs-hardwood, laminate, and LVP-can be installed with just one person. Sure a second person is invaluable for efficiency and speed. For instance when you are installing flooring a good helper will make sure that the room is cleaned out and swept in front of the installer, so he doesn’t have to stop. Also a helper will carry in the next boxes to be opened and place them in an appropriate position, again making certain that the installer does not have to stop. When a crew is getting paid by the square foot, stopping is something that you do when you want to, not because someone isn’t doing their job.
But the question was which one is most easy. Sorry, I get distracted easily. Which was the biggest reason that my dad yelled at me so much. One time when I was about 15 he and my brother and I were working on an apartment building. It was so cold in there! Because the areas were small we could not use our heaters, and I showed my discomfort and reticence by moving even slower than normal. After a few hours of that my dad got a little upset with me and inquired about my well-being. Actually what he said was, “Son, are you on drugs?”
5 inch Wide is Easier Than 3 Inch Wide
Wider floors are easier to install than narrow ones. That is because they go faster. I used to love it when we had a hardwood floor to install that used 6" or even 8" pine floors. That stuff installed soooo much faster than the more narrow 2 1/4 or 3 1/4 prefinished Oak and Hickory wood floors that we typically laid. On a normal job we might lay 6-800 square feet a day, depending on the layout of the house. With those long and wide pine boards we could easily do 1500 square feet in a day, and sometimes did more. And they paid the same price per square foot.
FAQ about the Easiest Flooring for a DIY Install
Can any homeowner complete a diy flooring installation?
Cheap DIY flooring projects are easy for anyone to tackle. You must be ready for hard work, a lot of sweat, and the resilience to go on. Hardwood flooring can be handled by a teenager with enough grit and tenacity.
Are easy install flooring products more expensive?
Surprisingly no! New flooring projects that need help getting under-budget on the installation process are actually quite reasonable! Luxury-Vinyl has a bunch of low cost options and its the simplest flooring to lay by yourself!
What types of wood or tile would do well for my garage renovation?
A garage renovation would not benefit from a wood, tiles, or even cork floor to be frank. Any home improvement flooring project would benefit from an lvt or lvp product.
Are LVP Floors Easier to Install Than Hardwood Flooring
Luxury vinyl tile and plank products are certainly easier to put down than a hardwood floor. Whether a wood floor is nailed down, floated, or utilizes adhesives for a glue down installation it will require more effort, planning and expense. A wood project also requires more tools like nailers and saws
Vinyl Plank is the Easiest Flooring to Install
I would say that luxury vinyl plank is the simplest flooring option to put down myself. While any interlocking flooring will be easier than a nail-down DIY attempt, lvp would be my choice over laminate because a saw is not needed to cut it. That means I don’t have to get up as much, nor do I need as many tools. When putting down a luxury vinyl plank or tile floor it is possible to score it with a really sharp razor and snap it off. Granted, a saw makes it easier. Vinyl flooring goes fast as well. Seeing that you are accomplishing a lot makes any job easier, even if it is just in your mind.
Which Vinyl Plank Flooring Is The Easiest Flooring To Put Down?
While I say that lvp is the easiest floor to install, there are different types of lvp, not all of them have planks to click together smoothly. My favorite type is the drop in place locking system that Shaw uses on their high end products. That system lets you lay flooring so much easier and faster because it is so simple. Place your long joint together and push down. It is the easiest way... no twisting needed! And those products look great as well, with their registered embossing and deep grain patterns.
So if easy is important on your next flooring project, consider one of our vinyl plank flooring options.
