While vinyl planks might be growing increasingly popular due to their water resistance and simple aesthetics, vinyl planks can be a little tricky to install around your side posts and even more difficult underneath door jambs.
Although you can put vinyl planks under door jambs, in practice, they are a little hard to maneuver. When installing vinyl plank door jambs, some door jambs might require an undercut, and others, a flooring cut.
Vinyl planks don’t just give your home the oomph factor; these scratch-resistant floors are budget-friendly and easy to install. However, this article addresses a burning question for most homeowners and new-to-vinyl-flooring decorators: Can you put vinyl planks under door jambs?
Can You Put Vinyl Planks Under Door Jambs?
Whether you are switching out your linoleum flooring for a Vinyl Plank or just revamping your old flooring solo, installing vinyl planks attracts a lot of questions for newbie handypersons and DIY homeowners alike.
Although the questions typically range from the recommended vinyl floor thickness to the proper installation technique, it is not uncommon to find a number of family handypersons unsure of whether or not the vinyl planks can go under the door jamb.
So, can you put vinyl planks under door jambs?
Vinyl planks can be put under a door jamb. However, the process requires such a precise technique that it can often be delegated to long-practicing installers and professional handypersons.
Should You Put Vinyl Planks Under a Door Jamb?
Vinyl planks aren’t just a great versatile flooring option for your home, they can also fit perfectly into your remote crevices and hard-to-reach nooks of your floor, creating a continuous and unbroken stream of vinyl.
If you want that uniform silk aesthetic running along your bedroom floor, then you should put vinyl planks under your side post. Installing vinyl planks, however, isn’t beginner-friendly.
The procedure usually involves a handyman undercutting the wooden door jambs and, for metal doors, gaping the floorboards.
From overcutting the door jamb, to sizing them accurately, installing vinyl plank underneath your door jamb can be quite arduous and —for DIY handypersons —surprisingly easy to botch. We recommend consulting a professional before taking a 250w professional multifunction saw to the far bottom of your door post.
What Tools Do You Need to Put Vinyl Plank Under Door Jambs?
With vinyl planks varying from floating to glue down, installation supplies typically vary from one type to the other. At its core, installing a vinyl plank underneath a side post isn’t very different from affixing them anywhere else. Below, we list the tools and supplies required when putting vinyl plank underneath the door jamb.
- Flush cut saw
- Hammer
- Razor knife
- Transition trim
- Floating Vinyl Plank
- Knee pads
- Safety Glasses
What Preparations Do You Need to Install Vinyl Planks Under Door Jambs?
Before you slide your vinyl planks underneath a door jamb, your door would typically need some finessing to allow for the smooth installation of the vinyl plank underneath.
To prepare for installing vinyl planks under door jambs, run a maintenance check on the tools you are looking to utilize. Think about looking through the flush cut saw to ensure the saw maintains its blade and can power through the cut. While you can certainly undercut your door jambs during the installation process, it is good practice to work your door jambs before the process.
How To Install Vinyl Planks Under Door Jambs?
Now you have your supplies and tools laid out, just how do you install your vinyl planks?
There is no one way to install vinyl planks under door jambs. In practice, we find the methods vary across the different types, however in this article, we shall focus on the procedure for installing both floating and glue down vinyl planks.
Step 1: Mark Where the Vinyl Plank will Hit the Door Jamb
Start marking each side of the vinyl plank casing; one should be at the entrance and the other should be at the exit. The marks should be placed at points where you are sure the vinyl plank will be going under the door jamb.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on November 27, 2022.
After doing this, get a marking board, stick it under the door jamb slightly and proceed to mark points where the marking board touches the vinyl plank. There should be a total of four marks, one at the entrance, one at the exit and the last two would be on both ends where the marking board goes under the door jamb.
Step 2: Connect the Marked Points
To connect the marked points, all you need is a smaller piece of vinyl. You will also notice that once you connect these dots, you will get a u-shaped mark. To trace out the marked points, use a pencil.
Step 3: Cut Out the Shape
To cut out the shape, using the flush cut saw, table saw, oscillating saw or jigsaw, trace out the outline and fit the length of the plank into the undercut.
N.B: Depending on the type of underfloor, prepare the door jamb sub-floor area by looking out for holes and fissures and filling it right up before proceeding with the installation.
Step 4: Install and Secure the Vinyl Planks
As directed in the instructor’s manual, slide the vinyl plank into place and secure the plank in place as directed by manufacturers’ manual. If you are using the glue-down vinyl planks, spread a copious amount of the glue onto the subfloor and proceed with your hands, pressing the vinyl plank around the door jamb.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on November 27, 2022.
N.B: Ensure you attach the door jam before laying the vinyl plank on the floor fully.
Pro Tips
- While wood doors hang on to the door posts, the door jambs are typically undercut to allow for smooth continuity of these easy-to-install floors; hence, you’d usually want to avoid undercutting metal door jambs.
- In installing vinyl planks, it is not uncommon to have DIY homeowners or amateur installers over-cut door jambs, leaving a door jamb gap in its wake. Although we recommend having a professional handyman look your door jamb over, applying accurately measured wood fillers flush under your door jambs is a widely popular fix.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on November 27, 2022.