Transform Your Laundry Room Floor With Faux Wood Vinyl Flooring

Rick
by Rick
6 Materials
So I’m the guy who hates vinyl floor and linoleum. Specifically the faux hardwood type. But I’m also the guy who spent a ton of money on 3/4″ hickory hardwood for a house I only lived in for 16 months. And as hard as it is to admit this, it’s tough being two guys at once! I can’t be the hardwood snob (*cough* worst house flipper ever) AND hater of inexpensive alternatives that look AMAZING at the same time. It’s me or him.
Well I chose the other man this weekend. And I’ll never love…him again. I feel like I’ve taken this hyperbole to the end of it’s road. But I’ve done it justice.
I did it. I purchased some peel and stick faux wood vinyl flooring. I was super anxious about this stuff because I’ve heard horror stories and have SEEN hack-jobs. But I dunno…I’ve got student debt, man. So I measured my laundry room’s square footage and figured out how many “planks” (lol) were required for the room. Total cost: $50.


So I took the laminate leap.


Lay laminate out just like you would real hardwood. In case you forgot, here are a few things to keep in mind…


+ Never line joints up next to each other.


+ Leave an expansion gap along the perimeter of the room.


+ Give yourself 3-6″ distance from each joint, especially if two planks are next to each other.


+ Take your time with cutting around door trim. This is what separates the hack jobs from the hallelujahs. Just thought of that one...I give it a solid 6.5. OK it's probably more like a 4.
I took some prelim measurements from the washer/dryer to the far wall to see if things are squared up. And they’re a couple 16ths out of square, but that’s no big deal. The most critical piece is the first one so that your layout is square. The worst thing that can happen is you’re halfway through the project and you notice things aren’t straight. Just give up if you ever do that. Your DIY days are over. See you at Ikea.


RELAX! I was just kidding! I’m trying to see if you’ve got enough heart to DIY. You’re really giving me mixed signals here.
OK! SO! Taking up trim is a must. It will give the room a seamless, professional look and it only takes an extra half hour and $15 bucks on the budget for new trim. Usually I try to keep the old trim and repaint it but the builders of this house used DOOR trim on the floors and this stuff has never been cleaned. Like ever.
Once all of the trim is removed, I clean up the area with my shop-vac and prep the floor by cleaning it with a Swiffer wet (why not call it a WET Swiffer?). Once the floor dries I’m ready to roll…er…stick. Peel and stick.
The worst and most miserable part about installing this vinyl floor was cutting around the door trim.


With hardwood I would use my multi-tool to cut the bottom of the door trim and slide the hardwood under, but that seemed like overkill because vinyl is so thin. Perhaps I’m being a little lazy? Perhaps you’re being a little judgmental!
Trace a piece of old gross trim onto your plank…cut along the marks with your utility knife...and there you go! Two beautifully executed molding cuts! We’re cutting and pasting like 2nd grade BOSSES.
Stagger those joints! I’ll know if you don’t. When you make your way to the washer/dryer, have a few towels ready to put under the legs to slide the units forward while you finish up the floor. You don’t want to scratch up your brand new faux hardwood vinyl. Faux real.
You know what…you’re alright in my book peel and stick faux wood vinyl flooring. You’re alright.
Toddler approved! I’m kidding. She didn’t even notice. She’s more excited about her reflection on the washing machine door. OHH…to be a kid again. Whenever I gawk at my reflection my wife gives me dirty looks!
Now it's time for trim!
I made all my measurements, dry fit the trim and threw on two coats of bright white paint.
Mark out the location of studs just above the top of the trim. Starting from the door I made my way around the room securing the trim to the wall using a pneumatic brad nailer.


Later on I'll caulk the brad nail holes and the gap between the trim and the wall.
While I was in here, I figured why not build a floating shelf and add some newer cabinets?
I cut down and refinished an old Ikea table top to match the faux wood floors. Next I stole these baskets from another part of the house and totally left what was in them before in a pile in the corner of that room.


I'm really hoping my wife loves this space so much that she won't notice!
And here's a final photo of the new cabinets, shelf, baskets and a poster I made just for the laundry room! It says Live, laugh, LAUNDRY! It's funny because no one feels alive or laughs while doing laundry. Well...maybe it's not very funny after all.


Anyway, thanks for reading!


For more fun DIY projects check out my website here.


Or my youtube channel here.
Frequently asked questions
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3 of 19 questions
  • Suzanne Brodie Suzanne Brodie on Sep 30, 2018

    Just love your laundry sign! Is there any chance of getting a copy please?

  • Infoseekrs Infoseekrs on Oct 06, 2018

    OMgaud! You're so funny! It looks very professional and I love the look of the shelving, table, cabinets and sign (and, I know it was already there but, the sea mist wall color is my new obsession!).

    Did you not continue the flooring under the laundry machines? If not, maybe I can get away with that too 😉

  • Kathy Gress Kathy Gress on Nov 03, 2018

    How well does this hold up under ft. Traffic, & spills? Water?

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3 of 106 comments
  • Jacqui Jacqui on May 03, 2020

    I just bought some of this on a whim for an almost identical project. Thank you for the tips and bolstering my confidence!

    Honestly I never read these. I start, get bored, look at the pics, note the products and move on, and don't remember half the tips. I read yours all the way through and it will stick - pun intended. You ARE funny! And your floor looks high-end nice!

  • Judith Judith on Feb 13, 2023

    Very ENTERTAINING !!! I LOVE a DIYer with a good sense of humor !

    And I LOVE the result ! It is completely different before/after ! Nice job !!!

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