Guide · How to cut LVP

Quick answer

How to cut vinyl plank flooring

Most straight cuts on rigid-core vinyl plank are score and snap: a sharp utility knife, a straightedge, and a bend. A plank cutter speeds that up. Save the saws for notches, holes, curves, and door jambs. Here is which tool goes with which cut.

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Before you cut

• Read your install sheet. It lists the cutting methods and blades the plank maker allows, the expansion gap, and the shortest piece allowed. Many say about 8 in.
• Mark the face. Use a pencil and a square. Measure twice, and remember the gap at the wall.
• Test on a scrap. Check the face and the locking edge for chips before you cut a full plank.
• Put the cut edge at the wall. Trim or baseboard covers it. The factory edge locks to the next plank.

Score and snap (most straight cuts)

1. Mark — draw the line on the face of the plank with a square or straightedge.
2. Score — hold the straightedge firmly and run a sharp utility knife along it several times. You are cutting a deep groove, not going all the way through.
3. Snap — hold one side down and lift the other, close to the score. The plank breaks along the line.
4. Finish from the back — fold the plank and cut through the attached pad or backing with the knife.

Long rips work the same way, but they take more passes and a steady straightedge. Change blades often. A dull blade wanders and chips the face.

Which tool for which cut

Cutters and saws

The full tool list, with what each one does, is in Tools & materials.

Cutting around doors, vents, and pipes

Door jambs: cut the jamb, not the plank

1. Make a height guide — lay a scrap plank, with any underlayment, on the subfloor against the jamb.
2. Undercut — rest a jamb saw, handsaw, or oscillating tool flat on the scrap and cut through the wood casing and jamb.
3. Clean out — vacuum the sawdust. Leftover dust under the casing becomes a bump.
4. Slide the plank under — the cut edge and expansion gap stay hidden beneath the casing.

Floor vents

Lift the register cover. Lay the plank in place and mark the opening, or make a paper template. Drill a starter hole inside the waste area at each corner, cut between them with a jigsaw, and test-fit before the plank locks in. The register cover hides the cut edge.

Pipes

1. Mark the center — set the plank against its neighbor and mark where the pipe lands, or trace a paper template.
2. Drill oversized — many sheets want about 1/4–3/8 in of space around pipes, so drill a bit larger than the pipe.
3. Split it to fit — if the plank can't slide over the pipe, cut through the hole to the edge, fit both pieces around the pipe, and lock them in.
4. Cover the gap — a pipe collar or the sealant your sheet names, never glue that pins the floating floor.

The last row

Lay the plank to cut exactly on top of the last full row. Lay another plank on top of it, pushed against the wall (with spacers), and use its edge to mark the width. Rip along the line, and put the cut edge at the wall.

Safety

• Safety glasses for every cut, and gloves for sharp edges. Some install sheets also call for a dust mask.
• Knife: cut away from your body and the hand holding the straightedge. Retract or cap the blade between cuts.
• Saws: clamp or fully support the plank, keep guards in place, and follow the saw maker's instructions. Cut outside or use dust collection when you can.
• Old floors: don't sand, saw, or scrape old vinyl or its glue in an older home until it has been tested for asbestos.
• Clean up: vacuum chips and dust before laying planks. Grit under a floating floor shows.

Tool picks

Start with a knife and straightedge. Add a cutter or saw if the job needs it, and rent the ones you will use only once.

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