SPC in the Las Vegas heat

Rigid does not mean motionless

Every flooring material grows a little when it warms up and shrinks when it cools. The limestone-heavy SPC core is stiffer and more stable than the flexible vinyl in older glue-down planks, which is a big reason it became popular in hot, dry climates. But "more stable" is not "zero." A whole-room floor that grows even a little has to have somewhere to go.

The expansion gap is the whole trick

SPC is a floating floor: the planks lock to each other, not to the slab. Installers leave a small gap at every wall and every fixed object (cabinets, door jambs, pipes, the tub), then hide it under baseboard or quarter round. In summer the floor grows into that space. Without it, the floor pushes against the walls with nowhere to go, and it lifts at the joints. Installers call that peaking.

The gap size is not a guess. It comes from the manufacturer's installation guide for that product. As one example, a national manufacturer's rigid-core SPC guide calls for a 1/4 inch gap at all walls and vertical objects. Other products specify different numbers, so the right gap is whatever your product's guide says.

Two related rules from the same kind of guide: trim and transition moldings must not pinch the floor, and base cabinets should not be installed on top of a floating floor, because they pin it in place. Some guides also call for transition breaks at doorways or in very long runs.

Direct sun through big glass

West-facing sliders and picture windows are the hot spots in a Las Vegas house. Afternoon sun through glass heats the floor surface right in front of the window far more than the rest of the room. Over years, strong UV can also fade printed decor and finishes. Simple fixes work:

• Shades, blinds or drapes you actually close on summer afternoons
• UV-filtering or low-E window film on the worst windows
• Moving rugs occasionally so one patch of floor is not shaded for years while the rest fades

Garages, casitas and unconditioned rooms

This is where to slow down. A finished garage or a casita without steady air conditioning can get far hotter than the house in July and August. Every SPC product has a temperature range in its installation guide and warranty, both for installing and for living with the finished floor. One national manufacturer's guide, for example, asks for the room to be held between 65°F and 85°F for 48 hours before, during and after installation, and lists 32°F to 140°F as the range afterward. Check your product's numbers against the space before you buy. If the room is not conditioned, tile may be the better floor.

Install with the AC on

The planks and the room should be at normal living temperature during installation, with the HVAC running, so the floor is cut and fitted at the size it will usually be. Do not install SPC on a hot afternoon in a closed-up house with the air off. Follow the product's acclimation instructions; they vary.

Quick heat checklist

• Expansion gap at every wall and fixed object, sized from the product's guide
• Baseboards nailed to the wall, never through the floor
• No cabinets or islands installed on top of the floating floor
• Window coverings for west and south glass
• Product temperature range checked for garages and casitas

Vegas Flooring Outlet's crews install floating floors in valley homes every week. Read about flooring installation at Vegas Flooring Outlet.