Do You Put Vinyl Plank Flooring Under Appliances?

Do you put vinyl plank flooring under appliances?

The simple answer is YES.

You can put vinyl plank flooring under appliances.

However, there are a few risks involved.

Why is Placing Heavy Appliances on Vinyl Plank Flooring is a Risky Affair

1. Heavy Appliances May Cause the Floor to Lift Up or Bubble

Because vinyl plank flooring is a floating floor, it may lift up or bubble when the heavy weight of most kitchen appliances is applied.

What happens is that the heavy weight of appliances prevent the proper and normal expansion and shifting of the floor.

This causes the floor to warp, lift up, and even bubble by creating large bumps on the floor.

These bumps may quickly become a tripping hazard and of course, fixing the flooring may end up becoming a tiring, expensive, and repetitive task.

2. Heavy Appliances May Scratch, Dent, and Leave Scuff Marks on your Vinyl Plank Flooring

Another thing is that placing appliances directly on vinyl plank flooring can cause scratches and deep dents on your flooring.

In fact, these scratches can quickly become permanent and in such cases, the only solution would be replacing the planks, which can be quite expensive.

The good news is that although placing heavy appliances like refrigerators and freezers directly on your vinyl plank flooring is risky, it’s not entirely impossible.

You can still do it as long as you observe a few precautionary measures.

How to Protect Vinyl Plank Flooring Under Heavy Appliances?

1. Make Sure you Glue Down the Areas Under the Appliances

As you probably know, vinyl plank flooring does not require the use of any glues or adhesives.

Although they do interlock nicely, placing heavy furniture can cause them to bubble or lift up.

That’s why experts recommend gluing those sections to reduce the chances of the flooring warping under the heavy weight of your appliances.

2. Make Sure the Floor Does Not Come into Contact with the Walls or Kitchen Cabinets

Like I said earlier, putting heavy appliances on vinyl plank floors is quite risky.

The good news is that you can easily eliminate this problem during installation by ensuring that the floor does not come in direct contact with the kitchen walls or cabinets.

This will ensure that the planks have enough room to shift in any direction without causing warping or bubbles.

3. Use Furniture Pads to Protect your Vinyl Plank Flooring from Scratches

Vinyl plank flooring is a strong and durable flooring. That’s why it’s a favorite among many homeowners.

However, its soft nature makes it prone to scratches and dents.

Nothing is more frustrating than having your beautiful floors full of unsightly scratches or dents.

Since heavy appliances can cause scratches and even permanently damage your floors, it’s never a good idea to place them directly on the floor.

That’s why it’s advisable to place high-quality furniture pads right below the feet of your appliances.

By creating a protective shield between your vinyl plank flooring and appliance feet, your floor is protected against scratches and dents.

There are many furniture pads in the market but the only pads that I can recommend to you are the X-Protector Non Slip Furniture Pads.

With these furniture pads, you’ll never have to worry about repairing your expensive floors due to scratches and scuffs.

The pads are available in a wide variety of sizes for every single appliance and furniture in your home.

NB: These furniture pads have a felt bottom, a material that is safe for your vinyl plank flooring and any other type of floor. Avoid rubber furniture pads as they can stain your vinyl flooring.

4. Use Furniture Sliders When Moving Appliances Across Vinyl Plank Flooring

Pulling or dragging a heavy appliance like a refrigerator, freezer, or washing machine can quickly damage a floating floor like vinyl plank flooring.

The heavy weight of these appliances may cause some planks to warp or lift up.

Even worse, the appliance may scratch or dent your newly installed floors.

You certainly don’t want this.

Using furniture sliders is one of the best ways to safely move even the heaviest appliances across your newly installed vinyl plank flooring.

The best furniture sliders for vinyl plank flooring are the X-Protector Felt Furniture Sliders.

These sliders have a smooth felt bottom that allows appliances to glide smoothly on hard floor surfaces.

This prevents the floor from lifting up under the weight of appliances while protecting against scratches.

The furniture sliders also somehow evenly spread out the weight of the appliances, thus eliminating excessive pressure on one side of the appliance.

5. Use an Appliance Hand Truck When Moving Heavy Appliances Across Vinyl Plank Flooring

When moving your appliances across vinyl plank flooring, it’s advisable to use an appliance hand truck instead of dragging or pulling it across the floor.

You certainly don’t want to redo the entire floor due to lumps or even have to replace it due to unsightly scratches and dents due to the pushing and dragging.

Using a hand truck with rubber wheels can help protect your newly installed vinyl plank flooring.

It also makes moving heavy appliances across floors or even up or down the stairs easy and hassle-free.

When choosing an appliance hand truck, be sure to select one with a high load capacity since most kitchen appliances can be quite heavy.

The Harper Trucks 6781 Harper Appliance Hand Truck is a highly convenient and durable appliance hand truck and a great choice for moving appliances across vinyl plank floors.

It has rubber wheels which won’t scratch or dent your vinyl plank floors.

The hand truck features single straps that help hold the appliance to the truck’s frame for stability. It also has stair climbers that help to easily move the appliance up and down the stairs.

Perhaps the best characteristic of all is the fact that this hand cart has a load capacity of a whopping 800lbs.

This makes it suitable for carrying all the heavy appliances in your home-including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, cookers, and more.