How to Measure the Center of a Floor for Vinyl Plank Installation

Measure the width of one of the room walls; which wall does not matter at the stage. Divide the width by two, to find the middle, and mark either the bottom of the wall or the floor to show the exact mid-point. Go to the opposite wall and repeat the process. Measure it, find the middle and mark it on the wall or floor.

Hold one end of a chalk-line on the mid-point on the first wall while an assistant holds the other end against the mid-point on the opposite wall. Pull the line taught. With the ends firmly held to the floor, reach forward and lift the line vertically off the floor about an arm's length across the room. Make sure the string is still directly above its original position and let it snap back into place. The chalk dust will leave a line across the floor.

Move to the other set of parallel walls and again find the middle of each wall. Stretch the chalk line across the room and, once it is in position, pull and release the line to create a second line. The result is two intersecting lines with the intersection positioned at the exact center of the room.

Check the angles between the lines where they cross. The angle should be 90 degrees. If it isn't 90 degrees, or very close to it, go back to the beginning and re-check all your measurements. If the angle is satisfactory, then the center of the room and the guidelines for the vinyl flooring have been marked out correctly.

Go over the chalk lines with a marker pen if the floor will be subject to activity that may erase the chalk -- the floor will be covered by the vinyl planking, so the pen marks will be hidden under the new floor.