Can You Put Click-in Flooring on a Wall?

Vapor Barriers

• Choosing to install click-in flooring on the wall does mean that the flooring must be installed properly, in the same way that it would be installed on the floor. Just as a vapor barrier protects the wood floor from moisture, installing a vapor barrier on the wall adds the same protection, especially if the wall is a wet wall -- with plumbing pipes -- or an exterior wall that weathers climactic changes throughout the year. So cover the wall with a vapor barrier to block any potential moisture from coming in contact with the click-in flooring product.

Making It Work

• While click-in flooring involves merely locking each piece of flooring together without glue or nails over a flat, horizontal surface, wall installation requires a few reinforcements. Secure the first plank that starts off the wall's installation with 2-1/2-inch finishing nails into a wall stud, then anchor the next planks in by locking them to the first planks. At each wall stud, nail the click-in flooring to the underlying stud to secure the locked-together wall covering. Assess the durability of the click-in connections as a wall covering and use a bead of glue on each connection if necessary to make the wall structurally solid.

Horizontal or Vertical

• One advantage of working with this flooring product is that it can be installed in either a horizontal or vertical orientation, depending on the effect you want for the room. Install the flooring vertically to infuse the room with a feeling of height, or make the room feel expansive with a horizontal orientation. While a diagonal orientation would certainly interject a visual effect of continuity or infinity, this would probably be a daunting task for a novice.

An Upgrade from Paneling

• The installation of a click-in flooring on the wall is an aesthetic upgrade to yesterday's wood-paneled walls. The flooring choices are new and contemporary in fabrication, so they look like wood strips instead of sheets of wood panels. Wood types, from domestic to exotic, color tones and flooring finishes are some of the factors to consider when selecting the right type of click-in flooring for the wall finish -- one that complements the overall design theme of the room.