If you are without even a permanent layout in the kitchen...........stop at the area that can be completely finished. After that.......get a PROFESSIONAL to install the remaining floor.

Sorry - but there are SO many issues that can happen with LVP installs, I would not have anything other than a professional install, AFTER you have your permanent layout finished.

What does he plan for flooring prep? How much time has he allowed to that? Or is he supposed to just arrive and start laying? The #1 reason for failure is improper prep. And then improper install. You’re asking for both situations.

Time to hire an actual KD.

"To clarify - the family member IS a professional"

Ah - good.

Can you lock a section (living room) of flooring in place in another way and do other parts of the house, or is it full house install in one go or nothing?

People have damaged click-lock LVP planks replaced occasionally. It's a PITA because you have to take so much up, but it certainly is done. An entire room would actually be even less of a pain, I would think, since you are really doing a full install in that room (your kitchen). Are all the floors already prepped?

I've got a better version of his idea. Lay the floor to just past where the cabinet bases will go, then cut the floor 1/4" short of where the base cabinet will be installed as the manufacturer recommends. Have him stick some cutoff scraps as shims in the cabinet installation area. The cabinet installers will set the cabinets on the scrap shims and you'll have the required clearance between the floor and cabinet base that will be covered by trim or base molding. You've got a manufacturer-approved installation that was installed once instead of twice.

She doesn't have a perfected layout yet, Joe.

What you're proposing technically can be done but it's not recommended because the planks can be damaged so easily when you remove them. A friend of mine removed hers when she had some water damage from a leaking refrigerator and she said nearly 1/3 of the planks could not be reused. She would up starting over from scratch. I wouldn't take the chance.

Better yet, rip 7/16" plywood into 1 1/2" strips. Install one strip on the floor at the wall and another 20" away from the wall. Have him lay the floor to within 1/4" of the outermost strip. The cabinets will be installed on top of the plywood, floating 1/16" or so above the floor, so the floor going under the cabinets a bit isn't an issue. No base or trim required to cover the gap; the cabinets are doing it.

You can't "tile in" an appliance with this method either.

"She doesn't have a perfected layout yet, Joe."

Irrelevant. Run the floor long, then gang cut the planks with a circular saw on a rail when the layout is known.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that removing damages the planks. I would assume that any plank you need to remove at a later date is a "wasted plank". It cannot be used again. That's the EASIEST way to do this. That means you will need to have DOUBLE the square footage for your kitchen.

And beware: floating floors MUST HAVE transition strips through doorways. The "walkway" you have set up is not considered appropriate. It runs through a doorway without a t-molding.

Personally I would install the "rest of the house" up to the doorway to the kitchen. Lay down a temporary "uneven t-molding" through the doorway. It will be removed later and the proper t-molding will be installed as per flooring requirements (it should be written in black and white).

Have the kitchen installed. Cabinets, boxes, counter tops, etc all finished up. Then lay the kitchen floor just before you install the appliances. Change the uneven t-mold for the proper t-molding through the doorway and you are done like dinner.

This is the simplest way to do this. You will need to learn the installation technique from the family member and then finish the kitchen install yourself. Of course the tricky bit is the cuts, but this is how your project ended up "working".

Exactly what SJ said - don't double the work and the possible damage and waste to try to remove . Or , if you want that smooth flow all the way through ( which is not always possible because of how the house settles ), then I would do all of the other work and live without the floors finished until your family member can come out to do it.

It's great to have friends and family that can help, but things should still be done the right way....My guess is there are doubts otherwise you wouldn't be asking....

Good luck!

Cant the floor be laid from the kitchen doorway on into the other rooms.

Then come back and use a transition piece to tie the kitchen floor into the rest once everything is in place?

Why would removing make the planks unusable? Is that not contrary to the whole “ waterproof, flood proof” marketing?

Chess:

These planks interlock which means that if you lay a floor completely and want to piece in later, you're going to have to loose the bottom of a groove, as there is no other way to fit the final replacement board in. The planks with the lost groove bottom had better be in a low traffic area.

This is why the method I suggest earlier is the best. The floor is laid completely with no missing groove bottoms. The guy who sets the cabinets cuts the floor where it goes. No extra trip for the floor guy and no inexperienced people laying floors.