After living with our new floors for a couple of weeks, I’m sharing the pros and cons of choosing Luxury Vinyl Plank floors!
If you missed the beginning of the new flooring drama and why we had to have our engineered hardwood floors replaced, go read my post on picking out new flooring. It was not something I expected to have to juggle this summer, but it’s done and I have thoughts. 😂
We had old reddish-brown engineered hardwood floors that had seen better days. They were rough (and pretty ugly from wear & sun exposure) when we moved in, so I’ve had “replace floors” on my wish list since we moved in 7 years ago.
Even though I had always wanted new floors, I hadn’t done any research into what flooring option I wanted to replace them. So I walked into this decision with no prior research and had to make a decision in a couple of weeks. It was overwhelming and I went to several flooring stores to see options and talk with professionals.
I went into the process thinking I would choose another engineered hardwood product. But then I started reading and hearing about luxury vinyl plank floors and I was intrigued. Waterproof, pet-proof & kid-proof are definitely qualities I’d like in my home. While we don’t have a pet, we do have a 4-year-old who plays with water all the time and likes to make “science experiments” in the kitchen when we’re not looking. Ha!
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The floors were finished more than a week ago, but I wanted to live with them for a couple weeks before giving my thoughts and opinions.
What is Luxury Vinyl Plank?
Luxury Vinyl Plank, which is also called LVP flooring for short, is a man-made vinyl luxe plank product. In 2012, US Floors introduced the first engineered vinyl plank product with their COREtec Plus line of flooring. (This is what we chose for the high quality product and cork backing, which helps with cushioning and is a naturally anti-bacterial product. This is not sponsored in any way, we just chose to use this product.)
This engineered vinyl plank looks like real wood floors, but is water resistant (many times waterproof) and easy to install over existing (flat) flooring.
The Pros of Luxury Vinyl Plank
The Look.
When I walked into my house for the first time with the new floors, it was love at first sight! The color of the vinyl looks just like a rustic weathered wood with warm brown tones and cooler gray tones all mixed together. We chose COREtec Boardwalk Oak for our floors. It has a beachy farmhouse vibe, which I LOVE and it works so well with the colors and tones already in my home.
The pattern of the vinyl has low variation, so there’s not an additional pattern on the floor competing with my home decor. There are no places of dark or light, just a beautiful uniform rustic gray/brown color that works with my home perfectly.
If you are looking for a similar look, but a wider plank, then I would suggest Nantucket Oak by COREtec.
This is the #1 reason I chose luxury vinyl plank – they had the look I wanted in the price range I needed. If I had gone with a similar look/style in the engineered hardwood, I would have paid at least $2 more per square feet.
You can find the most stylish colors on the market, like grays, weathered woods and farmhouse looks in the engineered planks. This makes this type of flooring an obvious choice for updating the look of your home.
Cleaning.
Cleaning these luxury vinyl plank floors has been a dream. You can sweep or vacuum or wipe them with a damp rag. I personally use the Norwex mop system, which I just use water with the mop pad and it cleans up anything that we’ve spilled on the floors. (And we spill a LOT – remember our 4-year-old who loves to do experiments in the kitchen?) Or I use my Thieves Cleaner from Young Living. It’s safe for our family and is a great degreaser.
The maker of our floors, US Floors COREtec Plus, recommends Bona Stone, Tile and Laminate Cleaner. So, if you don’t have a Norwex mop or Thieves Cleaner, I’d go for that!
Installation.
We did not install these floors ourselves because our insurance was paying for them to be installed and we just didn’t have the time this summer to try to tackle that huge project. But I know plenty of people who have DIY’d their installation of luxury vinyl plank. It’s evidently really easy and there are some great tutorials online – just do a search and you’ll find them!
The great thing about LVP is that if you have flat floors, you can install them as floating floors over your concrete slab, existing tile or existing hardwood. This is especially ideal if you have asbestos tiles or sub flooring.
The thinner size of LVP makes it easy to install with cabinets and appliances in place.
Our old floors were ripped out because they were damaged and our insurance paid for it and installed over our concrete slab. But if we were doing these ourselves, we would have totally put them in on top of our existing hardwood floors.
It’s Popular.
I was told over and over again that many new homes in our area are putting in Luxury Vinyl Plank as the main flooring throughout the home. In fact our good friends are building a beautiful, large home and chose LVP for their main flooring.
This means that when we go to sell our home it will be a great option for a new homeowner and they will be seeing these floors in the newer homes in the area.
I’ve heard that LVP doesn’t improve the value of your home like a real hardwood or engineered hardwood does. But I think the perks of being waterproof floors, plus pet-proof and kid-proof will appeal to new buyers.
The Cons of Luxury Vinyl Plank
The Sound.
While I’ve heard the sounds of luxury vinyl plank has improved greatly in recent years, I was most concerned about this issue. You know the hollow sound of walking on a non-wood floor? I was worried about this because I’m super sensitive to sounds.
Welllll … it’s not been my favorite thing about these floors. While I’ve found shoes in my closet that don’t make as loud of a sound when I’m walking across them, they are still louder than my previous engineered hardwood floors.
I hear our feet in the floor more than before. I could be totally silent walking on our old floors, but it’s almost impossible to be silent walking on these floors. (Think of this as a problem if you’re trying to sneak outside a child’s room to be the tooth fairy, or go to bed after your spouse and trying not to wake them.)
I think choosing a more textured floor would cut down in the sounds, so I wish I’d chosen Nantucket Oak instead since it has more texture.
This sound hasn’t bothered my husband one bit. And my good friend came over and said she couldn’t tell a difference. It’s probably just me being super sensitive, but I want to be honest about the sound. It won’t sound like the rich tones of walking on real wood.
I’m going to add some runners in my hallways and a large 9 x 12 are rug in our bedroom to help break up the sounds. So hopefully those will help me get used to it. And I will say that in the 2 weeks we’ve had them, I have gotten more accustomed to the different sounds. So maybe it will just take time to get used to them.
The Feel.
This probably would be different with a different style of LVP, but our floors are pretty smooth with a matte finish. They are soft on the feet, which my husband likes, thanks to the cork backing. But I find that they feel too soft for my taste. I wish they had more of a wood feel. Again, this could be improved with a different style of LVP with more texture and more of a glossy finish.
Spills and Dirt.
I thought that this medium/light flooring color would make the dirt and spills less obvious. Not that I want to have a dirty floor, but let’s face it – floors are pretty dirty. And I don’t want to see every single crumb.
Unfortunately the matte finish on these floors shows every drip, spill and mess. That can be a good thing so that you can see them and clean them up. But I don’t want to notice every little thing and spend my whole day cleaning the floors.
Thankfully they ARE easy to clean and it’s a quick process. But again, I tend to see the crumbs more than before. I think the additional rugs will help, but we’ll see.
I guess the worst thing that can happen in this case is that I’ll be forced to clean the floors more often and they will in fact be cleaner. LOL
Final Thoughts
I love the look of these floors. They are my dream come true in that department and I’m so thankful we were given the opportunity to replace them.
When and if we ever build a home, I’ll most likely pay the extra money for the engineered hardwood flooring of my dreams. The engineered hardwood that was in our budget (that I saw) wasn’t the look I wanted. So, I sacrificed material to get the look I wanted.
And in the end I wouldn’t change a thing. Every new major change takes time to get used to, so this is no different. We feel like our home is updated and new and fresh and will love the look for years to come!
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jeanne haight
Thank you for this review. I am tortured about flooring decisions and I have researched extensively about the LVP. So many choices and thank you for the pics of what it actually looks like in a home. Helped tremendously.
Nick
I’m an installer go for a thicker plank with built in underlay for cushening and make sure your sub floor is relatively flat to avoid any bounce (air pockets underneath).
Mistee
I’m debating on getting these exact floors. Are you still loving them? Anything I should beware of? Thank You!
Daniel Hartness
Hey Laura. You got a lot of great information here! I wanted to add a little bit of information that may help you and others out with LVP in the future. One of the cons you mentioned was the smoothness of your LVP. One of the cool innovations nowadays is a texturing technique called Embossed in Register (ER). With ER, the texture of the plank matches up perfectly with the register or the original graphic. This means that every grain is captured in detail, including wood knots. An advantage of this is increased surface area so you won’t slip or fall. This would be a great solution if you want that rougher hardwood feel, like I do as well, without having to pay the premium for hardwood.
One other thing I wanted to mention is the potential to include a compound called aluminum oxide. This is a compound that’s as hard as a diamond and heavily strengthens your wear layer to the point of the planks being impervious to scratches, scuffs, and other damages. Usually, it only costs another 50c per sq. ft. to add this compound.
Stephan Lilly
Hey Laura,
Thank you for sharing your experience so much. I am now faced with a hard choice of a vinyl plank or engineered hardwood for the living room floor (150-170 sq. feet). On your opinion – which floor is more durable – vinyl plank or engineered hardwood?
Best regards,
Stephan
Sandy
Could you please tell me your wall color in family room? It’s so pretty with the floors!
Thank you
Laura
Hi Sandy. It’s Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. Thanks for reading!
Kelly
I think they turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing the detailed review, the durability of LVP is definitely tempting. I have a similar issue with our recent bathroom remodel, where our new tile, tub, and countertop are all white/light colors and specific textures that show dirt and dust much more quickly than the previous beige materials we replaced. It is both a blessing and a curse, I started using Norwex cloths because it’s quick and easy to wipe down surfaces every few days. So while it is kind of a pain because it doesn’t hide dirt nearly as well, I do know I’m keeping the space cleaner!
Laura
Exactly!! And Norwex is so great for keeping things clean without much fanfare. Love their products! xo, Laura
Marcia
I absolutely love mine. Got ours about six months ago. The only thing I would change would be the sheen. Mine a not really shinny, more of a matte. But with two dogs this flooring is perfect. Tell my hubby that all the hair he sees on the floor was stuck in the carpet that we lived with for 20 years.
Laura
Oh I’m so glad you love it! I am learning to live with the different sounds and I am liking them fine! It definitely helps me keep my home more clean!
Laura VanCuren
Your floors are gorgeous! I am so jealous. I have 6 dogs and I would LOVE to have water-proof floors. The color and style fit right into your décor. I am also pumped that you use Norwex. So do I and I love their mop system. Thank you for the hints/ideas. If I am ever lucky enough to replace our hardwood floors, I def would consider this product.
Laura
I’m so glad it was helpful! I think this flooring would be perfect for a home with pets!!
Jill
Your new floors are beautiful. Love the light, weathered look and how great they work in your rooms (much more attractive than the older red tone flooring). My LVP is a darker color (it does show dust as will any darker floor) and has a definite “wood grain” texture that feels great on bare feet. It is also cork backed, but due to the very rigid core it is not “soft” feeling. I chose FirmFit brand for the reason stated by Ken in his reply – dimensional stability in vast temperature ranges, as well as freedom from fading in sunlight, no VOCs, antimicrobial finish, waterproof, pet and kid friendly, easy upkeep, cost and a realistic wood look. Mine too has a matte finish but so did many other brands I looked at and it does look more realistic than the few glossier one I saw. There is, of course, no true substitute for real, solid wood flooring but the LVP gives a close duplication with the ability to use it in any room in your house regardless of grade or water spills . I think it is the “floor of the future”. You will be glad you installed it.
Laura
Thanks for your input, Jill. I am liking it more and more each day. I LOVE the look – that’s for sure!! Just taking some time to get used to the sounds and feel. 🙂
Becky
Very pretty! May they last for years to come!
Laura
Thank you, Becky!
Ken
Buyer be aware. Read the cortec fine print. This product is not suitable for floors that have direct sunlight. Temperature range is limited, expanding and contracting breaks the locks on the planks leaving gaps between planks. Covering with carpet helps. Using another product is best.
Laura
I have heard that. I’m not sure how these floors could be kept out of direct sunlight unless they are only used in warehouses… and all of the builders in our area are using them in new more expensive homes. We’ll have to see what happens and save our money to replace it if it comes to that. Truth be told our engineered hardwoods were significantly lighter in our eat-in kitchen and had a lot of sun damage. So I’m not sure any flooring can withstand the sun for years at a time.
Kale Paul
https://medium.com/treeusable/floored-the-shocking-concerns-about-vinyl-flooring-93bf9509429a
Since you have a 4 year old playing on this junk…
Laura
Hey there! Thankfully US Floors COREtec Plus is Greenguard Gold certified for indoor air quality and CARB compliant. https://www.greenflooringsupply.com/pages/does-lvt-coretec-plus-off-gas-toxic-chemicals
ROSELLEN SIEBENTHAL
This message is a God send right now in my life. I have 4 older dogs, one with Cancer, so we have potty issues. I need to pull up my carpet for obvious reasons, and want to put down new floors. I have been leaning towards water proof and I think you answered my question. My only concern is the matt finish. If I remember right you bought these at Home Depot. Do these floors come in different finishes? And do you know the cost?
I will keep you informed on my decision.
Laura
Hi Rosellen, I’m so glad this was helpful! My contractor ordered these for me and got them right around $4.50/square foot. On the COREtec Website they are $6.51/square foot, but you can get them for the $4.50 price anywhere else that I’ve looked. I don’t think Home Depot sells them. Check with flooring stores in your area. Both stores near me carried them in stock! I hope this helps! https://coretecfloors.com/en-us/products/coretec-plus-5-plank/boardwalk-oak-vv023-00206
Laura
Oh, and yes, they are tons of different finishes, so get a bunch of samples and try them out!!
Karen Schweiker
Love your choice of flooring and how it enhances the different areas of your home. Wonderful color selection as well. Thank you for the photos and the information on the vinyl product.
Shawna Kneedler
Wow! Those floors are just beautiful!! Thanks for the review. 🙂