Natural stone is the most expensive flooring due to its high cost of excavation, transportation, and installation. Other expensive options include exotic, hand-scraped, reclaimed hardwoods, high-end wool and designer carpets, and luxury vinyl tiles. Lux Touch, a black marble tile encrusted with diamonds, abalone shell, and mother-of-pearl, is another luxurious option.
Laminate and vinyl flooring are generally more affordable than hardwood or engineered flooring. Epoxy flooring is another popular choice for enhancing the look of your home. Other expensive flooring options include hardwood, engineered wood, and sheet vinyl. Engineered wood flooring is the cheaper option, while Herringbone wood flooring is the most expensive style.
Exotic hardwood flooring, designer ceramic floor tiles, reclaimed hardwood flooring, and luxury vinyl tiles are also expensive options. Lux Touch tile, a handcrafted black marble tile, is the most expensive flooring in the world. High-end LVP flooring costs start around $5.00 per square foot and is durable enough for light commercial settings. Porcelain tile and natural stones are possibly the longest-lasting products if installed correctly, but can be the most expensive material. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is one of the most popular high-end flooring options on the market, as it resists scratches and scuffs and can be easily maintained.
📹 2 Types Of Vinyl Flooring | Which Is Right For Your Home?
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What is the best flooring for the money?
The article recommends seven cheap flooring options for homeowners on a budget: carpet, engineered hardwood, laminate, linoleum, luxury vinyl plank and tile, sheet vinyl, and tile. These options can significantly impact the overall feel of your home and should be chosen considering factors like home value, desired look and feel, and family needs. To get a quote from top flooring companies, use the tool provided. These options can help transform your home with stylish new flooring without breaking the bank.
Does luxury vinyl plank devalue a home?
Although vinyl flooring is a cost-effective and adaptable option, it may not appreciably enhance a property’s resale value in comparison to other flooring materials such as hardwood or tile.
What is the most valuable flooring?
Hardwood flooring offers the highest return on investment, making refinishing and replacing old carpets the most cost-effective improvements prior to a home sale. In contrast, carpets and luxury vinyl flooring are the most commonly installed flooring materials in the United States.
Which is the most expensive floor?
Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace hotel boasts the world’s most expensive marble floor, sourced from 13 different countries. The floor, which covers over 22, 000 square feet, features intricate floral patterns and is adorned with gold leaf and mother of pearl. The marble is hand-cut and crafted to create a stunning effect, with over 1, 000 individual pieces of marble, each hand-cut and fit together. The estimated cost of this luxurious flooring is around $40 million, largely due to the high cost of materials, craftsmanship, and the sheer size of the project. The floor is considered a work of art, showcasing the luxury and elegance of the Emirates Palace hotel.
What is best flooring for high-end homes?
High-end homes are increasingly opting for hardwood flooring, despite the trend of marble, natural stone, bamboo, ceramic tile, and luxury vinyl. Owners can choose from various luxury wood flooring options, including wide plank floors, distressed flooring, exotic hardwoods, reclaimed floors, and engineered hardwood flooring. Real estate agents believe that hardwood floors add more value to homes than any other material, potentially adding 2. 5 to 10 times their value.
Wide plank hardwood flooring uses floorboards ranging from 5″ to 20″ wide and up to 16′ long, providing a sense of spaciousness and allowing the natural beauty and grain personality of each floorboard to be fully revealed.
Which flooring option is most expensive?
Natural stone is the most expensive flooring due to its high cost of excavation, transportation, and installation. Other expensive options include exotic, hand-scraped, reclaimed hardwoods, and high-end wool and designer carpets. The highest quality flooring can cost over $20 per square foot to buy and install. Luxury flooring options, such as marble floors and luxury vinyl flooring, are not overpriced but come with a price. These products are popular among design trend setters and can be found in budget flooring prices. If you find something you like, consider getting a free estimate for installation.
What is the most premium flooring?
The article enumerates the seven most costly flooring materials in the world, including Lux Touch, Pearl Carpet of Baroda, Mughal Star Lattice Carpet, Tibetan Silk Carpet, Brazilian Rosewood, Calacatta Gold Marble, and Versailles Parquet. These materials are regarded as status symbols, capable of significantly influencing the overall aesthetic appeal of a residence.
What flooring adds the most value?
Flooring upgrades, such as hardwood, engineered hardwood, and tile, can significantly increase home values. Carpet and luxury vinyl tiles also add value, though vinyl is the cheapest option. The specific products and quality of work determine the amount of value added. National estimates are provided as guides, but for a more precise understanding, contact Curbio for a same-day estimate and fixed-fee, upfront financing on all home improvement projects.
What is better, luxury vinyl or laminate?
Premium vinyl flooring offers superior quality and value compared to laminate flooring due to its durability, stability, resistance to moisture and climate, and ease of installation and maintenance. Laminate, on the other hand, is limited to light traffic and low moisture applications. The differences between vinyl and laminate flooring can be compared in four quantifiable qualities: Look and Style, Durability and Stability, Applications, and Cost.
Both vinyl and laminate use 3D printing technology, replicating the look and style of natural materials like wood and stone at a fraction of the cost. Both vinyl and laminate are limitlessly customizable, allowing for the versatility needed for any interior design project.
What is the best flooring to last a long time?
A study revealed that tile flooring demonstrated superior resilience to wear and tear in comparison to hardwood flooring, particularly in areas with high traffic. Laminate and vinyl products demonstrated superior performance compared to hardwood flooring. Engineered wood, laminate, porcelain tile, and vinyl are all durable and aesthetically pleasing flooring options. Nevertheless, hardwood flooring continues to be a popular preference among homeowners, which may contribute to the overall value of a property.
📹 What Flooring is Best? LVP | Laminate | Hardwood
LVP, Laminate, Hardwood… These are some of the most popular categories of flooring today, and all have some wonderful …
The Rigid Core Max flooring from today’s article is simply-surfaces.com in European Grey Oak. I was an early product tester of Simply Surfaces LVP flooring (before they came up with their brand name). Since I installed it last year they have decided to launch a 9 inch plank version which is more consistent with the demand they see from customers. I am really happy with the final result, it’s a Jeff approved product. Find it at simply-surfaces.com and watch the full install tutorial 👉🏼youtu.be/waCiOUOaR_A Cheers!
As a flooring installer for most my life I’m 59 today, installing pretty much everything over the course of my life even did hard floor sending,stain and varnish. I got to say those vinyl products to me are much better than laminate products because of moisture issues. But as you said they are not miraculous. Your article is very well explained and shows an important difference is the lasting of the product. Well done keep doing good work !!
You posted this with absolutely perfect timing. I’m redoing my mom’s basement with the Vinyl flooring and I specifically asked her to get tongue and groove flooring because I’ve had so many issues with the snap lock flooring in other basements. We live in Pennsylvania and a lot of floors are uneven so the snap lock tends to come apart. I’m only 21 so she doesn’t completely trust my judgement so this article will help back up my case! Thank you for posting these articles, they’re life savers!
I love the value of articles like this. So specific. I’m embarrassed to say I put vinyl flooring into a basement reno where there was too much slope in part of the basement near the entrance. The contractor totally recommended against it. I decided to do it anyway and got what I asked for. It’s now starting to separate and look terrible at the place with the uneven surface after just 2 years. No one to blame but myself. Lesson learned.
We’ve installed the Costco mohawk flooring in our rentals. Was a steep learning curve but your articles helped build confidence and tricks to handle tricky cuts (I still hate doing door jambs). Its a 1900s house and while we had the floors raised/leveled from underneath there was still some uneveness. We’re using the steico underlayment and it’s working great. The floors feel really good under your feet with it with the bonus of providing a little insulation from the crawlspace.
Great article. I bought about 1000sqft of Lifeproof on recommendation of a friend how has installed it in his newer home. Long story short, I hired a reputable flooring company to come install it and they said they would not in good conscience install it in my older home which has multiple subflooring types done over decades of remodels and additions. Even with a 1/4in plywood overlayment, they said it would fail from uneven surfaces and floor movement of the raised foundation. Wish I had seen your article sooner but at least I have the receipt to Home Depot for the material.
Hello, I am fixing up an old house from the 50’s. I was wondering should i use laminate or Vinyl flooring. I was leaning towards laminate flooring. Do you have any suggestions. Also what thickness should I use on the laminate? I was thinking around 10mm. This will be a rental unit. Great vids, really helpful.
Had LifeProof installed in our house about 3 years ago. 90% of the house is slab-on-grade, the other 10% is old pier and beam with standard lumber. Just recently had to have the floor in the 10% fixed because a gap appeared. The rest of the house looks great but after perusal this and realizing what the real problem is, I’ll likely look at replacing that 10% with the mohawk material. I’m going to keep an eye on it, but if you’re right about it coming undone easier the second time, that floor will end up having a 3 year life, not 20. Live and learn, thanks for the article. Before seeing this, I figured it was just a bad joint initially and I should just put down more LifeProof to fix it. You probably saved me some time, money and frustration!
I have been perusal this website for quite some time now and enjoyed it tremendously. We are building a two story home and need to install the floors. Upstairs are a easy decision, they will be hard or engineered wood. Downstairs are more complicated. It has a open kitchen which transits to the big open family room area without any boundaries in between. We are very concerned about possible water damage from the kitchen and have a hard time to decide the floor material, wood, vinyl or tile, etc. Any opinion will be highly appreciated.
Also make sure you clean the floor… our house’s kitchen has some sort of vinyl flooring and it seems like 2 or 3 small pebbles were left under it and the joints are cracking apart on those spots. I think it’s tongue and groove style like you mentioned. 🙁 Not sure how to repair it. They also didn’t do any underlayment, I think it’s installed right on the concrete because it makes snap crackle noises all around when walking on it.
It has been a while since I wrote to you. I’m planning to use these Laminate Flooring on the top of my Outfeed Table that will be follow through around my Table Saw. Can you please be kind enough to advise what sort of Laminate Flooring, I should use? Yes, that is a bit weird, but if I glued them on the top of MDF would be strong and look nice. My question is what types of products I should look for and will it be worth it? I do consider sticking Formica but they seem a bit expensive and harder for me to fit as I am not strong as you are due to my disability & experience. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience if I may cause, and I shall look forward to hearing from you soon. Take care! Cheers matey!!!
Thank you Professor Jeff.❤..One hundred plus house St Louis Missouri. I’ve been a member for two and a half years. You’ve been helping me ( post Covid with long hauler’s syndrome) systemic issues. I’m slowly getting better and more things done on my house working alone. I love your articles. Older homes are very difficult. You’re a life saver ❤.
I live in the southeastern United States where it gets humid in the summer. I’ve been told that hardwood isn’t what I should use because of the humidity. Is this true? I’ve been told that LVP is the way to go but this article says LVP is good for 25 years max. I’m wary of laminate because it can swell, or break apart if it gets wet. I’m in a concrete slab so I don’t think I have any issues with unevenness. What is your opinion?
All I know is I’ve been in homes with vinyl flooring that look similar to the eye. In one home though I remember the sound of the floor slapping when i walked on it. Like I was walking on sheets of masonite. I assume it may have been warped but it didn’t look like it. Other homes almost looked like wood engineered flooring. I think there may be a lot to the quality of vinyl flooring and choosing a good product over what just meets the eye.
Oh, thank goodness! I picked the right flooring. I’m going to be honest I had no idea about what you’re pointing out in this article. We almost got the lifeproof, but we decided at the last minute to get the ridged core. Mainly because of the look and style of the ridged core. It actually had texture and looked more like real wood, in our opinion. Now I will say installing the ridged core wasn’t fun at all! It was difficult and I cussed the whole time. However, it’s been almost 3 years, and we haven’t had any gap issues that I’ve seen others have. I was relieved to find out now that we made the better choice! Thanks 😊 this was a good article!
This gives me some peace of mind. My buddy owns a bar and wants me to do LVP and I’ve been extremely worried about the 100 year old building and the amount of traffic.. he knows he will get 10 years max out of it. But I’ve put in cheap trash for friends that they purchased and I told myself never again will I do something like that for anyone.
Just finishing with a product called Aqua Guard Premium over concrete. The floor was previously ground flat for laminate that was 3.5 mm thick which got destroyed by my gf’s unhousetrained dogs. The underlayment is 6 mil plastic moisture barrier + rubber backing on the planks. Finally figured out that I had to slightly lift the previous plank and get the ends lined and partially clicked in place, and there is a little notch in one corner of the drop locks. The planks are very stiff and 12 mm thick which are on the same plane as existing porcelain tile transition. I doubt they could be snapped, I put a 6.5 inch wood blade in a wet tile saw I had from glass backsplash install and ran it dry. I didn’t want to rent a table/miter saw cuz I’m very slow and would cost more than the material. Could have bought a saw and then sell it, I suppose. Got the planks on closeout for $1.98 sf, I don’t think it is sold anymore, just the 10 mm thick version now. Ripping the last row of planks on the tile saw was an adventure, I messed it up and had to use one short piece of scrap cut wider to patch up the wall gap that kept growing to 1″ at the end. Getting the end joints to close was a bear, I used a tapping block and pro length puller hitting them hard with a 4 pound sledge. The puller I engaged over the plank lip, not on the locking ledge. Chipped the wear layer off on the end of one row, but next to wall so it won’t show. And I learned that 1/8 inch gap, the width of the locking ledge, is plenty next to the wall in my small house.
Every box of flooring will have instructions which tells you what the tolerance of the subfloor must be. If the subfloor is within the tolerance set by the manufacturer, then droplock shouldnt be coming apart – if they do, then it would almost certainly be manufacturing defect and will likely eventually occur to many of the joins from that particular batch. As for the melting or heat damage aspect, it should also be stated on the instructions whether that product is suitable for use with underfloor heating. From what I’ve seen, warping damage from sunlight seems to be most prevalent with the thinner products of 4mm and 4.5mm. Ive also noticed that its frequently in homes that allow for prolonged sunlight exposure, or where the climate isnt well maintained, such as holiday homes. Personally, I haven’t seen it as a problem that would make it only susceptible to vinyl and hybrid products, given that timber and laminate are also prone to expansion problems in these conditions.
The locking systems you describe here are the ‘2G’ (aka “droplock”) and the ‘quad lock’ systems, respectively. However, there is another locking system known as ‘5G’, which is essentially a ‘2G’ system with a plastic clip incorporated into the tounge allowing it to lock, rather than only being seated – basically gives you the best of both worlds. With your ‘quad lock’, instead of putting the length tounge in first and holding down with your knee while giving it a love tap, i find its easier to put the end tounge in first, then sit the opposite end of that board into the previous row on the angle, then tap the length side in. Although, personally, I dont work with my knees on the already installed boards until im up to the last few rows and not longer can – this is because it makes installing this quad lock system easier by eliminating the need to use any tools because I can simply do the love tap with my left palm while maintaining the locking angle with my right hand. The only time i ever lock the length side in first is when im doing the last row where the board is going under a door jamb, where manipulating the board to get it on the angle cannot be met.
As a GC and 10 year ex flooring contractor: 1: you definitely need a love tap, especially every other row if you kinda know what your doing and your joints are tight to begin with 2. while product 1 looks a lot easier to install, believe it or not, it’s a lot easier to mess up break the corners where it messes up. the thing is if your 1 mil off from being straight your could be denting every corner and won’t see it until the sun shines across the floor in the middle of the day. ** the reality with the locking point Jeff makes us unless your floor is really bad each system is good cause the next row will lock it all in and the weight of the whole floor will follow the “slopes” of your floor.
I enjoy most of these articles. They’ve helped me with a few projects around the house that I had no experience with. But as a professional flooring installer, this article was hard to watch. The message was great. I always try and talk the homeowner out of drop lock. “Angle lock” is a much better product. But you never use a pull bar to secure planks in the field. It’s meant for places a tapping block can’t reach (around walls) you will definitely damage most locking mechanisms by doing it that way. Theres actually a much easier way to install the angle lock.. try starting with the butt joint first. There is a reason it’s called “angle lock”. It’s set in on an angle. but it takes a little time getting comfortable doing it that way.
I had a basement that needed to be totally redone..Prev home owner had a subfloor witch rotted out n got moldy due to undisclosed leaks…Its a basement apartment and i need help decideing….So far basement has been fixed,cement floor is 0 not exactly level..Its just not in my budget for big buck fancy stuff so this far i have a styrofoam thats designed to be a subfloor with feet ill call it…Most of it sits just above the cement to allow air circulate or dampness to dry..The styro is a tongue groove and is already installed…Now this is where i need help….Suggestions??
Thanks for the great info, Jeff! I’ll be renovating my basement in the near future and removing our 70’s shag carpet 🤪 and am looking to do some LVP/LVT. Do you think the LifeProof would suffice? We have a HD overstock store with deep LifeProof flooring sales which is appealing. It is a concrete slab basement that I will level and follow your other articles for moisture proofing.
If I go with the Mohawk flooring for my basement, installed over the DriCore subfloor panels, do I need an additional underlayment between the wood and the LVP? I watch a lot of your articles and I’m having trouble keeping the different recommendations straight (I know they evolve and change over time).
I’m about to install vinyl plank in a basement of a 60s house. It had original Dricore panels and laminate planks before a sewer backup flood. Now I’m starting with a clean slab. I elected to lay down Dricore Insul-Armor panels as my subfloor. There may be slight variations in the flatness of the floor. Hard to tell, except that it does have a floor drain in the middle of one of the rooms, so there would be a slight dip there. I bought the Drcore spacers to deal with any dips. Do you have any experience laying LVP over Insul-Armor?
I’ve installed a lot of Lifeproof flooring. It’s a great product but the floor does need to be fairly level, as stated. Not a big deal to level it out with leveling medium though. Also, I would not recommend reusing planks of Lifeproof after they’ve been locked together once. It loses about 40-50% of its grip/locking power, especially at the corners.
I wish I had the information in the article three years ago. I had a vinyl floor installed three years ago. (my wife insisted that we have it professionally installed) They are now showing spots where they appear to be cupping, I think it is just the joint is expanding and failing. As you mentioned in the article, the issue is with the current floor. I am near Cleveland, Ohio. My house was built in 1954. The subfloor is 1×6 planking covered by tongue and grove hardwood flooring. The kitchen has two layers of tile flooring. We had the vinyl installed throughout the living room, hall and kitchen. It is the drop lock type floor. The installer used leveler on the transition between the rooms and two surfaces. We have had the flooring company out and they have filed a claim with the manufacturer. I did some research on the product, and per the manufacturing, it can be installed floating or glued. If I had known I would have requested the tongue and groove or insisted that it be glued
Hey, Jeff! I live in an apartment on the second floor above a garage and we wanted to install some vinyl floors. Our subfloor is concrete and I’m assuming it’s level but maybe not a smooth surface. I picked up some lifeproof high traffic 22mil LVP with the underlayment pre-attached. Would the alternative you show in this article be a better choice for us? Also wondering if I need to purchase a separate roll of underlayment? I purchased floor muffler LVP, was that the right choice? In another article you said that the pre-attached underlayment isn’t good enough but I’m wondering if that applies to the concrete too? Last question, from around 3pm to 6pm the sun shines through our front window and onto a large portion of our current carpets. We live in San Francisco where it doesn’t get much higher than 65 most of the year. Should we not choose the lifeproof 22mil if it’s too soft to be in the sun for a few hours a day? Thanks so much!
GIANT CAVEAT ABOUT T&G!! We moved into a patio home (slab-on-grade) 3 years ago. We had the carpeted floors replaced with T&G vinyl planks. It looked good. BUT, here comes the caveat.. I use a wheelchair and it’s two small wheels on the front are wider, softer, and spread the load out better. Had a problem with it, so i had to use a backup wheelchair that has the standard, thinner, harder wheels in front. In just about a months time of using that wheelchair, the places that i occupied the most throughout the day, the flooring started seperating and bowing up at the ends. It got so bad in the kitchen, we just pulled up severL of the planks. The change in loading by using the second chair caused an increase in the point load made by the two small front wheels. This caused the tongues to fracture and break. We had to have the ENTIRE floor replaced with NON -T&G glue-down vinyl planks at a cost of around $8000.. So anyone moving into similar circumstances, check to make sure you don’t have T&G flooring, or may be replacing your floors within a few months of wheelchair use…
Jeff, as a manufacturer who owns a factory that makes spc flooring, I would like to point out something. You can NOT hammer the short side on these drop lock systems. To learn about drop lock installation, I suggest people check out I4F, who is lincensor of drop lock technology. If the plank has not locked properly, hammering it from the other side will only damage that joint. “love tap” should only be done on the long sides. Uniclic locking system is the only locking system that can be “love tapped” on both sides short and long sides because all 4 sides of this locking system is angle type, not drop-down type. However in this article, you have not brought any to showcase. Also, the very top of spc flooring is coated with UV later. This is the layer that provides critical scratch and stain protection to your floor. There are many different types of UV oil, some have much better performance than others. This article’s purpose was to show two different locking systems, but the two products you are comparing have the same drop lock system. Doesn’t give your viewers much confidence if you can’t tell which locking systems you are working with.
I have been perusal your articles and even jut a year ago you were saying LVP with spc core wears better then wood now you are saying something different. I planned to do my dads old house with this floor so I didnt have to worry as much about my dog and faily causing damage to the kitchen and living room. why is this different from wood then?
Im confused. I just got done perusal your article about vinyl flooring and you said it was NOT necessary to have underpad attached because you had to buy it any way. Here you are saying it IS best to buy with attached underpad? Which is it? This is making me sad. I need a consistent answer since I know very little about the product.
There are more options. My Mannington plank floor is glued to the subfloor. The adhesive is a special type that allows you to peel up a plank and stick a new one in it’s place with no additional adhesive. I chose this over a floating install for several reasons, but this is the one I like the most. I’ve got a spare box of planks in the basement, and if a plank gets damaged I can easily replace it.
I installed some super cheap vinal plank flooring over an uneven basement floor. Bought some super inexpensive flooring and a super cheap pad/moisture barrior. It wasn’t perfect and places where I had problems because of the floor slopes like he showes I used expanding sprayfoam to fill in the voids and glue the floor in place. Over each problem spot I injected the foam and then just put a heavy weight to hold the planks down so it would dry flat with the joints locked. I doubt it held up but it gave the basement a clean enough look for my family to sell the place quickly. I dont recomend the inexpensive stuff, and deffinatly if you do use it you have to have a dead flat floor. The glue with some “Great Stuff” did work but I bet after a little while that stuff broke down and made the floor have crunchies underfoot. I woulden’t have left it if it wasent just quick cosmetic refresh on a basement utility room. It was for sure lipstick on a pig but better looking than painting the floor or the peel and stick tiles you can get which would have been the only other as cheap/ quick options.
vinyl planks all suck. It bends like rubber when you install it and it’s really easy for the tongue and groove to separate in the floor. It’s more work to make starter rows straight than traditional laminate. You can only install it one direction whereas laminates you can get one in from the opposite direction (like going through doorways) if you need to and flow through multiple doorways without stopping and installing t moldings. T moldings in every is doorway is a trailer park aesthetic, in my view. The floor smoothness has to be a lot more precise than traditional laminate. Flooring just keeps getting lower and lower in quality.
We have had vinyl for 6 years and my floors are very uneven or sloping (130 year old house). I have a couple of spots where it cracked because not having enough plywood under it. We are pretty happy with it overall, especially if it lasts another 15 years, which it seems like it will. Cost me about $3k per 1000sq ft.
I just installed laminate in my house last year, and thought I’d share a few more tips: – Score boards with a knife, and then snap them instead of using a saw, whenever possible. It’s quick, and saves a ton of cleanup. – Use a 2×4 as a tapping block, to distribute the load across your boards, so you don’t damage them when tapping them into place. – Vary your patterns because it’s obvious when you see the exact same printed “knot” seven times in a row. – Don’t buy laminate, and just get hardwood floors. Sure, it’s cheaper and easier to install, but it scratches just as easily as wood, but you can’t hide the scratches with a stain pen. Furniture legs also dent the PVC surface much easier than you’d expect.
I LOVED your article!!!!!!! I have a 53 year old 2-story farm house (we live on a 15 acre farm) we are rough on floors! We currently have travertine 18X18 square tiles and I HATE THEM. They are COLD, they are HARD, they hurt my feet and the grout is always dirty. I really want to put new floors in…being that we are soooo rough on floors-kids, animals, even goats and alpacas sometimes in the house and that we are on a raised foundation, we have variance in the grade and level-can we put the tongue and groove vinyl plank over the tile? Do we have to remove the tile? should we put hardwood-thoughts ideas, suggestions are most WELCOME
Hi Jeff, glad i caught this article, my wife picked out a 4.2 click flooring and now after seeing your few articles on vinyl planking im very worried about installing this in our new 13×16 new construction mud room on the back of our farm house, we have the Schluter heated floor system going in, im guessing you would suggest a thicker product?, and a tongue n grove locking system to avoid seem problems on this project?, from Niagara Canada
Hi Jeff, my wife and I have a 70’s mobile trailer and the floors are all uneven due to trailer floor issues. We have repaired it to the best that we can, but the main floor area is a bit uneven. We are looking at replacing the old flooring which was carpeting throughout most of the areas. What’s your thoughts on a new type that we came across in the local building store called ” Lay Flat vinyl floor. It’s a product that you can on uneven floors and you glued down to the subfloor.
Thank you for the article, very helpful. I was wondering when you mentioned the sunroom, we have a radiant floor cemented basement. We are DiYing finishing it. We need it to handle moisture. What product? Or is tile the only way? We were hoping to stay in our wheelhouse, and avoid nailing because of the pipes and cement, glueing due to moisture or grouting (no experience at it) . We have used vinyl tongue and groove with cork back before, but will it be okay with that direct heat?
A couple more tips: if there is a flooring supply store like Prosol in your area, you can find plastic tapping blocks for your love taps that won’t damage the floor like metal ones do. It’s best practice on butt joints to start tapping from the joint out towards the open tongue to avoid a bit of buckling at the joint which can happen if you’re a bit too tight.
The floors in my hallway, and master bedroom have that Pergo flooring, and I gotta say it sucks. It came with the house, so I have no idea how old it is, but it has a few spots where the edge of the board has been chipped away. In the hallway it makes a small, but audible click noise, and some of the boards slide around because they were installed going across the hall instead of flowing with it. We want to do all the floors, but it’s going to cost a fortune even if we DIY it.
Hmmm, this explains a lot of what I’ve seen with DIY installs. They look nice at first but after a few years they’re separating, coming apart and bouncing or have what I would call bubbles. The difference in modern floor joists compared to old makes this make sense. I guarantee what I’ve seen are products of not properly prepping the surface.
I used Stain master luxury Vinyl planks years ago and regret using it,was expensive and scratched so easy.Even with thresholds it separated at some points.I learned my lesson,so doing it on the stairs I used nail gun to secure planks and caps. I definitely recommend if you’re flipping house looks good and it’s easy to install.
I have a slab on grade… that was poured in the 60s… and is so uneven that before I used some leveler there were gaps approaching an inch over 8 foot spans. At one point along the wall I noticed a crack.. so I figured.. open the crack up a bit with a chisel to get a good surface to bond with and apply some patch, right? Apparently there was some sort of underlayment that they poured the concrete over.. probably a moisture barrier of some sort… and at that point where the crack had occurred it had bunched up really high so the concrete at that point was less than 1/2 inch thick… no wonder it cracked… sheesh. I literally don’t know how they poured that slab so poorly, unless they were actively trying to. It certainly has made my vinyl floor journey… interesting.
An interesting thing that I figured out regarding lifeproof, some (not sure how much) is re-branded MSI. What I tracked down for sure is on the engineered hardwood version. This is useful as MSI has more matching transitions, stair noses, stair treads etc than what HD sells. Seems the best way to tell is that HD uses the same image on their site as MSI does (as in the exact same picture down to the knots in the wood etc).
I just purchased a new old home. Built 1900s. It has planks and linoleum. The planks are starting to come up and where the linoleum is there is a strong odor of urine. I was told water can enter the joints of planks which causes them to separate. For that reason I want linoleum. As a disabled single woman, I having a contractor do the work. WHAT SHOULD I DO? Plank or linoleum? BTW the floor is uneven.
What do you recommend for a poured basement with radiant heat? We rebuilt after a house fire and decided on a 9’ poured basement and put in radiant before pouring the slab. It’s 28×58 so it’s a big project after putting in the energy walls. We are in Northern Wisconsin so we opted for heated slab. Thanks!
We have SPC flooring tnat was installed a few weeks before we bought our home. The previous owners had a toilet leak and ripped out the entire floor thatvwas engineered hard wood and replaced with SPC planks. Unfortunately the SPC only lasted 6 months before all of the locking mechanisms failed, planks coming up and cutting feet, chipping, separating, etc. Called the company who installed it and of course they were off the hook because the warranty did not transfer to new ownership. They admitted that they had needed to raise the floor off the concrete slab to make up for the height of fhe thick engineered wood. So they laid 3/4 inch plywood underneath a vapor lock barrier right on top of the slab. The floor is a hazard to walk on and it needs to be replaced but we are unsure of what type of floor to replace it with because the plywood underlay seems to be extremely uneven and warping in our clhot Arizona climate. I am considering just the glue down type floor but have a feeling everything needs to be ripped out and we need to start from scratch which we cant afftat the moment. Our planks are being ductaped down to prevent further injuries, it’s awful. Does anyone have any suggestions? We will have to avoid any flooring that has any kind of locking mechanism due to how uneven the floor is. Or do we just try to nail it all down and peel n’ stick vinyl over top of it?
Renovating a basement room and want to install Vinyl floor planking of some kind for this small room we are turning into a kitchenette so the waterproof quality sounds appealing. It is an old house in San Francisco with old hardwood floors. Some areas I can tell from looking it is not level. Mainly in the corners and at the threshold. Thank you for this informative demonstration as I was going to purchase the click lock vinyl tomorrow. I will hold off now as I wonder would it be beneficial to lay for example a 1/4 layer of plywood over the old floor to give it a more sturdy platform for the flooring? Any help you can suggest would be much appreciated.
We had 5 mm vinyl flooring installed and the planks warp on the long end. They were installed with a professional contractor. The flooring company we purchased the material said it was our fault for not using plastic under the vinyl. We have seen the same vinyl installed on concrete without plastic and it is not warping.
Please for the love of god if ur installing LVP that has the tongue n groove system on all 4 sides(not drop n lock on short side) then dont install it how this guy did. No need for acrobatics to install some LVP. Just angle in the short side FIRST then slightly hold ur piece up at an angle so u can tap it back to lock the plank together on the long side. The only time i ever have to install long side first and then play twister sprawling out on the floor to reach across the plank to the short side to tap it into place is with certain Laminate floorings. Some of them can just be more of a hassle trying to get the long side locked in if ur already have the short side locked. So thats when i will lock the long side first and then tap back to the short side. But ALL non drop n lock LVP should be installed short side first then long side… also heres a pro tip- there isnt an LVP on the market that cant be cut with just a utility knife. Always blows my mind seeing everyone using saws to cut LVP. Just score the plank with ur knife and then snap it. No need to get up n down and run back n forth to saws. Just need ur knife,tape measure, pencil, mallet/tapping block and some knee pads and ur ready to install ur entire house in some new shitty LVP👍🏽 (just spend the few extra bucks and atleast get engineered hardwood. Even a thinner or lower quality engineered hardwood would be better then highest quality LVP u DIY’ers would buy at a big box/chain store)
I have used both and had it professionally installed and the one that you use the tool to close the inner gap is pure garbage for spills. I wouldn’t waste my money on that flooring ever again. Oh and the space you have to leave around the baseboards so it can expand also helps it become lose and leave gaps. If you have kids or pets I don’t recommend either of these types of flooring. Spills cause buckling and like he mentioned the joints are easily damaged and they start peeling and it looks horrible. Also a quick fix is not an option you have to start from one side of the room and remove all the planks without damaging them which is almost impossible to fix the one that was damaged then reinstall which is a total pain. The tap joint ones also if they get wet over a few short times they are ruined.
The home I’m in has vinyl plank flooring in the kitchen, the bathroom, a hallway, and the laundry room. I’m going to give the vinyl the benefit of the doubt here and say that the sub floor was poorly prepped and that’s what caused a lot of the problems… but I also really don’t like this type of flooring. Once I get a few other projects done, that flooring is coming out.
What product someone chooses to install (vinyl, timber, laminate) should be determined by the circumstances in which its most suitable to them. Yes, an engineered timber floor would add monetary value to the property from a valuation perspective, say with insurance or banks/mortgage companies, but in the long term, that sale value would be negligible after paying for its maintenance and refinishings, especially if there’s children or pets involved, where sanding + polishing simply wont fix it.
Is my scenario one where a click lock flooring would be appropriate? We bought a house that needed a total renovation, and did the first half of the renovation when we moved in. We have been putting the second half on hold for numerous reasons, but mainly money, however the floor on the main level is coming apart and causing splinters, etc. We need something to cover the existing floor but plan on replacing it with hardwood in 2 to 3 years (to match the first renovation) Would it make sense to do the click-Lock option in this case? Thanks!
We own an apartment condo in Florida with 12×12 inch tiles on the floor which is concrete. The floor is primarily flat but certainly not perfect. I strongly suspect there is no movement in the floor so I’m wondering if the tongue and groove vinyl flooring will be a successful floor project. I would like to avoid pouring levelling compound if it isn’t necessary especially as the new floor will be next to carpeting.
Yes, when I’m trying to find out I have a floor that has laminate flooring on it and I want to know what would be the best thing to put on the floor that’s already got laminate on it but the floor is not level it has dips he has parts in it, where it squeaks and is the living room as dip and is not level it seem like peel and stick would be the best.
People don’t only go with vinyl flooring because it’s cheaper, a lot of us wish you could get real hardwood flooring with the color options they have with vinyl. I guess you could try to stain real hardwood grey. But let’s be honest it’s either going to look like a grey brown or the staining is going to wear off after awhile. Best to just go with vinyl, and in 20 years replace it.
The people I purchased my home from (in 1986), had enclosed the 2 car carport, den, kitchen, breakfast area, laundry area, pantry and turned it into a 1200 sq ft carpeted Great Room. That was the selling point for me on the house. I want to replace the carpet with something easier to keep clean. I have some serious allergies. Also the house has been unoccupied for over a decade. I am confident their contractor did not bother to level the carport floor. Would you recommend self-leveling concrete? I am thinking I could save money by removing carpet and padding and leveling the floor myself. At 73 I am definitely going to tackle installing the flooring although I do not know how long I will manage. Being stubborn I know I have to at least attempt to DIY it. (Removing carpet and pad is nasty and physical but doesn’t require heavy concentration. And no measurements.)
I have a question because I just bought $8,000 worth of nucore vinyl 2022 Deerfield Hickory love the color ready to install it and then come to find out Floor and Decor has an F Better Business Bureau rating and a lot of people are complaining about the poor quality of Nucor now I got an 8 mm 30 Mill wear layer seems to be pretty strong but it is on the softer side and it doesn’t have a Sheen to it, which I like for my rustic-looking house. A contractor that I met in Floor and Decor actually told me that this particular one did have a problem and that it was fixed maybe a bad batch so I figured maybe everything would be fine he never ended up giving me a bid and I’m starting to think it’s because of that flooring does anybody else have experience with new core products do you like them or hate them or have they been perfectly fabulous for you
I have carpet on my two floors 3000 feet home ‘ what do you think? Should I use vinyl or laminate flooring and I don’t wanna do the steps but what do you think of hallway upstairs and the master bedroom is a large bedroom, and by the way, my kitchen and bathroom already has tiles. I appreciate your help and if you can tell me what brand is good?
I don’t have problem with life proof LVP brand. I installed in my receiving room. I don’t know what are you talking about floor is not even is not locking, i have some issues floor is not even in my house becuase it was built in 1972, i installed life proof brand perfectly fine. You just bias about lifeproof.
We have Lifeproof floors in the living and dining room. So happy I found SmartDrop floors for the rest of the house. Love this floor more. Amazing to work with, fully waterproof too. It is exactly what the name implies-SmartDrop. You literally drop the floor in place. Glue around the outer to stop it from moving.
PVC flooring is dangerous and affects hormones and can cause harm. Also recent years it was shown that PVC materials, even under normal conditions releases micro and nano plastics in the air, which are linked to many health issues. As already told, those vinyl planks were invented to help the poor. When installing Vinyl/PVC floors be aware you are trading your health. There are already many products (not only classic hard wood floors) that are PVC and plastic free and also VOC free – there is no need to buy Vinyl in 95% of the cases. In short – NO vinyl floor is right for you.
I would never install vinyl flooring as an alternative to laminate or wood. It is absolute junk! I don’t care if you buy the expensive “premium” kind or the cheap one, the reality is, if you damage one plank once installed you can’t make any repairs or change just the one plank. We rent and the (cheap) vinyl floors were laid on the most uneven subfloor and it is a disaster. They can’t repair it so we have tape holding planks together all over the house. The only place I would maybe consider it is in a small flat area like an entryway or a laundry room but NOT an entire house. It’s just not a good investment. And that “kissing” tool you use often breaks or damage the edge and locking system rendering the plank useless. STAY AWAY FROM IT ALTOGETHER !!
I’ve installed a lot of vinyl flooring and my number one tip for an older home is to use self leveler before you lay vinyl flooring. 1/8” over 10ft is my goal when using self leveler. I do this for multiple reasons: 1. Fill dips in the subfloor 2. Locking mechanizims break easily 3. Smooth surface on the finish of the floor after installation. In my opinion the thickness of the flooring doesn’t matter for durability. Only the thickness of the wear layer matters, 20mils minimum. I only go with thicker flooring if there will be large elevation changes to reduce the number of reducer moldings. But its up to the customer. Thicker floor can add a lot of expense.