Eleven years ago I replaced the cheap beige carpet in our house with beautiful Karastan wall-to-wall beige carpet. We have a lot of kids and back in 2004 we still had toddlers. I don't regret the carpets, at that point it was hard to know what type of hardwood to put down on a concrete slab, it seems that engineered hardwoods were an emerging product and solid hardwood planks were not recommended for slab foundations. There were moisture transfer issues that seemed to make hardwood floors a risky proposition back then. Our carpet looks exactly like the close-up sample that AuntJen posted. It looked to me like beautiful sand, the quality is excellent. We paid a fair sum of money for it in part because it did not off-gas, and we installed rubber padding (instead of the compressed foam) which helped prevent goat trails. Now we have a dog who occassionally barfs. So our carpet is stained. And worn out. Having a Dyson vacuum had made all the difference in keeping it looking good when we vacuumed daily, our carpet looked fabulous. Wish we had a Roomba. It's a frieze and I love it. I'd love hardwood floor more, but do not regret the carpeting. My kids played on the floor until five years ago, and the carpet kept the house a little quieter and allowed them to lay on the floor and play anywhere. I certainly miss those days.

My suggestion is this: remove the carpet - COMPLETELY. Remove ALL THE VINYL from underneath the carpet (as it *should have been done in the first place). While the vinyl is being removed, you can pull out some of the damaged planks and replace them with the salvaged planks. Fix the vinyl floor and then reinstall carpet. Voila. Done. You will have salvaged an entire room full of vinyl planks = plenty of planks to choose from. And you will have created a flat/even surface for the carpet to sit on. Excellent. Both objectives will have been achieved (carpet installed and vinyl floor repaired). Good luck. Hopefully the vinyl underneath the carpet will not have been damaged by the carpet pad/backing.

Things to keep in mind when thinking DIY: 1. Carpet hides HIDEOUS subfloors. They can look like a roller coaster track once you pull up the carpet...which means you MUST FIX THEM before putting down rigid flooring 2. Not all LVP is an 'easy' install. Some click edges are SOOO poor that they break every third plank...many professionals ask for MORE money because LVP can be such a pain to deal with...and the subfloor prep is $$$$$ extra 3. Lumber Liquidators is not a reputable company. Anything coming from them should be considered suspect...including design/budget help. 4. Man-made products such as LVP, engineered hardwood, ceramic/porcelain tiles, etc have a shelf life of roughly 18 months. That means you won't find more of the 'same' if you leave the purchase of 'more' to a later date. 5. If you purchase everything NOW, but decide to take on one room at a time (DIYers often think this is a good idea because they don't up-end their entire house all at once) then you are fully responsible for storing the boxes PROPERLY (must be laid flat, dry, indoors, conditioned space, etc). Many people go on to find their 'stacked' product is too badly warped to do anything with it... So...Florida = tile as the main floor of choice. And even tile is often damaged to the point of requiring full removal/replacement after standing water (mold LOVES to grow in thinset!!!!!) But first things first: remove carpet and assess the subfloor. You might be in for a bit of a shock...the floor prep alone can be enough to call in a professional.

https://lpcorp.com/resources/product-literature/installation-instructions/lp-topnotch-installation-instructions-english Recommended Glue-Nail Application • Use of the APA Glued Floor System is highly recommended. It ensures greater floor stiffness and helps reduce nail popping and floor noise. • Snap a chalk line across length of floor 4´ in from rim band for panel edge alignment and as a boundary for spreading glue. • Use only adhesives conforming with Performance Specification AFG-01 developed by APA with the Glue Floor System. • Wipe any mud, dirt or water from joists before gluing. • Spread only enough glue to lay one or two panels at a time, or follow specific recommendations of the glue manufacturer. • Apply a continuous line of glue, about 1/4˝ diameter, to framing members. Apply glue in a serpentine pattern on wide areas. • Apply two lines of glue on joists where panel ends butt to ensure proper gluing of each end. Excessive use of glue may interfere with drain notches. • Spread glue in groove of one or two panels at a time before laying. Apply a continuous line of glue but avoid squeeze-out by applying a thinner line (1/8˝) than on joists. Lay first panel with tongue side to rim band and align edge with snapped chalk line. Initially nail into place to prevent movement. • Stagger end joints in each succeeding row. A 1/8˝ space between all end joints is recommended. Use a spacer tool to assure accurate and consistent spacing. • On each successive row, slide panels into place. If necessary, tap panels into place using a block to protect groove edges. Do not force panels together or overdrive; the tongue and groove profile is self-spacing, allowing for 1/16˝ gap along the panel edges. The tip of the tongue should touch the back of the groove, but not be overdriven. • Complete all nailing of each panel before glue sets (See Fastening Schedule). Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for allowable time. Keep in mind that warm weather accelerates glue setting. • Fasteners should penetrate into framing members at least 1˝. Use 6d ring- or screw-shank nails for panels 3/4˝ thick or less and 8d ring- or screw-shank nails for thicker panels. • Fasten panels 3/8˝ from panel edges; space nails according to Fastening Schedule. Closer nail spacing may be required by some codes or for diaphragm construction. Finished deck may be walked on and will carry construction loads without damage to glue bond.