We took a very long time to decide on flooring for our kitchen. Having been through two vinyl sheet products, vinyl was the last on our list for consideration. Laminates, like pergo, seemed popular, but it was clear to us that they would no work in our kitchen and our high humidity environment. We considered hard wood flooring, but the scratch and wear issues were a concern. Then we started to consider vinyl tile. The stuff in the big box stores did not have the quality and the look we were seeking. We wanted the illusion of wood. After some investigation, we were interested in Karndean. Walmart installed their product in some of the local stores and it looked good. So, we were all set to look at their products and when to a local specialty flooring store that carried samples and then they showed up Earthworks products. We took home 4 samples and really liked it. So, it seems that earthworks is not heavily marketed. They probably sell more for commercial use than residential. As far as I can tell Karndean has a urethane wear layer that is not textured. Earthworks was nicely textured that matched the wood image below it.

Yes, we chose vinyl plank for our townhouse last year, to replace carpet. I installed it myself as a first time flooring project, it was very easy to install and I have been told it looks pro. It cost 80 cents/sq ft (Lowes Surface Source, I think we got it on close-out as it's no longer available). We are very happy with the floors, they look good - better than most laminate - and there is no noise such as squeaks or crackles. They clean so easily! At first we were careful but now we drag out furniture across the floor etc and have no scratches or marks. I did test various sample planks and chose this one partly due to it's especially durable nature. It's almost a year old now and looks the same as when installed. It is firmly in place not one issue with coming up, gaps or anything. I did follow instructions for installation to leave space under baseboards for expansion an installed in hot weather (it was 80 in May in CA). I put the planks in tight since it was about as hot as the house was going to get, and I don't see gaps now in the winter. It went over old plywood subfloors upstairs and concrete slab ground level. I sealed the concrete with drylok before putting the floors in. Here are some photos! Installation upstairs It is possible with careful measurement and planning to do an entire floor with no transitions Installation downstairs over sealed concrete slab downstairs is also continuous install from living/dining into kitchen and bathroom vinyl floor transitioning to stairs - stained pine treads and painted MDF risers

I don't know how thick the specs say, but I had a few planks of each as samples and they stacked right up beside eachother the same thickness, at least the ones I had. Oh, and this was the self-adhesive floating Allure I know they have an interlocking version that is thicker, come to think of it. I did that floor install all in 4 days of working about 14 hours a day, and I did treat myself to a massage afterwards! I was very sore from all the bending and my hands were bruised on the palms from pressing on the knife. I didn't think I was pressing hard but do it hundreds of times a day and you get pain! My hands actually became very swollen and I had to ice them. But, I minimized the time between our closing date and the time we could move in - we were renting a temporary furnished apartment between the sale of our previous condo and the move in to the new one... so I wanted to complete carpet removal, paint everything and install new floors in 10 days, and I did! So we saved a lot of money on additional rent as well as installation costs.. But I never want to do that again! I'd recommend going at a more reasonable pace :)

I'm not overly concerned about it looking like exactly like wood, because for me the practicality and price are paramount, living in a rural area with a busy family. I'll have a kitchen open to the dining room and living room, and I don't want hardwood in the kitchen. And I do like the idea of a clean look with the same flooring throughout. Plus I grew up with hardwood floors in a NYC prewar apartment, so I have particular expectations for hardwood : ) . Though I have to say that even the TrafficMaster Allure has fooled a lot of people, including visitors from Europe who live with hardwood themselves. And our dining room has windows on three sides, so it gets a lot of light. Besides, I'm so thrilled with vinyl plank flooring that I'm happy to tell anyone who asks about the details.