LVP vs Hardwood - Wheel Chair use and Indoor Pollutants

4 years ago

Hello,

We are having a tough time deciding between Luxury Vinyl Planks and Hardwood flooring for our new condo. ( It is our first home and we have no experience with this, we plan to stay there for 5 yrs)

It is a ranch type condo with concrete base floor.

Some concerns we have are as follows.

1. My dad uses a wheel chair and visits us often. I am not sure how the Cortec Premium and HD products perform for wheel chair use compared to hardwood.

2. We are very health conscious people and it scares me when I hear about the chemicals

(Phthalates ) being used is some of these products and also the glues. I wonder if the hardwood is a better choice when you want products with less harmful chemicals.

3. We also care about less maintenance costs, durability and using sustainable material. Will Engineered Hardwood be a better choice than the LVPs?

Your advice and experience with using these products would be very helpful.

Thank You,

Abhinav

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Comments (5)

SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
The price/value of the condo will dictate the finishes used on the inside. If this is an entry level condo, then a laminate floor ($3/sf) will perform VERY well in your situation. No need to go to vinyl if you don't have to. If this is a luxury condo with a luxury price tag then hardwood is going to be worth the extra price tag (over concrete you will need/want to float the floor).

All options have *issues with health concerns. To get as far away as possible from the worst effects, you need to pay the TOP PRICE in the category (hence the reason why I listed $3/sf laminate...a Swiss based laminate will be the safest floor you can find without installing dirt).

A $2/sf vinyl = scary. A $4/sf engineered hardwood = scary. If you must go vinyl, then look to the $7-$9/sf product. If you must look at engineered hardwood then look at the $10-$15/sf.

If you need to keep with a budget but want the best floor possible....$3-$4/sf laminate out of Europe will do the job (for the next 20 years).
Abhinav Gaikwad
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank You SJ McCarthy,

This is very helpful advice. Ours is not a luxury Condo, it does not make much sense to install something very expensive.

I found there are really nice collection for laminate options out there and they come with water resistant installations as well.

There is definitely a big cost difference between Laminate and LVP. I did not know that.
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SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
....AND....with laminate you can have sound deadening underlay used (like 1/4" or 1/2" cork) used to reduce noise and to meet condo board requirements when carpet is removed and a rigid surface installed. Please find out your acoustic requirements for this type of install BEFORE you purchase anything. You would be surprised at how much work you have to do to get in a rigid floor.

LVP is NOT happy with underlayment. It really doesn't like it. It hates it SOOOO much you would void the warranty if you tried to put any form of underpad underneath the vinyl. This is vinyl's MAJOR drawback when installing in a multifamily unit like a condo apartment.
Abhinav Gaikwad
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for sharing this valuable information SJ McCarthy.

Between Pergo Outlast+ and QuickStep NatureTek + which one is the most recommended.

The NatureTek product is manufactured in Belgium I think.

Consumer Reports has a good score for Pergo Outlast +, it is 10mm thick and also cheaper.

But I was not so impressed with it's scratch resistance performance compared to the NatureTek+.

NatureTek + is 12mm thick and has a better sound feel.
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
With laminate, the thicker the plank the 'better' the product. A 12mm laminate (NO underlayment attached please!) is a great product. QuickStep is a brand name product...Pergo is THE brand name in laminate. The NatureTek is a laminate/vinyl hybrid with the thickness of laminate but the water resistance of vinyl. QuickStep uses the Uniclic system which is one of the two name brand click systems on the market. Everything else is a knock-off.

If you like the scratch resistance on the QuickStep then go for it. A 12mm laminate is a great product. Just make sure you get the best possible underlayment for it. Since QuickStep produces their own I HIGHLY recommend you work with their underlayment. Because this is a vinyl/laminate hybrid I would not want to use anything other than the underlayment created for the product.
Abhinav Gaikwad thanked SJ McCarthy

LVP vs Hardwood - Wheel Chair use and Indoor Pollutants

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SJ McCarthy

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LVP vs Hardwood - Wheel Chair use and Indoor Pollutants

Comments (5)

SJ McCarthy

Abhinav GaikwadOriginal Author

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SJ McCarthy

Abhinav GaikwadOriginal Author

SJ McCarthy

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Abhinav Gaikwad
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