Do you have photos of the spotty problem with your LVP? Have you checked unopen boxes (which are left with the homeowner for future repairs) for the problem?

Engineered hardwoods will do just fine. The question becomes what level of quality can you afford? Subfloor preparation is very important. You are in a good situation to have whatever floor you want.

We put in engineered hardwood 15 years ago. Our family room faces west, and our floor has bleached from the sun over the years. We do have a patio cover, but sun still hits the floor by the sliding glass doors and around the corner of the house where we did not install a patio cover. So my suggestion is to go with a natural finish that won't bleach out in the Florida sun. We had a medium stain (gun stock, if I remember correctly), and I regret that. Otherwise, it works well for us.

100% I'd go with engineered hardwood over Vinyl plank. I just don't understand why some people seem to feel engineered hardwood is not a good choice. I think it is fantastic and is the best choice for certain installations. I don't think engineered flooring is in any way inferior.

If you like wide plank you can get that in engineered as well - up to 8-10" wide. Although a more common size is 5-6" wide.

We've had engineered hardwood down in our cottage for more than 3 years. We have had no issue at all with it and I haven't noticed any fading in sunlight and we have a lot of windows. Follow the manufacturers instructions and put in good underlayment - it really can make a big difference to the comfort and sound of the floors.

There are so many colours and wood species available in engineered hardwood. I know you've said you spent a long time looking at your LVP - hopefully you can find some hardwood that is similar to what you were hoping for. I think this will turn out to be a lucky accident and in the long run I hope you will be very happy with whatever you choose.

Following and I have to say- it's disappointing that you had that experience but very impressed with Carpet One for acknowledging something was wrong and looking to make it right.

@Jaykaym

Please keep us updated on your process. I too have been enduring at least 6 months of flooring decision and we have been leaning LVP, although I'm not 100% sold. My doubts being in the floor finish, and the "feel/sound" of the floor under my bare feet.

My last house had engineered wood so I'm familiar with its characteristics. Most obviously, it's more expensive than LVP. And my SO believes that LVP is easier to keep clean. (She wants to mop it, dammit, and has it in her 2 year old house and loves it. Nope, the exact same product is no longer available.)

We're shooting for a "beach-like look/feel" so we're leaning to some of the lighter grays, which are plentiful in LVP, but in my brief investigation into engineered woods, not near as many choices. (I've seen none yet that would be in the running, but haven't looked extensively.)

Best of luck on your remedy!!

@Steve OnaRiver

This is a beach condo so we are also looking for something easy care, and with a light look, although not too much grey tone. On this LVP we selected it seemed that the grey tone had a totally different sheen than the brown/tan tones and just left it looking splotchy and dirty. It still hasn't been determined if it was a bad finish on the tile, or bad/dirty install but I'm now willing to pay the extra price for engineered wood. I've had hardwood my entire life and never had a problem keeping it clean and my concern with using it at the beach was the possiblity of water damage during a storm. My husband pointed out that if the floor gets damaged during a storm we'll just call the insurance company. The LVP was a floating installation and even after the extensive work done to level the floor we still had a couple of hollow spots so on the engineered wood install we'll do a glue down. We are still looking at manufacturers and colors for the wood floor.

Pictures??