Engineered Luxury Vinyl Plank (EVLP) advice
Comments (10)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoocrose thanked Patricia Colwell ConsultingRelated Discussions
Engineered hardwood or Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)?
Comments (65)Another thing to consider when looking at the engineered floors is plank length. I just realized why I didn't like some of the photos I saw ... they had too many short pieces which gives the floor a choppy look and to me, it looks too much like a tile effect. The Uptown Floors suggested above sound great, and I will look at them more closely, but they still have "shorter" board (12" to 8 ft). I am looking at another company with board lengths from 3 ft to 12 ft. Those longer boards make a big difference in the overall look in a larger open floor plan. The longer boards do cost more, so I need to do some more comparisons and value of spending more for a more pleasing look. Their other specs are mostly similar. I think floors are going to be my hardest decision!...See MoreEngineered hardwood vs Luxury Vinyl Plank
Comments (8)I don’t agree that LVP is not a good choice for basements. We used it because we have a walk out that goes to a free access dog run with 3 big dogs and the other entry is to the pool so lots of traffic with wet feet, muddy feet and at the end of the day a quick mop and it looks like new 12 yrs later . Hardwood would have by now looked like garbage from dog nails and water left sitting. IMO you choose flooring to stand up to your lifestyle not because some imaginary buyer will like it better. We have always had floors that are not real wood because we will always have big dogs and no matter how careful you are they can do some real damage to wood floors....See MoreEngineered Hardwood, Luxury Vinyl Plank, or Luxury Vinyl Tile/Stone?
Comments (9)Installing hardwood in Florida takes extra effort. The first part of that effort is having EXCELLENT humidity control in the home. In hot, humid climates that means the A/C might not be enough. It might require an additional whole-home dehumidifier. It can also rule out an 'open window' type of home. Again, it depends on the location and the humidity levels. Hardwoods must be kept in a 'happy humidity' range between 45% - 60%. At all times. Every minute of every day. For ever and ever. And ever and ever. That means you will spend more on your HVAC system to have that type of 'push button' control (whole home humidifier/dehumidifier). And then the type of build also dictates the best practice for installation of hardwoods. A concrete slab takes extra effort to glue down wood. A high-end adhesives must be used and those add $2-$3/sf...just for the glue. The hardwood and labour are on top of that. In Florida, the most appropriate floors are stone, tile, terrazzo or concrete. All of which are hard and cold. Of course a cool floor in a hot climate is a BENEFIT...not a drawback. Part of the cold flooring is it helps keep the house feeling cool. Vinyl is then the next option. The difference between the 'wood look' or the stone/tile look is simply aesthetics. If you LIKE the look of wood, then go for it. If you LIKE the look of stone/tile, then go for it. With vinyl you will require very good UV block on your windows. Ask your builder what level you have on your windows right now. You will want to find something with UV block ABOVE 50%. I prefer to see 70% - 75%. That keeps the vinyl and the house cool. But it also makes growing indoor plants a difficulty. Plants struggle with UV blocking windows at 70% or higher....See Moreengineered wood or luxury vinyl planks
Comments (1)Yes, in general the higher mills = more durability. As you have a thicker top surface to protect against indentation or scratches. Here's a white oak laminate that you may like. I've recommended this product as an installer for clients who were initially looking for vinyl. The reasons why I like to recommend it to my customers: 100% waterproof (submersible for 24 hrs) and has the highest durability rating possible (AC6 - which means it is recommended for heavy commercial applications). The high durability and moisture resistance lends itself favorably to be a recommended "pet proof" product. On the other hand, SPCs are also a great alternative to vinyl planks as they are more rigid in nature and tend to be more durable (most of them you will notice will advertise "petproof" as a selling point)....See Morebtydrvn
3 years agobtydrvn
3 years ago
Jamie Pace
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoI recently had SUPERCORE SPC plank flooring installed over 1200 + square feet in my house that has just sold. It is beautiful flooring and it will be installed throughout my new home. I bought it from WeShipFloors.com. They are great people to deal with, and have been very helpful to me. There is a lot of info on their webpage about SuperCORE. The crew that did my install were very impressed with the flooring. I like the rustic look, but I know it’s not for everyone. SuperCORE comes in about 50 colors I think and numerous wood patterns. It has an aluminum oxide top coating which is very resistant to scratching. It also has an attached foam backing. They will send you samples that can help to narrow down your color choice. I chose a color from several samples and then ordered a full box to click together to get a better idea of the color and pattern of Krypton. I have not been disappointed. I am attaching some photos, but the lighting is not very good and the color is off. The photo of the sample box of flooring with my cat is truer to the color than the photos of it after install.
I also like that it can be installed over a large area without thresholds between rooms.
Good luck in your search. If you check out SuperCORE, I think you will be impressed.
If you do a search for SUPERCORE on this site, it should bring up several discussions with photos.
ocrose
3 years agobtydrvn
3 years ago
Jennifer Hogan