Hi all. I put in brand new engineered wood floor by Garrison a year ago in my rebuilt home. I picked a pretty hard top - hickory. Within months, we saw dents, scratches, and worst is the warping and cracking. After a lot of investigation from the installer, glue company, Garrison, it was determined that my installer didn't spread the glue evenly and some of the moisture was able to seep through to the wood and cause damage. The installer's insurance will cover the cost of replacing my floors. So now I get a do-over. At this point, my installer is not recommending garrison. He said that they have installed the floors the same way for years and never had any problem. In their minds, something changed with the wood floor, not their installation method. I have to say, even the glue company said the way the installer cut the wood was very professional. They thought the edges, corners were cut perfect. So in a way I do wonder if garrison wood has a problem, not my installer. So by now, I'm definitely not re-installing garrison engineered wood. I called a local wood floor company and the sales thought that I may be better off with a luxury vinyl because it is water resistant, dent/scratch resistant. Is luxury vinyl floor really all that good? I remember I was told engineered wood was easy to maintain too. I'm debating whether to try another engineered wood, bamboo wood or Luxury vinyl. I would appreciate any suggestion. Thank you!

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.

Pros and cons of each? How much time do you have? It may sound like I'm joking...but I'm not. It sounds like you are at the beginning stage of your search. There are SOOOO many variables that go into a decision like this I can't begin to contemplate it. I've sold flooring for years (cork flooring experts need to be educated in all the other flooring types because we have to COMPETE with the other types) and I always start with questions about the HOMEOWNER and the HOME before I suggest anything. Tell me: What are your PERSONAL requirements? What is your climate? What is the budget per square foot? That means the ENTIRE cost of project? How many square feet? What are your LONG TERM goals with the house (5 year flip or 15-20 year 'forever home')? These are just the PREQUALIFYING questtions I like to ask. After that, I start to narrow down the particulars. As you can see, the "pros and cons" of the flooring do NOT enter into the conversation before the homeowner starts to make some personal 'pros and cons' that they WANT from a floor. Personal expectations are what drive "issues" with floors. If you expect a $0.79/sf laminate (as an example) to have the same life span of 1" quarried slate, then you are going to be very upset (again...this is an example). Tell us more so we can help you more.

I will be starting a renovation of my second floor later this year, and will be putting in all new flooring. I really don't want carpeting but, at the same time, I would like something that is less noisy than hardwood. Have been looking at Engineered Vinyl Plank (EVP) and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP). I have LVP in my kitchen and love it, but have heard good things about EVP. Does anyone have experience with one or both, or any recommendations? Thank you!