The area where you live (super hot climate vs. temperate) will dictate which is more appropriate for your situation. Someone in Seattle would be happier with LVT than someone in Florida. In Florida, tile is the norm, whereas in temperate areas or areas with a true winter, the tiles would be poo-pooed by the next homeowner. The value of your home is also part and parcel as to what works. It would be ill advised to install $25K worth of tile if your home is only worth $100K. The opposite is true of course. The true measure should also be the homeowner themselves. There are LVT products out there that are phthalates free (more expensive) and allow or have cork underlayment as part of their construction (again, more expensive). The cork underlayment will help (a little bit) with the echo in the space. And BTW...both vinyl and tile will have almost identical issues with echo. The vinyl will be a SNICK better. If you add the cork (assuming it is allowed) it will be a bit better than that. But that's as good as it gets. Both have issues with noise. A vinyl plank with all the things you want = $4-$6/sf for material. Install is a bit cheaper than tile...but if this is glued down then it won't be much cheaper. At the end of the day, a HIGH END glue down vinyl plank with an allowed cork underlay (also glued) will cost the SAME amount as a nice porcelain tile installed. Once all the bills are paid, you are going to be within a few hundred dollars of each other. Which leads me to say - get what you want and what works for your family. Be aware of the inherent value of your home and your area but get what works for YOU. And remember: babies are only little for a few years. After that they become more adept at avoiding hurtful situations.

leftontheinside We got our First Crush installed a few weeks ago, and there are saw marks. Some of our samples made them look very busy, and others didn't have them at all. We went through a local flooring store. The saw marks are definitely there, but not noticeable when looking at the floor as a whole (I looked at a lot of pictures because the saw marks were almost a deal breaker). We love the floors. They are beautiful! HU-751872317 We got a custom taupe stain made that coordinates well with the floor. If you still need something, I can get the formula.

For those of you considering LVP, I can’t stress enough how important the installation process needs to be. IMO the flooring is great—durable, beautiful, comfortable to walk on, etc. We are having issues because the contractor we used was incompetent and our floors are now buckling. Thankfully it’s can be fixed without completely replacing, it’s just the inconvenience and extra $$ we’re paying because I don’t trust him to fix it. Make sure you’re installer know what he’s doing.

I'm going to say that you have ONE HECK of a decent flooring installer working for you!!!! No. I'm not kidding. I would say 95% - 99% of the time a flooring 'dude' (or some guy who swings a hammer who told you s/he could install flooring) just throws it down and runs for the hills. You have an honest person working for you. The quote he gave included a LITTLE bit of levelling. Your concrete is NOT good enough to have 'spot' patching done. I've always suggested to my customers to budget $2 - $5/sf for CONCRETE slabs. Your quote for concrete work = $2/sf. That's RIGHT ON TARGET. Good to know that you have TWO honest performers here. Yes, concrete is a B!TCH to deal with. Yes vinyl needs FLAT...but then again so does laminate, hardwood, tile, etc. The ONLY things that do NOT need flat = sheet vinyl, sheet linoleum and carpet. Yep. The things that role out and that can wrap around a telephone pole. So...you have THOUSANDS of dollars worth of flooring (I'm guessing around $4500 - $6000). That is MORE expensive to waste than it is to install. Right now you have a wonky concrete subfloor. That is normal and to be expected in a basement. You will only pay for this leveling ONCE. After that you will have a great surface to work with for the next 60 years. The concrete slab guys will get you a much better surface. The INSTALLER will then do the 'few' patches he has quoted for you. The two put together will create the 'acceptable surface' you need to put down ANYTHING OTHER THAN carpet.