What if.... I looked at the stone-look vinyl in the store and while it's nice, it's just not what I want. There are other patterns online that the store didn't have though. But what if I did use the wood look vinyl, separated from the real wood floors by a couple of different colored wood transition strips? Oh & get this. We have boxes of old 8x8 tile in the garage, the white marbled stuff that we put down 15 years ago. I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of it, and mentioned putting it on craigslist today. Dh was shocked and thinks we are still going to use it. Um, no. I was thinking GIVE it away. On the FREE CL side. He was shocked, after we spent so much on it. Yes dear, 15 years ago when we were both 25 pounds lighter, everyone wore tracksuits everywhere, and the beastmobile was a gleaming new truck. No. No. No.

I'm not overly concerned about it looking like exactly like wood, because for me the practicality and price are paramount, living in a rural area with a busy family. I'll have a kitchen open to the dining room and living room, and I don't want hardwood in the kitchen. And I do like the idea of a clean look with the same flooring throughout. Plus I grew up with hardwood floors in a NYC prewar apartment, so I have particular expectations for hardwood : ) . Though I have to say that even the TrafficMaster Allure has fooled a lot of people, including visitors from Europe who live with hardwood themselves. And our dining room has windows on three sides, so it gets a lot of light. Besides, I'm so thrilled with vinyl plank flooring that I'm happy to tell anyone who asks about the details.

Bump. Any experience with Go Haus. They have such a great white with minimal contrast. http://www.gohaus.com/vinyl-plank-flooring/click-vinyl-plank-flooring/cascade-wpc

The backing is cork so I am not surprised by a vapor barrier requirement. We are having it put down throughout our new home and will be glad to be 100% tile and grout free for the first time in our lives :) I have some old samples that I've tried to damage. It is very difficult to scratch or gouge, the only way I was able to pit it was to take a decent swing at it with a sharp tool that had some weight to it. Makes me wonder if we'll even want or need to fuss around with felt pads under everything (they seem to be magnets for dirt, hair, fur, or whatever floats around before you have a chance to sweep it up.)