I would like to get feedback on the Supercore Basics line. I am looking at Solitude for around 1,000 sf. I have an old wood subfloor that I am going to need to do a lot of leveling on. Where do you draw the line for telling someone that a 4.5mm floor is not for them? I know I only get a 12mil wear layer, but the fact that it is still Aluminum Oxide and has a stone composite core makes me feel it will be ok. Is there any difference in the locking system? The lock does not seem as hefty on the samples for the basics line. I get concerned that with an old pier and beam supported floor that has settled, even if I level the floor, will the less hardy locking system fail if I get slight movement with any further settling?

OK, so let's get our terminology working here. There are two thicknesses that *seem to be getting in the way. The term 'mil' and the term 'mm'. 1. 'mil' = 1 THOUSANDTHS of an INCH (very small...wear layer thickness) 2. 'mm' = millimeter = 1 thousandths of a METER (1 meter = 3ft) = very close to 1/32 of an inch Great. Now we have a definition of 'mil' vs 'mm'. The LifeProof (sold ONLY at Home Depot...ahem....Home Depot...) is 7 mm thick (the website says 6mm or more). That means it is more than a 1/4 of an INCH thick (it's almost 1/3 of an inch...but that's a weird thing to see). As vinyl goes, that's a middle of the road thickness. The 12 mm THICK vinyl is the SPC stuff like CoreTec (the mineral core makes it thicker). And 12mm is almost 1/2" (it is SUPER close to 0.5 inches). OK...now on to wear layer. The wear layer is what I was talking about with 12mil vs. 20mil. That is the MICRO COATING (super thin....thinner than a piece of paper thin...can't be measured using a hand held tool using the naked eye). That's where I was going with the statement '20 mil' wear layer thickness. First thing's first...please work with a reputable independent flooring company. Home Depot sells toilette paper, paint and chewing gum...and in the back they sell flooring. For me this isn't a place to go shopping if you have many quality requirements for look/feel/wear. If you can by Christmas lights and lawn gnomes at the same store where you purchase your flooring, you might be looking in the wrong place. To be clear, a FLOATING FLOOR is what causes the feeling of 'hollowness' underfoot. That's why the subfloor needs to be flattened to within an inch of it's life! A flat subfloor = a solid feeling floor. Wood can be used in basements so long as it is floated (ahhh....again with the floating = can still bounce and feel hollow under foot). You can have wood so long as you have humidity CONTROL (humidistat built-in to the Heating/cooling system because A/C doesn't always cut it). But again the floor would need to be floated and that is the BIG issue. Floating = hollowness (when done POORLY). So...here are your options: A PERMANENT floor (such as tile, carpet, sheet vinyl, glue down wood, etc) will give you the FEEL you want (solid feeling without being hollow). A permanent floor gets tricky in a basement setting where ground water is an issue. But it still can be done. As Patricia points out, you can use something like DriCor underneath and then nail down the wood. That is totally acceptable. This decision is best done before doors are hung...but it doesn't have to be. Please get out of 'big box' stores and go shopping at your high-end flooring stores. They will not deal in junk. And for a quality vinyl/floating floor product you will be looking at prices that are 2-4 times HIGHER than Home Depot.

Word to the wise, do NOT let the Installer find/recruit the inspector. In the flooring world, the person who PAYS for the Inspection OWNS the report. The first person to 'purchase' a report has the advantage. Extrapolate that out to an 'independent' inspector the INSTALLER finds. I can pretty much guarantee the installer will find someone s/he knows to do the inspection. That inspection will state that floor-repair can happen without full replacement. Now you are in a pickle. Now you have to go out and find someone to COUNTERACT this inspection. If you fall into this trap, you will then have a 'battle of the inspectors' on your hands. And in court, that gets stupid. The report does NOT have to be shared with the other person....not until we get into document disclosure for a court case. Yes. I said court. Hopefully you do NOT want to end up there...but the inspection reports SHOULD BE written with court 'in mind'. Therefore the FIRST person to have a report written to THAT LEVEL of detail, can/should be able to 'win over' the other person who is 'dragging their feet'. That's why the installer is trying to 'lull you' into a sense of 'there's a process'. That's just BS 'stalling' tactics. The installer is HOPING you will give up LONG ENOUGH for them to get ENOUGH SHIMS into place so that WHEN YOU PURCHASE an Installation Report, there will be 'nothing to report'. And that's just WRONG! Go ahead and 'jump the queue' and get YOUR inspector in there ASAP! Nope. Not kidding. Ignore the bumbling subcontractor's words, pay the price of FULL inspection and go from there. And just so you know....in the building industry, the ORIGINAL contractor/subcontractor is allowed ONE attempt at a fix. After that the homeowner has the RIGHT to find SOMEONE ELSE to fix the original contractor's mistakes at the original contractor's expense. And THAT'S when things get hairy. Get your ducks in a row (you are already half way there). Keep ALL documents (emails and phone calls/notes made at time of contact). And get yourself an Inspection Report on the double. Watch the GC scramble! It's almost amusing if it weren't so damned frustrating.

When I was helping bring in 'printed' lines (ie. laminate or vinyl) I would often hear '7' or '8' plank repeats. That's the average (this is 5 years ago...but I'm guessing the same is true). There are companies that make 'indefinite' patterns. That is to say, they do NOT repeat. It is a SUPER expensive way of creating flooring. It takes one HECK of a computer system and a printing process that is second to none. The 'off the shelf' makes that you list don't have this technology. The Swiss laminate or vinyl producers have them. The laminate starts at $5 - $7/sf. The vinyl is even more expensive. But the cost isn't the issue (if repeats are your BIGGEST concern) it is FINDING the flooring companies that CARRY these Bastions of Perfection. Good luck.