skip to main content

Flooring Design Dilemma

Wood floor, LVP, or laminate?

8 months ago

We are wanting to remove our carpet in our lower level family room. There is cement floor under the carpet. Are we able to consider all these choices ( hardwood, lvp, laminate)? can you tell the difference between hardwood and the other choices? I’ve heard people say you cannot. If you used lvp or laminate, are you still

happy with that choice?

thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

tracefloyd
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
I think you mean Hardwood or LVP or Engineered Hardwood.

Get real wood.... Hardwood or Engineered Hardwood. They can be installed over concrete properly.

Engineeted Cork is interesting if you haven't thought of that.

Don't get LVP because it's not real wood and very few look real.
bkind37 thanked tracefloyd
Memphis Forrest
8 months ago
Maybe 10 years LVP was different. If there’s no water around and you can install hardwood flooring. I’d do that. I have a smaller house so used new LVP throughout. After my washing machine totally broke water every where. No problem other than getting the water up. Laminate would have been warped.
bkind37 thanked Memphis Forrest
Related Discussions
LVP Vs Laminate Flooring for me?
Q
Comments (12)
At this point, you will want to get some technical information about how to install your CHOSEN vinyl floor. Some (but not all) have a written statement in the installation instructions regarding "laying over cut back adhesive". If the statement is MISSING then you will need to get a statement, in writing, from the technical department of the vinyl manufacturer. Once you have that in writing, you can then make plans on what to do and what not to do. The one thing that I can comment on would be the "trowel ridges". If anything knocks your subfloor "out of level/flat" it will be the trowel ridges. Check to see if they are allowed under vinyl (regardless of material). Laminate planks won't care - they are rigid enough to deal with this without issue. Good luck. That is a lot of adhesive. It will be interesting as to what the vinyl flooring manufacturer has to say about laying over cut-back adhesive.
...See More
Are home builders using the lvp laminate for main wood floor?
Q
Comments (62)
I would really appreciate if some of you can help with my dilemma. We are looking into flooring options for our new home. We live in Arizona. I was looking in to wood look porcelain tile because I really like the look of wood, but I want something where I can have the same kind of flooring in the entire main floor, so hard wood tile combo is out. We have hardwood in our current house in both our floors except kitchen and stairs as much as I love the look of it, I don’t like the upkeep that comes with it. A couple of our friends got LVP done in their homes and they really like it. I love how it looks but just can’t get over the vinyl part and how will it effect the value of the house? I spoke to a couple of local suppliers and contractors and they said I can’t go wrong with either it just comes down to personal choice. And with regard to the value they said only hard wood increases the value and carpet may decrease the value because buyers would like to change the carpet but vinyl or tile don’t add or delete anything in our are. it most likely will be our forever home till we downsize but just in case. Our home will be around 700k. I understand that vinyl costs less in labor charges but a 20mil wear layer vinyl is not cheap in material and I don’t mind to spend more on the labor of tile and prefer to compromise somewhere else which I can change easily later . I know some of the same things were discussed in this thread but most of them are over a year old was wondering if everyone is still on the same page. For everyone who has wood look porcelain tile or LVP do you still like it after a couple of years? What are the pros and cons. For me one big con with the tile is grout. And LVP’s pro is it’s looks. Do you have problems with footprints being seen on LVP like how a few mentioned in an other thread? any pro’s please give your input on what you think? Thanks a lot if you read till now. I will greatly appreciate any help you can provide.
...See More
Need flooring advice. Laminate, engineered, or LVP?
Q
Comments (3)
The "oil finishes" are hardwax oil products that are applied as a single coat. They are traditionally a matte finish and they require maintenance by the homeowner. You must be prepared for the maintenance. Many of the factory finished engineered floors with oil finishes can require (or would benefit from) an application of maintenance oil applied as soon as they are installed. This isn't a huge issue (because it is relatively easy) but it is something that most people do not know and therefore "miss" the opportunity to add this little bit of extra love at the beginning. Once installed, the oil floors are beautiful, raw-looking wood finish. They are low gloss. If you are someone who likes the look of a "clean shiny floor" then you will be horribly disappointed by the floors and will spend days and days trying to "clean" the floors to a "shine" - without any success. Tears are soon to follow. As for "UV oil finish" this is just a fun way of saying the factory used UV lights to speed up the curing of the finish. Instead of 2-3 days, the cure can be reduced to a few minutes under UV lighting. That's it. That's the whole difference. Other than that, UV cured vs. natural cured hardwax "oil" finishes are the same beast. If you love the look of oil finished flooring, then go for it. But PLEASE FIND OUT the maintenance requirements and purchase ALL of the maintenance products at the same time that you purchase the floor. That includes any "colour oil" products used to create the colour at the factory. Once the floor has been delivered, I would find a "culled" or warped plank (an imperfect plank that will not be installed) and start playing with your maintenance products on the board (or boards) so that you are well schooled BEFORE a little "oopsa" occurs. It will make your life MUCH easier.
...See More
Best flooring for walkout basement: LVP, Laminate, or Engineered HW
Q
Comments (5)
OK...point #1. If any part of your slab is 'below grade' the ENTIRE THING is graded as 'below grade'. Personally I would pick different flooring for the 'wet' rooms such as the bathrooms and laundry. The reason: 'water proof' flooring is expensive. So WHY pay for the entire basement to be covered in 'water proof' when only a few hundred square feet actually 'need it'. The other thing is: a floating floor is really all you want to play with. Tiles in bathrooms/laundry room can be adhered to the concrete, the rest can be floated. The basics for ANY floating floor is the same. You must have a vapour barrier (not always underpadding) and you must always have a WELL PREPARED concrete slab that is flat (no wonky subfloors for a floating floor...ever). A laminate floating floor and a vinyl floating floor and a cork floating floor (and even a linoleum floating floor) all require the same thing. And the mechanism to install is always a 'click-together' system. An engineered hardwood can be floated but it almost always requires glue on the seams. Again, all of the same PREPARATION is required. So go ahead and start paying for the concrete slab to be fixed up so that your flooring of choice can be laid down as soon as you can. The 'nightmare' the sales guys are talking about relates to installation and moisture. They are TRYING to get you to purchase the product THEY NEED to move. Yep. I would hazard a guess that these guys have been given 'targets' to meet and/or they have been offered bonuses for moving a certain TYPE of product (too much in the warehouse is costing the company TOO MUCH money). In a nutshell, the reason why you are getting 4 different opinions is because you spoke to 4 different salespeople with 4 different 'company agendas'. That's it. There is no mystery in that. My questions for you (if I were your sales person): 1. What is your budget (do NOT fudge numbers with sales people...it pisses them off and makes them less likely to get the RIGHT floor)? 2. What is your FAMILY situation? Animals? Landscaping issues such as pools, etc? 3. What are YOUR expectations? Can you accept the limitations of certain flooring if it gets you the LOOK that you want for the price you are able to pay?
...See More
BPMBA
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
Our laminate is waterproof. It's from the Restoration Collection by Mannington.
bkind37 thanked BPMBA
PRO
G & S Floor Service
8 months ago
There are no substitute for the real thing.
bkind37 thanked G & S Floor Service
Susie .
8 months ago
If it were my house, I’d want wood. You may need to go with engineered if it’s on concrete, but talk to a reputable local flooring company. LVP and laminate are photos of wood, so you can definitely tell the difference, especially if they’re floating. Think about your lifestyle, though. If this is a room that gets heavy traffic from dogs and kids then LVP may be a better option for your family. Engineered wood and hardwood can be refinished and are easier to repair than LVP or laminate.
bkind37 thanked Susie .
PRO
Norwood Architects
8 months ago
If you can afford real hardwood flooring I would champion that. Nothing really compares to real wood floors. Although other materails can look quite good you will always be able to tell what is real and what is not.
bkind37 thanked Norwood Architects
lisaj1354
8 months ago
I have LVT throughout and I absolutely love it. Especially with having a dog. All I have to do is vacuum and/or damp mop. I looks enough like wood to have fooled friends and neighbors.

. Its installed over concrete.
bkind37 thanked lisaj1354
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
8 months ago
IMO this choice is 2 fold. Do you have a totally always dry basement and waht is your lifestyle. We have 3 huge dogs and have laminate from Germany on the main floor and LVP in our walk out basement . The dogs have free run through a doggie door all day in all kinds of waether the floors get dirty and a quick vacuum or sweep and adamp mop on raint days is all it needs to look like new 16 yrs alter. The laminate upstairs was bought for the fabulous finish which 16 yrs later does not show any scratches .I did nit plan to try to fool anyone with the LVP into thinking it is wood but it is funny how many people think it is. The mainfloor looks like slate even has a bit of the teture slate would have. I think flooring needs to be chosen for how you live
bkind37 thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
kandrewspa
8 months ago
No matter what you choose, you will probably find out your concrete floor is not level. Usually builders do not take care to assure a level floor when pouring. Carpet disguises that. All of the products you're interested in require a level floor (to some degree - it doesn't have to be perfect). There are ways to level it after the fact, but it costs extra. So when talking to the flooring contractor, be sure to discuss that.

As for which product, I have LVP in my basement and I'm very happy with it. I don't think it looks like real wood exactly, but it's a good product for a basement. I have real wood upstairs, but for me it isn't worth the expense of having it in the basement also. Our basement is walk-out and finished with drywall and has a home office and a family room (only 2/3rds of it is finished space). We carpeted the steps to have a break between the wood and the LVP. If you put vinyl next to wood it looks extra fake.
bkind37 thanked kandrewspa
tracefloyd
8 months ago
I guess I don't know what laminate is but I looked it up and it is not waterproof. Must be regional because people don't use it in California.
bkind37 thanked tracefloyd

Related Stories

REMODELING GUIDES Laminate Floors: Get the Look of Wood (and More) for Less

See what goes into laminate flooring and why you just might want to choose it

REMODELING GUIDES Your Floor: An Introduction to Solid-Plank Wood Floors

Get the Pros and Cons of Oak, Ash, Pine, Maple and Solid Bamboo

REMODELING GUIDES What to Know About Engineered Wood Floors

By South Hill Interiors

Engineered wood flooring offers classic looks and durability. It can work with a range of subfloors, including concrete

What is Laminate Flooring?

By Laura Neumann

Discover the wonders of laminate and what it can do for your home

0

FLOORS What's the Right Wood Floor Installation for You?

By Toronto Interior Design Group

Straight, diagonal, chevron, parquet and more. See which floor design is best for your space

REMODELING GUIDES When to Use Engineered Wood Floors

See why an engineered wood floor could be your best choice (and no one will know but you)

DECORATING GUIDES What Goes With Dark Wood Floors?

By Laura Gaskill

Avoid a too-heavy look or losing your furniture in a sea of darkness with these ideas for decor pairings

DECORATING GUIDES Isn’t It Good, Nordic Wood: The Appeal of Pale Floors

From silvery ash to honey blonde or chalk white, light-toned floors hold the key to the pared-back simplicity of Scandinavian style

FLOORS Painted Wood Floors

By Janell Beals - House of Fifty

KITCHEN DESIGN 13 Alternatives to Plain Wood Flooring in the Kitchen

By Erin Carlyle

Graphic patterns, surprising transitions and unexpected materials make these kitchen floors stand out

Sponsored

More Discussions

cork floor in Idaho

8

Which way would you lay the tile in our bathroom in our medical office

6

luxury vinyl floor with cork backing vs rubber backing

0

Adding porcelain tiles on existing tiled heated floor: yay or nay?

9

How do I feel this void between the shower tray and floor

4