but first — our own horror story
As y’all already know from our wood-look flooring blog we’re super big proponents of Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring, but girl let me tell you: where we’re at now is NOT where we started! We’ve experienced both professionally and personally some serious highs and lows when it comes to LVP. You think I’m being dramatic? No way…
Last year I searched, and searched, and painstakingly researched top to bottom every single LVP product and manufacturer and…literally everything! I became so informed on the product I felt like I could’ve been their top sales rep! I ordered samples upon samples. I visited people’s homes who had the product installed. I looked into every detail and finally landed on a product that I’ll show you here in a minute! And I’ll tell you what, they installed it and it was GORGEOUS! (To be clear, still is gorgeous! I LOVE THE STUFF!) This magic flooring is water proof, scratch proof, dog proof, stain proof, fade proof, I mean every PROOF you could think of, this is it! My mom was IMPRESSED!
About a month after my LVP was installed my sweet mom became motivated to change out her own floors! We found her what we thought was a great option from Home Depot! The box said “Luxury Vinyl Plank” and we made the very serious mistake of thinking that this product was the same as what I have in my house! My sweet mom was giddy! She was thrilled! She scheduled the guys out, they ripped up carpet, they installed her new beautiful LVP, new baseboards, painted the trim! WOW! So proud!
UGHHHHHH — UNFORTUNATELY several months after having the flooring installed we noticed the flooring under the washer started puffing up, buckling, and peeling. I immediately almost felt defensive! I said “Mom! That literally cannot be possible! The stuff is literally made of a PVC/plastic blend and like…like it literally cannot get water damage? What the heck is going on?!” Lo and behold we checked my mom’s brand of LVP, and y’all will not believe this, the bastards are NOT water proof! They are NOT scratch proof! They are NOT dog proof, stain proof, fade proof, or any of the other proofs that my own floors are!!
I mean….you want to talk about horrified. I pitched this magic flooring to my Mama. She goes out, get’s excited, invests in her own magic flooring, only to find out that it’s some knock off garbage sold with the same name as my own!
This is what I mean—we’ve seen some serious LOWS when it comes to “LVP”. I’m not here to talk about this quote unquote LVP. I’m here to talk about the good stuff! When you’re looking to buy Luxury Vinyl Plank for your own home you need to MAKE SURE the following qualities are listed on their box!
QUALITIES OF GOOD LVP
- Water proof
- Scratch resistant
- Color through
- Stain proof
- Padded
If your box doesn’t say EACH of those items, specifically #1-#3: RUN FOR THE HILLS!!! I have a little bit more leeway with #4 because if a product is waterproof, then it stands to reason that it’s also stain proof so I’ll give the wording on the box some grace! #5 isn’t as important because you can always purchase and install the padding below the flooring separately, and that is common practice. CONFIRM AND CONFIRM AGAIN that the box says “Water proof! Scratch resistant! Color through!”
Click here to see where we’ve installed LVP!
QUALITIES OF GOOD LVP
- Water proof
- Scratch resistant
- Color through
- Stain proof
- Padded
If your box doesn’t say EACH of those items, specifically #1-#3: RUN FOR THE HILLS!!! I have a little bit more leeway with #4 because if a product is waterproof, then it stands to reason that it’s also stain proof so I’ll give the wording on the box some grace! #5 isn’t as important because you can always purchase and install the padding below the flooring separately, and that is common practice. CONFIRM AND CONFIRM AGAIN that the box says “Water proof! Scratch resistant! Color through!”
Click here to see where we’ve installed LVP!
SECRET LVP TIPS
1. Look for a minimal bevel on the edge.
This one was VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. In fact I had to reject several possible options specifically due to the bevel and I’ll try and show you why! Check out the photos. You can see in the prominent bevel photo every joint where the planks meet. In the minimal bevel photo they meet each other seamlessly. That’s what i’m talking about here!
Many of the LVPs I’ve seen before have even more prominent bevels than the example photo and the bevel is in a different color than the material itself! I not only hate the look but also just think of sweeping that floor! Every single groove would be filled with dirt! No thank you!
2. Ask how many plank patterns there are.
Remember, this product is a manufactured product but they try and make it look as natural as possible by printing several different patterns! For example if it takes 100 planks to cover your floor, you may have 5 sets of twenty that all match each other. The higher the number of patterns the better. We want to be able to mix and match as much as possible without having matching boards near each other, and certainly not next to each other!
3. Professional install recommended.
While these products are sold as an “easy DIY” install we always tell people “hire a professional”! Just think about your own job that you do day-in and day-out. Could someone else do your job? Sure! Would they be as good? No. Would the final result be as good? No. Would they know the secret tips and tricks that you’ve learned along the way? No! Would it take them way longer than it would’ve taken you? Yes. While you may of course be able to do it for the best results we do always recommend professional install!
4. Match hair color to floor color.
Lol this is weird. We know. But it’s also something we definitely think of when recommending the right flooring for our clients! If you or your dog have very dark hair, every hair will show up on a light bright LVP! Conversely, if you or your dog have very light hair, every hair will show up on a dark LVP! This may not be a problem for you, and you may be thinking “I don’t care about this, I’ll just sweep more!” in which case, you go girl! It’s just something to consider.
5. Compare texture to willingness to scrub clean.
Much of the appeal of LVP is that it looks so real! Part of that look is the natural, grain-like texture each plank has. Some LVPs have more deeply embedded texture than others. While they tend to look more “real” they can also take a bit more effort to really get clean. However, with more texture they do disguise the dirt better!
6. Don’t forget you’ll need new baseboards (and paint).
Depending on what type of floor you’re replacing in your home you need to be aware that you’ll need to replace your baseboards and have them painted after you install your new floor. This can be a cost that many people don’t think about when considering getting their new floor but it’s crucial! And again, we have to say, just pay a professional to install your trim. These incredible carpenters have the most amazing tricks to make everything in your house look perfect!
7. Difference between LVP and LVT.
Okay, this is one we get a lot! Here is the truth! Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) are different products! LVP is manufactured to look like natural hardwood and is installed in long planks that fit together to mimic hardwood. LVT looks like tile and is manufactured in different, traditional tile sizes. LVT that “looks like wood” will be mimicking a wood-look tile. LVP that “looks like wood” will be m mimicking hardwood. See the difference?
Want more expert advice on wood-look flooring? Click Here
– KL
