Luxury Vinyl Plank comparison chart and experience

[Annchen Knodt]

Hi BP,

I recently purchased LVP for my personal residence, and due to my "type A" personality spent quite a bit of time researching options :-)  I made a table to keep track of various factors, and wanted to share it here in case it's helpful to anyone else.  I did most of this research in August 2020 so of course things may change, and I may have missed a thing or two, but I figured it might be useful to have an overview of some prominent brands if anyone else is as overwhelmed starting their search as I was.

The brands I considered were all click-lock installation floating floors at least 5mm think, in the ~$2-4 price range, and all claim to be waterproof, scratch resistant, and stain resistant.  Some have multiple lines with other features and I'm just showing the line that most closely matched my criteria.

(If the image doesn't display well, you can also find the chart here)

I also made note of various helpful reviews (many from BP):

LifeProof +s: "best overall," "easy to install, great value," 

LifeProof -s: "tabs break during install"

TM Allure Ultra +s: "held up great"

TM Allure Ultra -s: negative reviews on houzz, subfloor unevenness issues

Smartcore Ultra -s: negative reviews on houzz

NuCore +s: "great over imperfect subfloor"

NuCore -s: "shouldn't be used in wet rooms"

DuraLax -s: weight limit and issues with area rugs

Mohawk SolidTech -s: lots of bad reviews on floorcritics

CoreTec +s: great product at great price

I ended up going with CoreTec ProPlus since I found it on sale for $2.50, and I'm actually not very happy with it!  I think mainly I didn't think enough about the design since I was primarily concerned with durability, and I really don't like the one I chose (Chesapeake Oak).  I'd heard that CoreTec ProPlus is one of their cheaper lines in part because the designs are less realistic, and I definitely see that.

My other issue is less about the floor itself - my subfloor is in pretty bad shape (lots of dips and one area with major slope), and we didn't fully realize the extent of it until after we installed the LVP. We actually plan to take it back up to further repair the subfloor, and then re-install :-p.  Based on my experience, I definitely can't recommend the 5mm CoreTec ProPlus for anyone with any subfloor imperfections unless you're planning to do a very thorough repair job!

Hope this is helpful :-)

[Dave Poeppelmeier]

This is fantastic!!! Great work on the spreadsheet. 

[Sean Rooks]

This is awesome!

[Patti Robertson]

Dang - that was a lot of work to put together. Thanks for sharing!

[Patricia Smith]

This is awesome!! Very helpful!!! 

Thank you for sharing and also for sharing your experience with your own installation of CoreTec.

Sorry to hear you went through all this trouble with CoreTec. At least it served as a good learning experience! 

[Account Closed]

Annchen, thank you for compiling and sharing your research on LVP!   We installed CoreTec plus in our own kitchen and adjoining family room and have been very happy with it.  It replaced tile and carpet.  CoreTec was recommended by the flooring company we used.  Before installation they applied some material to smooth out any leveling imperfections.   

[Justin Puetz]

As a contractor, this is incredibly useful to walk through with clients. Thank you for this!

As far as the subfloor, you are correct, it makes a huge difference for LVP. The best product will not do well over a poor subfloor. Your best bet is to either add another layer of subfloor (the thicker you can go the better but obviously this can cause problems for transition areas that you may not be adding subfloor to), or use either floor leveler or floor mud to help even out the floor. A simple string across the floor can show you the high and low spots to help identify which areas need to be adjusted. Hope that helps!

Have a great day!

Justin

[William P.]

Originally posted by @Justin Puetz:

As a contractor, this is incredibly useful to walk through with clients. Thank you for this!

As far as the subfloor, you are correct, it makes a huge difference for LVP. The best product will not do well over a poor subfloor. Your best bet is to either add another layer of subfloor (the thicker you can go the better but obviously this can cause problems for transition areas that you may not be adding subfloor to), or use either floor leveler or floor mud to help even out the floor. A simple string across the floor can show you the high and low spots to help identify which areas need to be adjusted. Hope that helps!

Have a great day!

Justin

 What LVP would you recommend?

[Justin Puetz]

@William P. - For us, it's almost always picked by our clients. We just help steer them in the right direction in terms of what characteristics each LVP product comes with. Here are a few things that we look for:

-Make sure that it's actually made of vinyl and not a composite.

-Waterproof and not water-resistant.

-Cut method is with a utility knife, not a saw (saves a ton on labor).

-We prefer the pad to be installed on the flooring (again, saves on labor).

-If possible, thicker stuff with a longer warranty seems to work better over the long haul. 

I know it's not as in dept as the chart above but most clients ultimately choose the look of the product more so than the actual specs associated with it. Hope this helps though!

Have a great day!

Justin Puetz

[Keith Lewis]

Nice Chart, The unfortunate part of your chart is that there are many more products out there that don't sell to Home Depot or Lowes for various reasons that I won't discuss here. In addition, not all rigidcore products are constructed the same. The majority are extruded to hep the manufacturer reach certain price points. A small number use the hot press process that is distinctly superior in my opinion in overall strength in dimensional structure and durability.Your chart does note finish which is an excellent point as it's the finish and not the wearlayer that gives a product it's scratch resistance( AO and Ceramic Bead being one of the best but it also depends on how many coats are put on which many makers do not detail). Also the pad only serves one true purpose (sound deadening, NOT WARMTH and certainly not improved comfort underfoot that is not discernible to most clients), the more level the floors the less need for the pad). I also note you've charted mostly SPC/rigidcore and not WPC products which while quieter in many cases has a greater tendency to dent.

Something that no one really looks at is the amount of limestone is used in rigidcore/spc products. Some boards are like concrete with a photo attached while a few still have some flexibility which helps avoid locking issues when going over unlevel substrates.

When you charted info regarding sunrooms and gluing down click lock, this can be a two edged sword. While using a glue with a floating floor will help with separation issues in variable temperature. If one does not do their due diligence and test for hydro-static moisture, the plank could release in different areas causing heaving of the installation. (Have inspected this more than once). Also NEVER use a pressure sensitive glue unless you are using it as a wet set which is a permanent install. A hard set adhesive works much better.

One thing I see you didn't chart and all users of floating floors need to check their installation instructions before purchasing if whether the product is warrantied for installation on stairs, many are not. In addition for those that are AND HAVE AN ATTACHED PAD, you need to strip part or all of that off before gluing it to the step(you can't float on a step). Gluing the pad to the step might cause it in time to delaminate(since it's glued to the plank with a pressure sensitive) and release from the step especially when people are coming down the steps.

Your chart covers a lot of the bases but not the ones that can't get you in trouble namely concerning the install. I hope this fill in some of those gaps. Best regards and good luck.

[Joe Splitrock]

@Annchen Knodt that is great that you did considerable due diligence. I cringe when people say "it is all the same" and just buy the cheapest stuff on sale at Home Depot. 

One thing I didn't see on your spreadsheet is water resistance vs water proof. You want locking systems that keep water out of the cracks and a core that holds up well to water. I have seen lifting of the laminate at the seams due to water penetration. Was this something you looked at or was it hard to find information?

It seems your issue is two fold, partially due to poor underlayment/uneven floor and thickness of the LVP can play into that too. With any flooring, you need to take the time to level the floor underneath. That can involve leveling compound or underlayment designed for flooring.

[Annchen Knodt]

Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

@Annchen Knodt that is great that you did considerable due diligence. I cringe when people say "it is all the same" and just buy the cheapest stuff on sale at Home Depot. 

One thing I didn't see on your spreadsheet is water resistance vs water proof. You want locking systems that keep water out of the cracks and a core that holds up well to water. I have seen lifting of the laminate at the seams due to water penetration. Was this something you looked at or was it hard to find information?

It seems your issue is two fold, partially due to poor underlayment/uneven floor and thickness of the LVP can play into that too. With any flooring, you need to take the time to level the floor underneath. That can involve leveling compound or underlayment designed for flooring.

 Thanks for adding your comments, Joe!  

I did only consider products that were stated to be "waterproof" (mentioned this at the top but easy to miss).  That was very important to me since as you mentioned, water is quite the force to reckon with, and I've heard too many horror stories.

I have definitely learned my leveling lesson now!  I'm just surprised that in the dozens of youtube videos I watched re installing LVP over a wooden subfloor (and the 3 contractors I consulted, and the many home improvement forums I sought advice on :-), no one really mentioned using a 1/4" (or better) plywood underlayment, but since I've brought up my issues here on BP I've seen many folks mention that they ALWAYS do that by default.  I think it would have been extra challenging in my case since I had a large low area that needed self leveling underlayment in addition to the rest of the floor that would have really benefited from the plywood underlayment, and I've been told it could be difficult to install the plywood over the SLU.  We ended up pulling up the LVP, pouring SLU in the worst low area, and grinding down minor high points and filling minor lows with a skim coat, but not doing the plywood underlayment. You might call it passable now, and just about everyone but me doesn't notice the remaining issues :-).  So now I'm just hoping that the LVP holds up even though I'm still outside the flatness specs in several places…  

[Filipe Pereira]

This is GREAT @Annchen Knodt! We've installed several thousand square feet of Lifeproof shaddow hickory across our portfolio in Western MA and Central CT over the last few years and it has held up great. I'll also mention that we have been able to get anywhere from 15-25% off the list price by going through the bid room for larger orders. REALLY worth it at that point. 

I know there's probably slightly cheaper (or even better) products out there, but the fact that this stuff is readily available off the shelf at home depot is really appealing!

[Cameron Tope]

Annchen,

Great chart! Thank you for sharing!

[Joe Splitrock]

Originally posted by @Filipe Pereira:

This is GREAT @Annchen Knodt! We've installed several thousand square feet of Lifeproof shaddow hickory across our portfolio in Western MA and Central CT over the last few years and it has held up great. I'll also mention that we have been able to get anywhere from 15-25% off the list price by going through the bid room for larger orders. REALLY worth it at that point. 

I know there's probably slightly cheaper (or even better) products out there, but the fact that this stuff is readily available off the shelf at home depot is really appealing!

 I am curious on the color shadow hickory. It seems in my part of the country everyone is installing grey tones for the last few years. Is that a regional preference or just your personal preference. I am trying to figure out what will remain in style for years. We have some old LVP that is oak tone and it is really dated, even though physically it is in good shape. That is what people don't tell you about durable floors. They get out dated before they wear out.

[Gonzalo Gaston]

Let me tell you about my experience with Nucore. I've installed an 8mm 20 mil top layer vinyl with cork back and irregular width planks . 3 different widths to mix and match. 

Several appraisers and agents thought it was engineered wood. They are truly waterproof, a minor leak went under a small portion and made the cork backing wet. Nothing happened to the floor, just pulled it up, dry with a fan and re-installed. Any water spilled on top will stay there or dry/evaporate if you leave it unattended.

Regarding scratches, over the years I have used different brands and qualities of vinyl. Scratch resistant in any flooring is a way to say that it is not wood that will scratch easily. Vinyl scratches, but it is usually not easily perceived.

[Keith Lewis]

Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

@Annchen Knodt that is great that you did considerable due diligence. I cringe when people say "it is all the same" and just buy the cheapest stuff on sale at Home Depot. 

One thing I didn't see on your spreadsheet is water resistance vs water proof. You want locking systems that keep water out of the cracks and a core that holds up well to water. I have seen lifting of the laminate at the seams due to water penetration. Was this something you looked at or was it hard to find information?

It seems your issue is two fold, partially due to poor underlayment/uneven floor and thickness of the LVP can play into that too. With any flooring, you need to take the time to level the floor underneath. That can involve leveling compound or underlayment designed for flooring.

This might seem a little picky but I really want everyone reading this post to understand. Joe you mentioned laminate above. This is not laminate. The chart refers to LVT(LVP) products ( though the Adura may be a WPC which would be an engineered product). The older laminate had MDF or HDF core, basically pressed wood which indeed would be affected by water. LVP is all vinyl, like a raincoat, so no water issue in regards to swelling. ALL LVP is waterproof, it's the INSTALLATION that is water resistant. Many products are now putting disclaimers  regarding standing water. The WPC and similar products usually mention nor more than 3 days tops. Spills are never an issue with these new products, it's always how many days the water remains or how well the planks were locked together to start. I've always told clients if you can see a black line no matter how thin between the planks they are installed properly and need a little attention. The Unilin 2g locking system is one of the most efficient ones on the market.

I 100% agree the the subfloor/ underlayment/ substrate being attached to as well as how  it was attached to the builder floor(naturally we're not talking cement) is usually the problem in a failed installation.

[Evan C.]

Great discussion here. Getting good info on LVP flooring has been a challenge so this is helpful. Just wanted to chime in with our experience with CoreLuxe Engineered Vinyl Plank 7mm (Honey Mead). We installed in a basement with concrete underneath and it's been amazing. It replaced a cheaper stick-on flooring that came with the house and got damaged by minor water ingress in heavy rain. The CoreLuxe looks and feels amazing. It's distinguishable from hardwood, but not far off. The basement is used as a playroom and it's held up great. Bought back in Sep 2020 for about $2.99/sq ft.