Stainmaster vs Lifeproof vinyl plank flooring

[Joshua H.]

I'm looking to replace the flooring in an entire unit and debating between these two products. Although both Allure and Stainmaster have been around for a while, their waterproof lines are relatively new, so I haven't been able to find many longer term reviews. The Lifeproof is a Home Depot branded Allure product and the Stainmaster is partnered with Lowes. Lifeproof is roughly $2.80-3 sq ft and Stainmaster seems to be somewhat cheaper at $2.20-2.75 sq ft.

 The only complaint that I've consistently read is that an additional underlayment helps with any noise but I fear that may void the warranties. My biggest complaint between the two is the lack of light colored options without wild color variation.

Can anyone chime in with their experiences?

[Linda S.]

@Joshua H.

Have you looked at ceramic wood looking tile?   It's the only thing we put in our units now, so durable, same price as other options, and looks beautiful!

[Andrew Johnson]

Joshua H. I have the Allure flooring in one my multifamilies and it's working out well. It does scratch but the little pens make it easy for my PM to fill in and tenant move out. The scratch areas are where you'd expect: around the couch/bed/furniture footing areas. So, for what it's worth, it's definitely not "scratch proof" but the fake hand-scraping gives enough variation where it doesn't stand out and is easily repaired. I will note that it's newer construction so there wasn't any issue with unevenness in the floor, bad prep work, etc. Most "bad" things I read about the product do involve the prep. So I'm not 100% sure how apt I would be to use it in a rehab for a 40 year old property that could have settled, etc. Just one opinion...

For what it's worth, the wood-look tile is also a great suggestion. Anything other than the plain 12 x 12 white ceramic! Again...one opinion...

[Bill F.]

@Joshua H. I just put in Allure IsoCore in my rental. They didn't have it in stock, but i ordered it online and they shipped it to the store for me to pick up. The IsoCore has a 6mm thick surface and built in padding for sound reduction/insulation. 

For color variation I looked at the lot number on the boxes and pulled from six different lots when I installed. I noticed the color differences when I installed it, but after finishing the entire floor and throwing a coat of mop and glo on it looks fine.

All in all, I'm a fan of the IsoCore and I'd use it again. I like the wood tiles, but they don't have the forgiveness for uneven subfloor that LVP does. Making a messed up sub floor level enough for tile can raise the cost considerably. If I had a unit that could support it, I'd go the tile route though.

[Joshua H.]

The building is 100+ years old, so it does have the normal issues that arise with a building of that age. I did tile the bathroom but I hadn't considered doing it throughout the entire unit. After looking up the wood tile prices, they are initially cheaper. But after factoring in the grout, backer board, and labor costs I think they would end up nearly equal. The tile designs do look very nice but I think laying tile throughout the entire house would be a detriment down the line when/if I go to replace the flooring. Also have you found additional work with keeping the grout lines clean?

[Alex Gordon]

@Bill F.  I'm trying to decide whether to pay up for the Allure Isocore ( $2.89/Sqf) versus the Traffic Master Allure ($1.79/Sqf)  Anyone have experience with both? 

[Bill F.]

@Joshua H. You can use a darker grout that won't show the dirt and blends with the wood color. 

@Alex Gordon I looked at both and once I factored in the cost of underlayment ($.50 sqft) with the thicker top layer I went with the IsoCore. The floor went over a concrete slab so I didn't want to skimp on insulation. Plus the underlayment extents the life of the floor. 

Comparing Apples to Apples IsoCore is $2.89/sqft and Traffic Master is $2.29

[Linda S.]

@Joshua H.,

We do regular pretty tile in bathrooms and kitchen, and do wood-looking throughout the rest of the houses.    When we install them, we push them as close as we can together, to mimic real hardwood floors, so there shouldn't be a lot of grout lines, just to fill in whatever cracks necessary.    You could try it throughout, but I think people like clear distinctions  of rooms, so I wouldn't recommend it. 

[Karen S.]

@Joshua H. In my experience, it is a very rare 100 year old house in Pittsburgh that has a subfloor rigid enough for installing tile, without a decoupling layer, or massive amounts of 3/4 inch plywood first. YMMV. Good luck!

[Ian Hoover]

Stainmaster is still a laminate product, lifeproof is vinyl so if the place is going to get wet at all I would use Lifeproof or Allure.

[Ian Hoover]

BTW just installed Lifeproof in my basement, while it was hard to work with once it is down I really like the look and feel of it.

[Ben Riechmann]

stain master luxery vinyl is vinyl.  But age of the house is an issue.  As they say above, if an older house as many of my rentals are, subflooring is important most likely but not always.  It will be more so with the more thick and rigid vinyl you use as less give.  On the other hand, the duribility will be better so you have to weigh costs.  Also what are your target tenants like.

[Bob Crane]

Might be late but someone asked about Allure vs the others.  The original Allure (without the "Ultra," "Isocore," or "Lifeproof" name) is very thin and WILL NOT stand up in a rental.

We installed this in our home in 2008.  We have to set down cardboard/wood when pulling out appliances and it is very susceptible to scratches.  Looks great when it goes in but you have to be super careful to keep it that way.

I installed Allure Ultra in my last remodel.  One of the subs dragged boards across it and stacked two full five gallon buckets of paint on top of each other in a room.  Quick wash and there wasn't a scratch from the board and the weight of the paint didn't make a dent.

[Account Closed]

@Karen S. @Joshua H.

In my experience as well, if you're laying tile in a 100-year-old house in Pittsburgh, you're going to be dealing with a diagonal plank subfloor in urban residential neighborhoods. What we typically do is either lay 1/2 ply or OSB over the planks screwed into the joists w/ 3-inch deck screws, then put a standard waterproofed cement board thinset tile installation in bathrooms and kitchens. This is a lot of work and money compared with tiling a more modern home with an existing plywood/OSB subfloor.

Typically to start with in this homes, you also have to pull out vinyl flooring and the 3/4 in. wood plank flooring beneath it, which is typically covered in multiple layers of asbestos-laded cutback adhesive.

If the plank subfloor is in seriously bad shape (which we can only know after we get down to that level) we take off the planks, install 2x8 sistering and blocking on the joists, and put in a 3/4 in. tongue-and-groove OSB subfloor, followed by a waterproofed cement board and thinset tile installation.

This costs a lot of money even if you do it yourself with your own crew, which is what we do and is the only reason who do as much tile as we do.

So, as otherwise stated in this thread, I would also not recommend planning to tile large areas of such homes in this area to any passive investor, and most especially NOT any out-of-state passive investor. There really aren't enough solid tile guys in this region. The ones that have a good reputation are all just as busy as we are making money in our own renovations.

[Joaquin K.]

I wanted to add some details on my recent experience...

Our properties are in Southern California and are relatively high end. I typically use tile and carpet, but wanted to give vinyl plank a try.

I just used 1700 sq ft on a high end SFR turn. I shopped around quite a bit (considering quality and cost) since I generally like to select a vendor and then use that material moving forward (for all projects).

Home Depot stocks 4 colors of Lifeproof Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring, and they offer several other colors with 1 week lead time. I always use material that is stocked to avoid construction delays. I found the Home Depot pricing pretty good, and since I shop there all the time they are a preferred vendor. We also looked at Floor & Decor, Lumber Liquidators, and Lowes, as well as some online shops. Several companies offer non-interlocking panels that basically just lay on the floor (generally called "Loose Lay", and they are apparently very heavy and therefore don't need adhesive or interlocking). I would have given these a shot but could not find local supply at a reasonable price.

The list price of the Home Depot (in stock) Lifeproof "Essential Oak" was $2.79 /sq. ft. I have an HD Pro Account and was given an 18% discount on this relatively small order in the "bid room", so I felt pretty good about the price (effectively $2.28/sq ft). No adhesive or under-layer was required, and the material installs just like laminate. Each box has 8-10 planks, and I believe each of those planks is unique in look. Since the pattern repeats in the next box, its important to manage the installation so that two identical patterns (from separate boxes) don't lay side-by-side.

The floor looks really good, and I'm thrilled that its 100% waterproof.

I don't have any negative feedback to date, but will keep this thread updated if I identify and signs of accelerated wear.

[Joel Brown]

@Joaquin K. I am looking at the Sterling oak (lighter color) and seasoned wood (darker but has multi width planks) and it looks great. I like the waterproof and DIY friendly as well. How tough is it to get the Pro price. I have spent close to $10K with them already this year so I should have looked into it before, but I'm re flooring (carpet in bed rooms vinyl or hardwood in the common areas and leaving the quality tile that is already in the bathrooms) a 3100 square foot two level home this month. With the other repairs i'm sure I'll spend close to 10K with Home Depot some elsewhere as well.  Did it go down easy? what do you need to do to get the pro pricing?

[Joaquin K.]

It’s not difficult to get the pro price. Make sure you have a pro extra account and log purchases into the account religiously. If you or one of your guys forgets to link a purchase to your account, you can always do it online after the fact. If you’re checking out with more than $1000, it’s worth visiting the pro desk and asking them to send the purchase to “the bid room”. It will take about a minute and often results in significant discount. I have found that the discount varies widely, and is likely based on the mark up at the store. For example - flooring, toilets, lightbulbs, and similar high-volume items are often heavily discounted. Give it a shot and let me know what you get! 

[Enoch Raber]

I have the Lifeproof vinyl flooring in two rentals, kitchen and bath areas and it is holding up very well. I accidentally dropped a crowbar from ceiling height, it chipped a tiny spot but you can't even tell because the color goes all the way through the plank. Good stuff, highly recommend.