Luxury Vinyl Planks- tell me the good, the bad, the ugly

[aspentosh]

I have googled and searched on here and see a lot of good (overall) feedback but I would really love some non-referral link based reviews

We are looking to redo our master bathroom and closet in January and originally planned on tile but we fell hard for a wood look LVP (rigid core if that matters). I want durable (this one has a 20 year warranty) and easy to clean. We have a kid and a 50lb dog but they won't be primary users, lol.

We aren't in a super luxury house and this bathroom/walk in closet is only like 90sq ft, so nothing enormous. 

For those that have LVP, have you had it long enough to say "yes do it!" or "never again" or "yes, but only if..." etc. 

TIA!

[Susie]

My dad had LVP put in throughout his beach house in spring 2019 after a pipe burst upstairs, necessitating a gut reno of almost the whole house.  It's a gray wood-look, and we like it pretty well.  It runs through the whole house except for the bathrooms, which are tiled.  The square footage that we have makes the repeats more obvious than the area you are talking about.  We all agree it is not as attractive as the wood look tile he has in both bathrooms (new at the same time).  I've also been a little bummed at the scratches it has shown.  The house is rented out for 8 weeks of prime season each summer, and tenants are hard on houses.  I was there last in October, and I think it looks rougher than I expected for 2 seasons so far.  Not bad, but everyone talks about how durable it is and... it's just ok/fine I'd say, not amazing.

[corgimom]

We built our house 3 years ago and chose to put in lvp over engineered or hardwood floors. Dogs and kids were about half the reason and cost was the other half.
Our dog is about 30lbs but he does scratch up hardwood floors and after discussion determined that we felt we would always have a dog in our family. Engineered and hardwood were both much pricier options - hardwood would have cost us at least 10-12k more for our downstairs. We also had concerns about how often we could refinish or would want to refinish floors. I was resistant to LVP but was really impressed by the options we saw and how far it had come in terms of quality and looks.

We've been in the house for a little over 2.5 years and they do look exactly the same as they did when we moved in. The dog does not scratch them and they are super easy to clean. We did pick a darker color so they show dirt, dust and dog hair easily but the roomba takes care of that pretty well, lol. I think it looks really nice but I know it's laminate so it doesn't "fool" me. Oh, while our dog doesn't scratch it, I have damaged it. I've dropped things on it without issue but dropped a pan on it's corner and it took a small chip out. We filled it in with a wood pen and can't tell. So its resilient but not indestructible!

Overall, we're happy with it and would do it again. In fact, we have it in our foyer, half bath and kitchen with plans to replace the carpet in the office/playroom and living room when the kids are older. Is it incredible? No, it's laminate flooring, but it is pretty great for our everyday life.

[penguingrrl]

I’m pretty sure that’s what’s in my kitchen, but not positive. I bought my house 3 years ago and the condition of the kitchen floor has quickly deteriorated. I’m not thrilled with it at all.

I’m pretty sure the kitchen was done in 2003-2005ish (based entirely on the manufacture dates of the appliances), so it’s 15-17 years old and looks okayish, but not great. When we can afford to replace it we will run hardwood to match the rest of the house. We haven’t had an issue with our dog anywhere and the kitchen is one of the few rooms in our house that doesn’t have hardwood.

[aspentosh]

Well, we for sure wouldn't put hardwood in our bathroom. So it's LVP or tile. At least those are the only options I've seen.

We have a wood look tile in our daughter's bathroom and we just cannot find one we like for our bathroom.

[Violet]

I had LVP "tile" in my last house for a few years and am putting LVP "wood" in my current house. Both are in a basement over a concrete slab. I think it's durable enough for the cost but I don't expect it to last 15+ years. IMO the most important factors are the thickness and brand. When I was walking on samples in the showroom, a 2mm LVP felt worse than a 6-8mm one. The 2mm felt like nothing was on the floor (similar to old school rolled linoleum). Also, some brands had a much better finish and looked like wood vs plastic very fake look.

[aspentosh]

Product thickness is 6.5mm with a 22mil wear layer. It does have an attached cork back for added thickness and it felt nice to walk on.

I guess we may be back to the drawing board. I am majorly bummed this has become so difficult.

[pierogigirl]

We have it in our lower level after a brand new bamboo floor failed. It is on a slab and the bamboo cupped within a few weeks despite having a sealed floor and using the proper vapor barrier. We've had it installed for a few years and it has held up well. We do have area rugs in the family room and office part and we don't wear shoes in the house. I have not noticed any scratches and it matches the real hardwood on the stairs and upper level. We got one that was rated for commercial use.

[rooster222]

We put LVP in our upstairs hall, master bedroom, master bath and guest bath a few years ago. I love it. Super easy to care for. Im not sure what it would be like on a slab but I will definitely be thinking about using it when we replace our downstairs flooring.

[ssmjlm]

We only have it in our laundry room, so I'm not sure I'm the right person to comment. It's held up fine, but it's in a small room, you don't see much of the floor between the sink cabinet, machines, and runner I have down.

That said, it was worth it because I didn't want to do tile in the room and we just had the builder put sheet vinyl down, so we could install right over.

[MrsDarcy]

I’m a sales rep for a flooring company so I can answer questions if you need me to. Check out COREtec Stone. So pretty! Looks great in a bathroom.

[Aloe Vera]

Thanksgiving 2019 we ripped out the carpet and installed LVP. We used Mannington Adura Max. We love it. Not a single scratch, easy to clean and warm to the touch (it is installed on concrete). It also looks like real wood. I would definitely recommend.
Install was relatively easy. I bought a guillotine cutter and it allowed us to cut planks on site with no mess in 2 seconds. For smaller cuts/weird angles, we used a Dremel.

[aspentosh]

Thanks for the responses, all. This will be on a second level bathroom and we would likely remove the horrible tile, do new subfloor if necessary, and put down a waterproof/soundproof barrier. And by we, I mean the contractor we hire, lol. I'm all about DIY but the scope of this bathroom is a bit much!

[dr.girlfriend]

Nov 30, 2020 15:25:03 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Well, we for sure wouldn't put hardwood in our bathroom. So it's LVP or tile. At least those are the only options I've seen.

We have a wood look tile in our daughter's bathroom and we just cannot find one we like for our bathroom.

IDK what look you're going for but I have wood-look tile in our bathroom and really love it.  It's from Floor and Decor if you want the info.

[aspentosh]

Dec 6, 2020 17:19:04 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Nov 30, 2020 15:25:03 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Well, we for sure wouldn't put hardwood in our bathroom. So it's LVP or tile. At least those are the only options I've seen.

We have a wood look tile in our daughter's bathroom and we just cannot find one we like for our bathroom.

IDK what look you're going for but I have wood-look tile in our bathroom and really love it.  It's from Floor and Decor if you want the info.

Ha! I actually have your tile bookmarked already because I have done a ridiculous amount of research on here for recommended (or not, lol) wood look tile and planks. Yours looks SO SIMILAR to my kiddo's bathroom and we love it. But for whatever reason it wasn't at our F&D location to see in person. Are they a true gray color or more beige? 

This is the shower tile we're looking at with hopefully a dark blue accent tile to complement our vanity (below)



We didn't like most beige-undertone tiles with the creamy gray shower tile. But this is the LVP we were looking at which looks just like your tile!

[samanthamkm]

We have Coretec plus xl in Montrose Oak. It comes with a cork backing. We have 2 kids and it's been installed for about 4 years. We have more issues with how it was installed incorrectly than the product itself. We haven't had any issues with spills or scratches. We have it in our mudroom/laundry, kitchen, dining room, and hallway. I love the fact that someone in a wheelchair or similar device can roll through most of my house with no problem.
If you have a leak from the bottom up it can warp the boards though. We had a piece sitting on our carpeted bathroom floor in our basement and the toilet leaked. The carpet was soaked and the lvp we had sitting on the carpet warped. The top isn't damaged just the cork.

[dr.girlfriend]

Dec 7, 2020 8:31:51 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Dec 6, 2020 17:19:04 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

IDK what look you're going for but I have wood-look tile in our bathroom and really love it.  It's from Floor and Decor if you want the info.

Ha! I actually have your tile bookmarked already because I have done a ridiculous amount of research on here for recommended (or not, lol) wood look tile and planks. Yours looks SO SIMILAR to my kiddo's bathroom and we love it. But for whatever reason it wasn't at our F&D location to see in person. Are they a true gray color or more beige? 

This is the shower tile we're looking at with hopefully a dark blue accent tile to complement our vanity (below)
View Attachment
View Attachment

We didn't like most beige-undertone tiles with the creamy gray shower tile. But this is the LVP we were looking at which looks just like your tile!

View Attachment

I think it's got warmer beige undertones, but the marble countertops are definitely a true grey and I think we have a very similar grey tile in our shower and it looks good in combination.  The shower floor is a hex with both creamy and grey tiles so I think that helps tie it together.  Let me see if I can find a view that shows the shower in combination with the floor.

[aspentosh]

dr.girlfriend, thanks for the extra pic! The shower floor tile we picked out is similar but more beige, so maybe it would work out. Though we've toyed with a high end shower pan instead of shower floor tile. But I love your combo. We may just go ahead and buy online and have it sent to our local F&D. Worst case we can return. I really do love it in your bathroom!

[Cappy]

We moved into a house with new LVP and I was prepared to eventually tear it out and replace with tile as an upgrade later. To me, LVP = cheap looking rebranded linoleum. I have to admit after 2 years here I do love it. I wouldn't want it everywhere, but it is perfect for our laundry, guest bath and kids bathrooms. It has a textured grain and realistic color variation that hides all the dirt so well. It's never cold.

[karinothing]

We have it downstairs and I love it. It has been 3 years and still looks like new. Ignore the specks of dirt on the floor.

 

[fryjack2]

We put LVP in our basement. The floor isn't level down there so we feel the floating of it. It hasn't scratched at all with two very active hard playing boys. Water just sits on top of it when they spill stuff. Its been 2.5 years and so far so good.

It is louder when walking on it. A hollow sound if that makes sense. I wouldn't use it on our main living areas because it definitely doesn't look, feel, or sound like real wood. I wanted a cheaper, non carpet option for our basement so we did LVP. We will probably replace it with something undetermined when we redo the basement in a couple years.