Luxury vinyl flooring is the fastest growing segment of the flooring industry, and have been for a few years. And why not? They are extremely durable, look great, and install easily. Oh...and they are relatively inexpensive. So how does one go about selecting an LVP floor? Should you pick the one you find most attractive? Or the cheapest one? Or maybe one that has a flashy marketing name like LifeProof?
What Is LifeProof Vinyl Flooring?
LifeProof vinyl plank flooring is a marketing name that Home Depot came up with. That program includes hundreds of different rigid core vinyl planks and tiles. With wear layers from 6 mil (a mil is 1/1000th of an inch) to their heavy 30 mil. And prices that are vary widely. But what does the name LifeProof convey? Quality or value? Both, to the uneducated consumer. But the savvy shoppers tend to dig a little deeper so they can compare apples to apples. Believe me when I say that Home Depot, like all box stores, does not want you to compare apples to apples.
How Is Vinyl Plank Flooring Made?
Most vinyl plank flooring is made in one of 2 ways: SPC, Stone Polymer Core, or WPC, Wood Polymer Core. SPC is a much harder, thinner, and less expensive plank floor. A newbie to the industry, it was introduced a few years ago as a vast improvement over WPC flooring due to it's higher density and better durability. WPC is softer, warmer flooring, but it does dent easily. We no longer offer WPC flooring at ReallyCheapFloors.com except as a special order.
So What Makes One Vinyl PLank FLooring Better Than Another?
Understanding what makes one LVP better than another is fairly easy. Getting that information from the retailer is another story! Retailers that sell junky offerings do not want you to know that they are selling you a junky product!
All LVP floors have different specifications. Overall thickness, width, length, type of attached underlayment, and the big one, wear layer thickness.
Vinyl Flooring Wearlayer Thickness and Why It Matters
The wearlayer is the clear stuff that you walk on. Just below the wear layer is the visual, which is in fact a photo of a wood or tile and placed on the LVP before the finish is added. Wear layers are typically made from acrylic, and may contain anti-abrasive additives like ceramic beads or aluminum oxide, which help the wear layer to resist abrasive wear.
There are 2 attributes that affect the quality of the wear layer: the additives that I mentioned, and the thickness.
When discussing wear layers, thicker is better. Easy peasy. A 12 mil is better than a 6. A 20 mil is better than a 20. A 28...well, you get the idea. But how much wear layer is enough?
In my opinion, a quality 12 mil is good enough for light residential. My preference for a busy household or light commercial would be a 20 mil. The new 28 or 30 mil floors are kinda overkill, but some people want them.
And if I am being completely honest, if 2 floors were made the exact same, with quality construction, and one had a 12 mil wearlayer and the other a 6, I would consider buying the 6 if it were sold at a bargain. Acrylic is tough, and it will take a long time for some households to wer out a 6 mil.
But the problem is that no 6 or 8 mil LVP is made with the higher quality components like the 20 mil and some 12s are.
Think about it....why would a company offer a 6 mil? So they can sell it cheaper than their competitors. Ok...do you honestly think that is the only component of the flooring that they will go cheap on? Of course not. They will cut every corner they can to get that price down, leaving an unsuspecting consumer with a floor that not only wears poorly, but is extremely susceptible to warping and bowing when installed in direct sunlight, or in conditions that have swings of relative humidity.
The Layers Of Plank Flooring
The quality and stability of a luxury vinyl plank depend on the layers of the core. Thicker SPC floors have more layers than thinner ones. Those extra layers are referred to as balancing layers, and they are necessary for stability. Without those extra layers, the floor will warp and twist when it meets conditions that are not ideal, such as the presence of water. 6 mil floors are neither waterproof nor water resistant. No 6 or 8 mil floor includes a balancing layer. In addition, most of these floors will exclude warping from being warranted. Bet you didn't know that!
LifeProof Vinyl Plank Is Sold As 6. 12, 20, or 30 mil Products
LifeProof vinyl Planks are available in several different qualities. Their 20 and 30 mil SPCs are wonderful products. They just cost too darn much! Most of their 20 or 22 mil offerings are well over $3 a square foot, with an occasional special offered at $2.99 sqft. At ReallyCheapFloors, we offer our 20 mil PineLog Classic Pro SPC products for almost half the price of theirs, and ours are made in the USA!
The cheapest LifeProof 12 mil is sold today at $2.88 sq ft. All of our 12 mil TrackRock Classic floors are less than half that price at $1.39 sqft. First quality, great colors, and made in the USA.
LifeProof Means What?
As you can see the name LifeProof is great at making you feel good about their products. Does it make them worth twice as much as better made products that are made in the USA? Yeah...I don't think so either. As the consumer you have a choice in the quality of the vinyl plank flooring that you buy for your home, whether it is LifeProof vinyl flooring or a product from another retailer. It is important that you get quality vinyl or hardwood flooring that will not only make you happy today, but for many years to come. And while our name assures you that we want to save you money, the words from our mouth (or keyboard) assure you that we want to help you buy a quality piece of flooring. Read our reviews, and give us a call. We would love to help you with the purchase of your next flooring for your home.
When you install LifeProof flooring, you’ll never have to worry about your house smelling like the PVC aisle at Home Depot. This flooring is certified low-VOC, meaning you won’t get as many of those odorous compounds floating around in your air. You and your family also won’t be breathing as many of them in, which can be healthier, especially for people with allergies and asthma.
If you’d like to learn more about LifeProof flooring, check out the rest of our site at Really Cheap Floors. We provide amazing hardwood flooring products and great service at a price you can afford. Shop our luxury vinyl plank options today and discover inexpensive flooring options that will make you happy for years to come.
