Before we jump into the pros and cons of luxury vinyl plank flooring, it may help to read our "what is luxury vinyl plank" blog post first. We cover where the majority of vinyl plank flooring is manufactured, the quality to expect, and how to know a good vinyl plank floor from a bad one. Luxury vinyl plank flooring has become a really popular option among homeowners these days. Vinyl plank is designed to resemble hardwood, but it comes in long vinyl planks and is completely waterproof. Luxury Vinyl Plank also comes in a variety of styles. It typically mimics the look of hardwood flooring. Luxury vinyl tile is styled to look like textured stone or clean ceramic tile. With vinyl plank flooring, you can get the look of hardwood or tile without dealing with the real stuff. Kiss annoying maintenance and difficult installations behind. We’ve put together a list of the pro and cons of luxury vinyl flooring so you can decide if this is a good fit for your home.
Vinyl Flooring Information For Home Owners
Choosing a new floor is like picking a dessert from a big menu - there are so many options that it can be hard to decide! But one choice, Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), stands out like chocolate cake in a sea of vegetables. It produces the look of hardwood flooring without the high price, and it's as tough and waterproof as your favorite superhero. The strength of LVP comes from its core. There are two vinyl plank cores that offer waterproof features and a durable construction. There are two main types of luxury vinyl flooring: Stone Polymer Composite (SPC) and Wood Plastic Composite (WPC).
SPC Core
Often regarded as the more durable flooring of the two, the SPC core is primarily composed of limestone and stabilizers, resulting in a rigid structure. This rigidity makes it not only incredibly stable but also resistant to dents and impacts, even in high traffic areas. Vinyl flooring with an SPC core has a dense nature. Imagine a superhero that's solid as a rock. That's the SPC core.
WPC Core
This core type is slightly softer, blending both wood pulp and plastic composites. It offers a bit more cushion and absorbs subfloor imperfections better than its SPC counterpart. The thickness of WPC can also lead to enhanced comfort and warmth underfoot. Think of this one as a superhero with a soft side. WPC is like a mix of wood and plastic, so it feels a bit softer under your feet and can hide tiny bumps on the floor underneath.
LVP Main Highlights
Luxury Vinyl flooring offers a water-resistant feature. Should there be any accidental spills or moisture, it can provide a protective layer. Sheet vinyl used to be the main recommendation for bathrooms or basement flooring. Vinyl plank flooring has come along to offer all the same benefits as sheet vinyl or linoleum but with a better visual and easier installation. When evaluating costs, LVP tends to be more budget-friendly than some traditional wooden floors, which can come with higher initial costs and maintenance. LVP offers a wood-like appearance, and its installation process is often regarded as straightforward. Luxury vinyl flooring is made to mimic a wide range of wood styles in very wide planks. Homeowners can choose any color or style without the need to pay the higher cost of wood flooring. Vinyl floors are made to seek a complete flooring solution. Vinyl planks offer a blend of visual appeal, durability, and resilience against moisture. Whether one prefers the denser feel of SPC or the slight give of WPC, LVP provides options to cater to different preferences.
The Pros:
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100% Moisture Resistant
If you’re looking for flooring for your kitchen or bathroom, then vinyl plank flooring is one of the best options. Vinyl is waterproof and this is a big one for the pros of this flooring type because it's perfect for high moisture spaces. You don't have to worry about water damage. Vinyl will always be the king of spills in the flooring world. -
Low Maintenance
Solid hardwood flooring take a lot of maintenance to keep it looking good. Any flooring that doesn’t require as much maintenance as other flooring options is a win. You do still have to sweep and mop up like any other flooring option out there. However, you don't need to worry about having too much water or moisture on your vinyl tile or vinyl plank as you do for hardwood flooring. -
Save Money with Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Choosing vinyl plank or tile will save you money. On the low end of the spectrum, you can spend as little as 99 cents per square foot. If you shop around you can find a good deal. The installation is possible without hiring a flooring contractor which will also save you money when you install your new flooring. -
Long-Lasting
There's no doubt you want to pick a long-lasting floor. When looking at the pros and cons of luxury vinyl flooring, you’ll notice that this flooring type is extremely durable. Vinyl plank cores contain plasticizers that do not break down over time, making them resistant to damage. However, if any planks get damaged for any reason, then they can be easily removed and replaced. -
Similar Finishes to Hardwood
Most wear layers of today's vinyl plank options consist of acrylic, and that is a very scratch-resistant material. However, the higher-quality luxury vinyl plank and hardwood products have an aluminum oxide finish to protect against high traffic scuffs and dents. The better Shaw Floors' new luxury vinyl lineup of Floorte Pro features aluminum oxide wear layers. You can learn more about Shaw's Floorte Pro here on our blog. -
WPC & SPC Rigid Core Construction
WPC stands for Wood Polymer Core, and SPC stands for Stone Polymer Core. Wood polymer cores are softer floors that absorb noise and foot traffic. WPC is typically known or marketed as soft underfoot and comfortable. SPC cores are more rigid products, so a padded back is recommended to remove any unwanted sound. -
Floating Installation
Most people install luxury vinyl plank floors without glue. Using the common click-lock features of LVP allows for an easy do-it-yourself installation. As a general rule, flooring installations that use adhesive to install the vinyl planks or tiles are more likely in a commercial setting, where large spaces are common. Vinyl flooring with a thick wear layer will perform well in the high-traffic spaces.
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The Cons:
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Vinyl Peel & Stick is Difficult to Remove
Some peel and stick or glue-down vinyl flooring is labeled as luxury vinyl plank. It is challenging to remove glued-down vinyl. If for any reason you decide to replace the vinyl flooring with a different option, then it can be hard to remove. We recommend you don’t use glue in the installation process. A big pro to using luxury vinyl is you can float the floor, and it's a relatively simple do-it-yourself job. While glue is usually required for a vinyl flooring install in a commercial space, residential flooring is almost always floated. That is a big deal for a diy project, as floating a vinyl floor is much easier. -
Not the Same as Solid Hardwood
Luxury vinyl flooring has the look of real hardwood flooring, but not necessarily the same feel. Hardwood purists will be able to tell the difference between a vinyl plank floor and solid hardwood floor. Most homeowners are okay with this, but if you feel you need to have solid hardwood flooring, you might be disappointed with this option. -
WPC & SPC Construction
The biggest con of WPC flooring is that it soft and susceptible to dents. WPC stands for wood composite core. A WPC core contains a foam core consisting of wood particles mixed with hardened plastics. This foam core is comfortable to walk on. The SPC core is rock-solid due to its limestone and hardened plastics core. A limestone base creates a more dense core resistant to dents and scratches. We recommend selecting a padded back version of SPC flooring to prevent unwanted noise and a softer feel underfoot. -
Chinese Manufacturing
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Flooring Influnces Home Value
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The New Engineered Vinyl Plank Flooring
This new type of vinyl floor has a vinyl core surrounded by an engineered back and a wood veneer or wooden top to the plank. Technically you can call EVP a more water-resistant engineered wood floor because moisture changes won't affect the vinyl core like a layered engineered core. The performance of EVP or engineered vinyl plank probably has a bright future. This pros and cons list does not include this type of technical vinyl plank flooring because it is so new. Bruce's new product Hydropel is an example of this new product.
Pros and Cons of Luxury Vinyl Plank Wrap Up
When looking at the pros and cons of luxury vinyl plank flooring, you can see that the pros outweigh the cons. If you’re looking for an affordable floor for to occupy a high moisture space in your home, then we would choose luxury vinyl plank. It’s up to you to decide what works best for your home. At ReallyCheapFloors.com, we offer a variety of affordable flooring options. Browse our luxury vinyl flooring to get a feel for what you want to install in your home. If you're interested in what we think are the best luxury vinyl plank options out there, check out our Shaw Floor's Floorte Pro or COREtec flooring blogs to see what sets them apart. We break down why it could be of value for you and how to spot the difference from a good vinyl floor like a floorte pro vinyl to a bad one based on its specifications and features. Feel peace of mind and know a flooring disaster is avoided with a waterproof home security flooring feature in luxury vinyl flooring.
From a maintenance angle, vinyl is the easiest flooring on the market today for cleaning. Vinyl floors, when compared to hardwood floors, are known to be virtually maintenance-free.
