The winning LVP flooring in this video is no longer available from the supplier. Here is a link to a similar LVP product👇🏼 simply-surfaces.comI recently installed and loved Watch this tutorial to learn how I installed it 👉🏼 ua-cam.com/video/waCiOUOaR_A/v-deo.html
Just finishing up my third room with Home Depot Lifeproof 7mm. Installed the flooring directly onto the concrete stab in all three rooms. I'm in CA so I am not sure what works in different parts of the county. As long as the floor is flat there is no need for padding underneath the flooring. In fact I prefer it because with padding it makes the floor sound clickie. Straight on to the concrete slab is quiet and there is still some cushion in the flooring. It also already has the vapor barrier built into it. 1st room was 5 years ago, lots of traffic, no issues whatsoever, still looks great. 2nd room was 2 years ago, again no issues whatsoever either. Right now at HD is $65 for 20 square feet, $3.25 per square foot.
Good review. LVP Floor notes: Big box stores generally = lower quality & lower spec products. Research before you buy. Visit flooring stores. You will see a difference in range & specifications. Decorner flooring you noted looks acceptable but specs on website less complete Vs. others. Karndean flooring is my first choice for LVP. Have purchased & installed before & will again. Part of any design choice should start with what do you want to see, and how do you want to see it. The Karndean Korlok plank uses photograph quality floor images, micro wood grain surface texture, .55mm top wear layer, 6.5mm thick with padded base, no underlay needed. Basement concrete floors are of course a different beast, subfloor separation away from concrete, often essential. (20 mils>mm = 0.508 mm)
The flooring in this video is still out of stock. I am actively researching and testing out new flooring options and will be filming an updated video soon. Edited: I've added a link to a comparable product from Home Depot in the video description. In the meantime, I will do a UA-cam LIVE to answer your flooring questions, throw them in here. Cheers!
@Jeff, can you please repost the original company that sold the flooring? I bought a ton last year and I need to find my receipt for tax purposes. Thanks!
I've slowly gathered all the necessary knowledge from all these videos to make my house look amazing and last. This may be just the fine details but the only thing I need now is a house.
We put down engineered hardwood in a living room/dining room area some years ago. With 3 kids and 2 dogs, it was scratched and dented in under 6 months, and it was time to hit the redo button. We went with Mannington vinyl plank flooring (and, no, I don't work for the company). It looks (almost) like real wood with the grain and all. Fast forward 4 years, and it looks like we put it down yesterday. (And, yes, those darned 3 kids, all their friends, and the dogs are still in the house.) Nothing lasts forever, but I'm favorably impressed. Tip #1 for those who decide to use wood grained vinyl plank: Each box will have a differing variety of faux wood grains. However, the patterns do repeat. Keep an eye on mixing them up as you lay them down so you don't end up with the same patterns next to each other. Tip #2: If you're covering a relatively large area (and are buying a correspondingly large number of cases of plank), it is possible that the die lots will vary from case to case. Open up several boxes and mix up the planks from them as you go. Otherwise, you could end up with a bunch of slightly lighter ones in one area of the room and a grouping of slightly darker ones in another section.
Listen to the man! I bought the cheap stuff and installed it in my basement in the summer, the locking did not hold and the floor pulled itself apart the following cold winter.
I'm not sure if it was actually mentioned, but WPC and SPC stand for wood-plastic composite and stone-plastic composite, respectively. WPC is supposed to have a slightly more cushioned feel when walking on it, which also makes footsteps quieter. SPC is generally thinner and often more expensive than WPC, and it is marketed as having better impact resistance.
I was starting my career as a florring contractor back in the day. You are an amazing explainer. We used the cheap stuff in apts. The good stuff went into houses. We included padding in the price. We wouldnt install unless it was done correctly. And I am not a big fan of the hd or lowes vinyl. I preferred pergo or armstrong.
You can get Pergo at Lowes now. $4.29 a square foot for their higher end waterproof, mold resistant 20+ mil wear layer and built in padding. I haven’t tried their cheaper stuff but there are tons of options just that brand alone. Quick story, I went to a local high end flooring store on a previous remodel last year and spent a little more per square foot ($4.79) for “luxury” vinyl but really cant see any extra quality or Value, expect for ease of installation. The tabs were extremely tough so if you aren’t used to installing it, it’s very forgiving as they resists breaking off, even in tight places or from a pull bar. The brand was Mannington I believe, it shows every little scratch (was a darker color to be fair) and was identical in every other way that matters (thickness, padding, wear layers durability etc.) The Pergo seems like a better deal overall because the buyer doesn’t care how easy it was to put down and it’s your own fault if you damage a ton of material putting it down lol. I don’t care for how the Pergo connects as much during install personally as it doesn’t lay down as nicely as it connects. With other stuff, you could tell for sure if the boards were 100% connected properly (I may have ocd with things like that, but I’m not the only one by far) but for the money I’m just using the Pergo going forward. Plus I think more people have heard of the Pergo brand name if you’re flipping a house or plan to sell in the near future. Anyway, fun reading all the points of view and opinions. Cheers! 🍻🍻🍻
Im looking for a flooring for my kitchen..i have a cat that has plenty of pee problems also.....perfers the floor than litterbox, very frustating...Thank you for your post...
I have been in the professional flooring business since 1985. The best residential flooring hands down is an Armstrong 'Inlaid' sheet vinyl floor. It is expensive and needs to be installed by a professional. Only available at certain dealers but will outlast any LVP or laminate floor hands down. Will not tear, color goes all the way through.
Armstrong makes good stuff, they have been around forever it seems. In your pro opinion, if you wanted to do a DIY install vs. having a professional, what brand of lux vinyl flooring would you recommend after the Armstrong? Also if you have any opinion on Laminate or Engineered Hardwood. Not sure where you are from but here in NJ I went to a place called Lumber Liquidators almost a decade ago and bought 12mm Laminate flooring from a brand called Manatee Hills or something in a beautiful mahogany finish. It has held up (so far) extremely well in my townhome even with a slight uneven concrete slab (despite our feeble DIY attempts to self-level the low spots LOL). Thank you for your valued insight!
I'm surprised you didn't mention the difference between WPC and SPC. As I've researched it, WPC (wood pulp core) is a mixture of sawdust and plastic to form the thick central core. It's good stuff and works well, but it will dent if you bang it. SPC (stone pulp core) is basically constructed the same, but has sand mixed with the plastic. Sand is cheaper than sawdust, so the product is usually a bit less expensive. It also will not dent. I've pounded on it with a hammer and can't leave a mark on it. I've put down several floors over the years as the products have evolved. SPC plank is by far the best way to go.
My wife and I have been shopping for LVP and haven't even seen WPC or SPC listed.. I need to go back and check on that with the products we are targeting. Thanks for that information.
Great demo brother..everything you said is so true..ive laid flooring for years and learned so much with newer labels newer products but the protection layer and costs should always come hand in hand whenever installing something were all walking on..you get what you pay for and dont get fooled ..alot of trickery in pricing always ask someone who knows amd go from there..great job again
Wild. I went with a 4mm HD “cheap” floor five years ago in a three season sunroom that gets tons of traffic and sees wild variations in temperature and humidity. It’s been flawless. No separation of the locking joints and it still looks brand new.
Hi Jeff, Thanks for bringing the "wear layer" to our attention. I wanted to supplement this video by mentioning that manufacturers disclose this by using the measurement "mils" - which is a measure of vinyl thickness. A mil is 0.0254 mm which is 1/1000 of an inch. I have seen product for sale on the thin side of 3 mil and the thickest I found was 30 mil. Everyone should definitely be looking for these numbers to see how thick their wear layer is. A cheap plastic trash bag is 1.7 mil thick ... so be careful ...
IT's mostly meaningless unless you have big dogs or small kids. Sell a million feet of this stuff a year. 12-20 mils is good enough. 20 is commercial grade. 8-6 and below is trash.
My son in law & dtr bought a home, the floor was already there, the wear layer scratches with the light bit of friction, they will be replacing it, the home is only 1 year old & floor looks awful
@@darleneprice1711 And this is what happens when builders cut corners by having cheaper flooring installed. Same thing thing happens with "builder grade" carpeting. You usually gotta upgrade sooner rather than later.
Same boat here! Closing on the 18th. So many plans but doing these vinyl plank floors is definitely on the top of the list. Along with painting and replacing baseboards and crown molding. Home Renovisions has excellent videos on all of it and makes it feel like I can definitely tackle it all myself!
I am a flooring department manager at one of the big box stores. I liked this video and a lot of what you said is exactly what I tell customers. Especially the wear layer part. That said, it's hard to find a plank without an attached pad now. Also, I would never sell a plank that was under 5mm. I agree with your comments on price point as well. One thing I don't agree with is needing an underlayment pad. All the manufacturers specs and warranties state that additional underlay isn't required if it is attached. One thing I hate though is the fact that most brands require their brand of underlay or your warranty is void. So yeah maybe a cheaper product is fine but what if you have that one in a million situation where you need the warranty protection. But all in all, loved the video but I think some of our differences are differences between the salesman and the installer.
Yep. Installing an underpad when the plank has an attached pad can also void the warranty as it has the potential to allow too much flexion putting strain on the joints and premature failure. I was surprised to hear him recommend this.
I'm really glad you appeared on my phone one day. You are so easy to understand and your voice & tone are so pleasant to listen to. You answer all my questions before I even ask, Very thorough. Thank you for all the time and energy you put into these videos for all of us. I really appreciate it.
My contractor went shopping with me when we were picking out our laminate floor and he had us go with the pergo higher end floor with a lifetime warranty. That was five year's ago and our floor still looks brand new. I'm glad he took the time to go with me because my husband wanted to buy the cheapest floor out there.
I've learned that sometimes it's best to put the money out, in the first place! Instead of putting in the cheap stuff, and then spending the money for the good stuff, it can save you money 💵.
I bought the cheapest tile, because it was on sale, but 20 years later it's got cracks, chips and the grout looks terrible - so maybe I'll lay something over it.
I know you aren't an expert on everything but you relate pretty well to the average person. In conjunction with others I use your channel to help me with almost everything on my house whenever I question my abilities on any particular task. Then I call my father who is a Civil Engineer and has renovated many of his own homes throughout the years. The engineer's mind is a wondrous thing. You don't always have to do things by the book. And often times, as long as you actually know what you are doing, there's better and more affordable but still sound ways to do things. I don't know your background professionally outside of this channel, but your suggestions usually jive with my father and that's a compliment considering he's an accomplished building engineer.
Shopping for vinyl has been overwhelming and of course the staff at HD just trying to push you on the most expensive so this video has been super helpful in understanding what we need to look for so we can make a great choice. Thank you!
At HD the staff wants to help you I'm certain; however, they don't get paid a lot. I'm certain they are selfless and wish to benefit the customer, but some depts. seem to incentivize them - some of them might try to sell you more costly materials. Just do your due diligence and spend some time checking out materials. You may get a lot that's limited in size, but it's marked down to close it our OR there may be a promotion or sale that gets you into better choices.
Use Lifeproof. I’ve installed @ 100k feet, in less than ideal conditions, without a single issue. Never had an unhappy customer. A contractor that knows the difference between Lifeproof and the cheaper options will charge you a justified surface prep, just to hopefully get your surface within tolerances that the cheaper alternatives require for a successful installation. Then be ready for “installer error/ end user neglect” accusations from the manufacturer when the cheap option fails. Keyword: LVP failures. Most times the manufacturer will provide more junk floor to replace the previous failure, but their instructions are getting exceedingly difficult and EXPENSIVE to follow, as to limit their liability for making a finicky, faulty product
That was an interesting and informative comparison. I’m certain most people shop by color/design on the same day. The lack of planning helps those big box stores. I have seen people use this flooring on walls. Durable, wipeable, not a bad deal.
My husband just finished a remodel, when installing the floors they had insisted no underlayment needed. So to be safe he made them sign a waver naming them responsible for the install specs. I thought he was over reacting. They"ll both be interested in this video. Go to your local building supply, big box doesn't even know there own products. Great video
I ordered all of my flooring through Calibamboo after a lot of research. 20mil wear layer, 50 year residential warranty, free delivery to my door by freight, heavy product. I payed a little over $3.00 per sq/ft with transition strips, under layment, stair treads, and 1500 sq/ft of flooring.
We just ordered samples from Cali Bamboo, quality seams excellent! We really wanted 20mil wear layer and found out the box store brands only go up to I believe 9mil, so we started searching elsewhere and came across Cali Bamboo! Their customer service is outstanding also!
As someone who has the original Life proof, low end vinyl planking flooring for 17 years now, it wears amazing. Unless you're dragging heavy machinery over it, you will never go through your wear layer.
Thank you. Also, from what I’ve read, the manufacturer voids warranty if under pad is used on planks that come with underpads. I think I’ll follow manufacturer’s recommendation on use of underpad (following the science)
For those looking for the top wear layer its called the 'MIL' layer. With the MIL layer there's a number associated with it (MIL 6 -20). The higher the number of the MIL Layer the better or 'thicker' the layer. This is the most important layer for wear. Most packages will list the MIL layer but some do not and in those cases do your research before purchase. You need to google that exact make/model for the MIL layer #. If you go to a big box store and it's not on the package chances are its a low MIL # 6-8. IMO any MIL that's lower than an 8 can expect to wear quicker. Anything that's above a 12 MIL can expect to last longer. Vinyl flooring MIL numbers can go as high as 20 MIL and may go higher. Also IMO with pets you're going to want a higher MIL #.
The room I want to add flooring to has tile. Do I need to remove the tile? Size of room is 19.1 X 11.9 Don't have much money right now Should I just put down a piece of carpeting for the time being, and save up for $ 3.50 vinyl and sub flooring or hardwood flooring?
@@pattyespinoza8902 Patty, I tore up the carpet. Put down the top of the line SHAW FLOORING - that was Dec 2019Before six months was up the edges that overlap were tearing up I’m in a wheelchair and I can remember rolling backwards a few inches --“CRACK” Another piece of overlap to the ‘fancy’ flooring broken off NEVER GET THIS STUFF or ANYTHING LIKE IT I paid $2,600 for 25x25’ square great room - that was JUST THE FLOORING!!!!! (Add cost of baseboards, paint, Labor, etc ...) Please if you have tile, Sri I with it. Look on line for large rugs if you like - tile is the best. (Unless it’s broken and ...) Then RETILE. NEVER EVER BUY THIS VYNAL- And it needs doing alllllll over again!!!! It’s the biggest waste of money ❗️😢
It is called the "wear layer." "Mil" is a measurement of thickness - .001 inch. So, for example, "20 mils" means 20 thousandths of an inch (or 2 hundredths of an inch), 6 mils is 6 thousandths of an inch.
Wear layers go as hi as 28-30 now. Wear llayer isn't everything either. Some manufacturers have a coating on top the wear layer that make it more resistant to scratches like the Novalis brand 👍.
After just watched only one of your drywall videos, you became my new lover! My husband is renovating our basement and I told him I will do our drywall just like Jeff!
Amazing video, Love the help! Just sucks that the prices mentioned in the video do not reflect on your website. I called and Flooring is at $4.69sqft and underlayment is $0.79sqft!
Thank you so much!!!! In escrow for my third home, but the only one we will have to get the floors completed done before moving in. This video took me from hopelessly vulnerable to more knowledgeable and confident. I will definitely be watching more of your videos to educate myself. Also thank you for being honest about the products.
I liked the video. I did my floor wrong but I'm not fixing it. It was a response to bed bugs, no underlayment. 600 sq ft, 7 doorways and no thresholds. It's one circular unit and I'm real proud of it!
Hi Jeff, you have blessed me so much. I practically just come to your channel to search for info; the how , the why and the why not before taking up any project and have been so successful at them. Thank you so much for all that you put into this to make life easy for a lot of us out there.
I work at a local flooring store here in Lancaster PA USA. We sell and install all types of flooring. The install is just as important as the product. Make sure your seller has someone you can call for advice on the DIY projects. And big box stores aren’t always the least expensive. Check out the local family owned flooring stores. Sometimes you can get an awesome deal and great information.
THIS! We are working on our basement and we've tried to find some locally owned wholesale places for our materials. Especially this year, we've taken a bit more time to support local AND it's saved us some money in the process. We have a smaller flooring manufacturer local to us and we are using the criteria from Jeff to verify the quality of product and if it passes we will be buying it. Supporting local doesn't always have to be expensive.
I'd love to support local stores, however here in California I went to all these local stores named floor depot, wholesale floor, etc, for the same quality product they are still more expensive than big box store (after coupon and gift card discount of course). Sad..
Even though this video is 3 years old, it's still helpful. Five years ago, I got samples from Lowes and Home Depot and after additional research, I also bought samples directly from Flooret. The quality difference with Flooret was significant, and I love that their planks are 9" wide. I installed Flooret in my kitchen, bathroom and front foyer in 2019. We have a big dog with long nails. The flooring has held up beautifully. I just installed Flooret in the family TV room that is beside the kitchen. You can't tell a difference between the 5 year old flooring and the brand new flooring. Happy camper here.
I have a floor and decor near me and that’s where I have been looking!! They have an underpad for $0.50 a sqft that is actually demonstrated at the store and works perfect
For you Michiganders, there's a Floor & Decor store in Macomb County, in Shelby Township on Hall Rd. Not only floor products, but also kitchen and bathroom tiles. Haven't been there yet, but gotta go, and Jeff is giving it a heads up for at least their underlayment rather than using Home Depot underlayment crap. Happy shopping.
These types of videos are gold. I'm gonna redo my kitchen and finish my basement soon and this knowledge takes all of the confusion and decision fatigue out of a rather large purchase. Looking forward to supporting your channel soon!
I’m in the process of buying my first home and have been doing tons of research before I tackle any DIY projects. I’m very happy to have found your channel. Your knowledge and way of explaining the fine details is perfect! I can’t wait to have you help me on all my projects 😉
You have too ! I built this house 6 years ago, the laminate was a gorgeous cherry hue, the joints any where near any moisture are swelling..no more " moisture resistant", get water proof
You are so appreciated --your knowledge,experience, delivery style/presentation, personality, skills, sincerity AND sense. of humor! Because of you I'm less of a sap at the home stores. Thank you, sincerely!
I put vinyl flooring in my three season sunroom two years ago, to replace indoor/outdoor carpet I hated. I was very concerned about expansion and contraction. That room goes from -30C to +35C over the seasons. I don’t remember the manufacturer or the specs but I paid more for a premium quality. It was fairly heavy with a decent thickness wear layer and a good underlay layer. I got it from End of the Roll. It installed easily. Two years later, I just couldn’t be happier. It’s tough, looks fantastic, doesn’t move, it’s pretty much waterproof, and the cost was very affordable compared to any other options other than more carpet. I’m so happy with it that I’m now considering using it to replace the floors inside the house.
Similar experience. Four years ago, before I knew that manufacturers did not recommend LVF for unheated areas, I installed LVF in my unheated front porch (12 X 14). Temperatures fluctuate dramatically, about the same as yours. Four years later, product looks great and has performed with no issues.
100% hands down the most easy to understand information about vinyl flooring I've found. I couldn't appreciate the attention to detail more! Keep going, I've got a whole house to do!
Couple correction. All these manufacturers have a substrate moisture restrictions. So these product can not be installed under warranty if the relative moisture content is to high regardless if the flooring itself is "water proof". The reason for this is trapping moisture can lead to standing water that can find its way into baseboards walls and studs witch can make for structural damage. There is also concern that in the presence of moisture you can have different types of mold growth including black mold. #2 Any Lvt ( luxury vynal tile) that is sold with pad attached can not be installed over additional pad. Doing so will cause structural support issues. Meaning that the material will flex to much causing damage to the tongue and groove systems over time.
Gotta be careful with the underpad with the Lifeproof (Home Depot) flooring though! The warranty specifically says no underpad, or only allows you to use the QuicPrep underlayment. Any other pad will void the lifetime warranty on it.
Or go to a local flooring store that has been in business for 25 years. The owner has 45 years in flooring and hires installers who are qualified, insured along with the helpers.
I purchased what I think was the same one you discarded with the underlayment attached from Lowes...(Smartcore) That product does not require an underlayment per the manufacturer, just a 6mil vapor barrier, which cost about $40 for the entire house... I've had it in for two years now with no issues.... I did have to learn about using wood composites with an earlier project...never again!! But as of now the Lowes product with the attached underlayment works great.... the underlayment gives a little give over the concrete slab... just like you described with a separate underlayment, making it comfortable to walk on..with no crunch 🙂.(incidentally they have two grades of that product, both got GREAT reviews everywhere else)... and the vapor barrier also has no issues....
Thank you! I'm shopping (and educating myself) right now for my first ever vinyl plank floor. I plan to do entire house (minus two bathrooms that were recently tiled) so I only have ONE chance to get this right! I need to figure out what to buy and how much chicken and rice I need to eat to make it happen! LOL! Love your style! Fun video, but also very helpful!
The lifeproof vinyl planks they stock in the Home Depot stores have a thin 6mil wear layer. But you can special order lifeproof with a 22mil wear layer in most of the same styles for $.50-.60 more a square foot.
Anyone buying a more grey color please buy the smoother ones, maybe called bamboo. I bought the kind with grooves and yes it maybe helpful in imitating wood but please be advised the grain is super hard to get clean. Dirt just seems to be attracted to this floor..
I have the life proof flooring without a pad underneath and it's been great. My kids have put it through hell as well. I put down a diffrent one a year ago and it's coming apart already. Life proof works
NEVER USE UNDERLAYMENT with LVP flooring. The additional cushioning will cause the joint to buckle. I have installed over 10k square feet of LifeProof and never use an underlayment. In six years of installing I have never had one call back because of the sound of dirt 😂. Also be sure to acclimate the materials for at least two days before installing.
? For you. I'm installing in basement w/ linoleum floor. Mostly level with the exception of one spot that has a trough. Would self leveling compound work or should I not even bother?
@@WildKnight23 thank you! And do you recommend underlayment for waterproofed basement? (Concrete subfloor partially covered by linoleum) If so any specific kind?
@@bmack2204 Your welcome B Mack. I don’t recommend underlayment even if it is sub-level. LVP is water proof that contains no MDF so it’s not susceptible to water damage. However, if I was going to use one in this instance, I would use an organic water-proofing agent such as Red Guard. Be sure to use a quality LVP such as LifeProof.
This guy is a wealth of knowledge….and he’s genuine to the point of wanting to help all of us newbie-DIYer’s. However, he need to slow down and breath. He get’s talking (and moving) so fast, he wears himself out, and get’s himself tong-tie’s constantly.
Floor & Decor is a great store. I work for Shaw, so I went with their vinyl flooring in my new house (I get it at cost), but for everything else, I went to F&D. Couldn't recommend it more highly.
My home and entire neighborhood recently had a sewer back up because of city negligence and I thought it best to pull up the non padded carpeting in my basement. The original tile floor is still intact. Question, can I put the vinyl plank flooring right on top of the old tile or should I put down some sort of under lay under the planks?
Because using an additional underpayment will cause it to separate from the cushion that it provides. It will void the warranty on any click locking vinyl product. The one mentioned in this video does not say that it is warrantied for use under vinyl, so contact the supplier to find out if it is or not.
I have a 50 year old house and the floors bow in the living room. I went through a month of research and bought Coretec 9 x 72 planks. When they go together properly, they don't sit flat at first, They only sit flat after being tapped home. And yes, I had a soft spot in the center of the room. But, I also have a 300 lb reclining couch. Put it right on the soft spot and problem solved. The coretec is 10 mm, 8 mm for the core and wear layers, and 2 mm padding. The manufacturer will also void the warranty if you use padding. Be careful on that regard. As to how to test the resiliency, scratch it with your keys. I couldn't make a mark on it at all, even bearing down on it! 3 years old now. $5.25 per foot.
3 years ago I needed a floor for a 3 season tiny house here in Ontario. I researched the big box store floor options where I discovered nobody warrants vinyl flooring in freezing temperatures. So I grabbed all my samples took them home wrote down the dimensions and then stuck them in my freezer at 18C for 48 hours. I then remeasured and found lifeproof shrunk the least. So I went with lifeproof and have not regretted it. Non of the seams have popped and when I went in the winter it hadn’t shrunk so much that the edges were exposed from under the baseboards. It was very easy to install despite some of the reviews. I did install with out an underlay (unless you count the green indoor outdoor carpet under it) however if I was to do it in my basement I would put an underlay. Maybe now I will check out your recommended product. P.s. I would like to see comparisons for shower pan options for diy!
I had picked up a couple of different samples of the laminate planks at my local Menards before I saw this video. After watching the video I took another look at the samples one was 5mm and the other was 4mm. Interestingly I noticed that the 4mm samples were bowed upward between the locking joints so that each piece would flex downward in the center putting stress on the locking joints. The two 5mm samples lay flat with no deflection in the center. Really appreciated you pointing that out.
I've been installing the stuff for 20+ years. I never recommend click-vinyl plank, always the glue down or the new loose-lay stuff. You want to be able to replace one if it gets scratched, and it's easy with the regular stuff...not so much with click. Also I've seen the click stuff fail often if it's in the sun.
I agree. Except- the substrate needs to generally be perfect concrete, or subfloor. More expensive, and involved- but repairable into the future.(you can replace and interlocking plank. But. * )
Well, about 8 years ago, my drainage system outside the basement wall failed, causing soaked drywall, etc. Along that, the carpet that was installed on top of concrete slab was also ruined. So, after everything was fixed, I removed the carpeting and the padding under it. And installed ALLURE vinyl flooring. Allure is a little bit different that some other that I saw in that it has about an Inch of sticky strip on two sides and the other two sides kind of over hang that much of the top layer. So that when you put two sides together, the overhanging part sits on top of the sticky GRIP-STRIP (as they call it) and in about thirty minutes the seal is permanent. To make the long story short, from the day I installed 8-years ago, till today, the floor has been rock solid. not one seam came off. Makes me happy.
funny enough under another video (in comments) you said that LVP with 1mm pad does not require additional/separate padding. Manufacturer is also against it.
We have Floor and Decor in Salt Lake I love the store too! I bought tile there 4 years ago and just went back and they had the same product. I send all my friends there when they need something.
I work in the flooring industry (on the engineering side, not the installation side) and there is a lot of very poor information in this video. The part about the wear layer was particularly bad. You can't see the wear layer by looking at the edge of the plank because it's too thin, and it is also transparent. The wear layer is measured in thousanths of an inch, or 'mil', and it consists of a very hard substance, usually aluminum oxide, and a binding agent, usually some sort of UV cured polyurethane. You can't just look at a plank and tell how thick the wear layer is. The layers that you see in the video are not the wear layer, they are just a result of the heterogeneous construction of the plank. To find out how thick the wear layer is, you have to read the product specs. It commonly ranges from 8mil up to around 25mil, depending on the particular product and the price you're willing to pay. Often, the same product will be available in several different wear layer thicknesses, and they will all look identical when viewed from the edge. For domestic use, 12mil is usually more than adequate, and even 8mil will last a long time in low traffic areas. The most common reason for wear layer breakdown in a domestic setting is not foot traffic, but careless movement of heavy furniture.
I appreciate your input and disclosure of credentials; however, as someone who has worked with "old work" regularly, what is visible to laborer is notable and a definite reference point. I have no problem with him pointing this out. Yes, specs will be taken into consideration as well when purchasing. TYVM
@@nancyglynn2719 What I was pointing out was the fact that the layer of the plank he was pointing to was not the wear layer. The wear layer is essentially invisible to the naked eye. He may know how to install flooring, but he doesn't know what he is talking about when it comes to the construction of the plank itself.
@@thepenultimateninja5797 I appreciate this point. The wear layer is sometimes visible if you look very closely, but it's just about the thickness of paper - not very apparent.
Thanks for the information. They never talk about hardness, just thickness. Is there a lot of variation in the chemistry of the wear layer that affects this aspect? I figure the concentration of aluminum oxide can affect this
I’ve nearly bought that hard angle measure tool so many times!!!! I learned a lot and I’m so glad I found your channel. We got so ripped off when we built our house 22 years ago and I’m more than ready to replace it! This is really well-explained. 😊
My aunt is getting vinyl floors and this would be great for her to watch. TY! I am going with Tile floors for my whole house my Mom who’s 90 years old will be living with us and uses a walker and have seen what a walker does to wooden floors and I have 5 dogs so Tiles for me. Great Video 😎
I'm in the HDepot all the time, Picked up a Lifeproof sample. Put it in a container of water in my house... for months! Had to add water because some would evaporate. It never deteriorated. Why would I do that? I see tons of rental properties with cheap flooring that have major damage from water issues, because the tenants don't care something is leaking, and you may not find out till it's too late. So that may be a consideration for some also. I think I'll leave a piece outside next:)
Hi Jeff, been watching a lot of your videos, you can always make things sound so much easier to understand. I'm building a custom home, so need 2500sqft flooring, which I'm going to talk to my builder to order directly from your website. Thank you for all you do, learned so much as well, appreciate it
I'm a maintenance manager who occasionally has to do renovations & find all of your videos very informative. They have given me many great ideas. I commented you. Thank you. Keep up the good work. 👏👏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Great info as always. I'm glad you mentioned Floor and Decor. Thats my goto spot here in Houston. I could stay in there all day with all the products they have.
Flooring measure guy for box store here. Seen thousands of floors and here is my opinion... LVP - Pros: affordable great product, practical and durable, easiest DIY flooring Cons: can't stand the feel and looks like plastic LAMINATE- Pros: affordable and looks/feels better than LVP. Ok for low moisture rooms in newer homes with flat floors Cons: worst durability some carpet lasts longer lol. If floors are uneven or ANY standing water will fall apart. The edges will guaranteed start to peel and de-laminate over a decade TILE (Ceramic/Porcelain) - Pros: best flooring for foyer/bathroom. Can last forever if over concrete or PROPERLY installed over wood subfloor, can make creative patterns Cons: alot of labor, cleaning grout, cold and hard, if installed over wood subfloor must have proper structure and installation technique or won't last. Sheet Vinyl (aka linoleum) - Pros: cheap and durable, waterproof, good for bathrooms make sure you caulk around the tub especially if you have particleboard subfloor. Cons:not a premium product, people think it's dated. Hard to DIY Engineered Wood- Pros: looks beautiful and is much cheaper than solid wood. Comes in click lock easy DIY install Cons:scratches easily and cannot be refinished. Not good for house with kids or large dogs Solid Wood - Pros:looks beautiful and can last over 100 years. Adds a solid feel but not as hard on feet and knees as tile Cons:high maintenance, expensive, potential squeaks, adding a 3/4" thick floor to an existing house can be a bit tricky with the added thickness. If you have a particleboard substrate it won't hold the flooring nails CARPET - Back in the 80s-90s carpet was much better quality (nylon). 90% of people these days buy polyester carpet because nylon is double the cost. I'd avoid a solid light color carpet in favor of a dark multi color to hide the stains. Personally this is the one flooring I would buy cheaper. For most people expensive carpet is not worth it unless you have no kids and pets and you just built or bought your dream home.
Jeff I love your opinions ," this stuff wears better than hardwood, yeah I said it " I alsways appreciate your knowledge and presentations, always so thorough. You tell it straight. And you do the Lowes / Homepot comparison for us homeowners. " Good and garbage"..LOL The recommendations in this video are priceless, Thank you !!!!
I was thrilled to finally having found the kind of review video that I was looking for. Liked the way it was presented. The result, though, was that I felt so disillusioned and discouraged about vinyl flooring that I ended up going back to tile flooring. 😥
@@danejerustv If you have a deviation of an 1/8” or more across two flooring boards you shouldn’t be installing flooring on it. There is additional prep work to be done to the floor prior to floor installation. I know he was trying to show a worst case.
I went to Home Depot to look at the vinyl flooring and I don’t recall how thick it was but I swear I grabbed the corner of a plank and snapped it right off lmao oops. Went to floor & decor (somehow I only recently discovered them) and man the difference in quality was night and day. The amazing part is that the price difference isn’t even that significant.
I tryed more than 10 in my local shop and best to me seemed the one with lowest price. Rock solid joint, when locked does not come of, its hard does not bend easy. I purchased it :). Price was 15$/m2. Price is in american dollars :) first timer here
We have redone several homes...we used a thicker mm for wear with good under-pad. I like the sound absorption.It's quieter. It's worth the extra cost for the final result to last. Really liked your video.
The winning LVP flooring in this video is no longer available from the supplier. Here is a link to a similar LVP product👇🏼
simply-surfaces.comI recently installed and loved
Watch this tutorial to learn how I installed it 👉🏼 ua-cam.com/video/waCiOUOaR_A/v-deo.html
Precisely why big box stores are the smarter long term choice
This other place only sell in the US
You said to stay away from away under 5mm. This product is only 4mm; 5mm if you include the underlayment :/
Just finishing up my third room with Home Depot Lifeproof 7mm. Installed the flooring directly onto the concrete stab in all three rooms. I'm in CA so I am not sure what works in different parts of the county. As long as the floor is flat there is no need for padding underneath the flooring. In fact I prefer it because with padding it makes the floor sound clickie. Straight on to the concrete slab is quiet and there is still some cushion in the flooring. It also already has the vapor barrier built into it. 1st room was 5 years ago, lots of traffic, no issues whatsoever, still looks great. 2nd room was 2 years ago, again no issues whatsoever either. Right now at HD is $65 for 20 square feet, $3.25 per square foot.
Good review. LVP Floor notes: Big box stores generally = lower quality & lower spec products. Research before you buy. Visit flooring stores. You will see a difference in range & specifications. Decorner flooring you noted looks acceptable but specs on website less complete Vs. others.
Karndean flooring is my first choice for LVP. Have purchased & installed before & will again. Part of any design choice should start with what do you want to see, and how do you want to see it. The Karndean Korlok plank uses photograph quality floor images, micro wood grain surface texture, .55mm top wear layer, 6.5mm thick with padded base, no underlay needed. Basement concrete floors are of course a different beast, subfloor separation away from concrete, often essential. (20 mils>mm = 0.508 mm)
The flooring in this video is still out of stock. I am actively researching and testing out new flooring options and will be filming an updated video soon. Edited: I've added a link to a comparable product from Home Depot in the video description.
In the meantime, I will do a UA-cam LIVE to answer your flooring questions, throw them in here. Cheers!
Can't wait for the video to come out!
@Jeff, can you please repost the original company that sold the flooring? I bought a ton last year and I need to find my receipt for tax purposes. Thanks!
I checked your homerenovationdiy to check out the underpad you show but nothing appears.
Going to be doing four bedrooms and a hallway upstairs. Do you recommend I break up the areas or make one fully connected piece?
Can’t wait
I've slowly gathered all the necessary knowledge from all these videos to make my house look amazing and last. This may be just the fine details but the only thing I need now is a house.
Lmao. Same here! I'm telling me husband everything i learned how to do to renovate our house we don't have.
Lol funny comment 😊
We put down engineered hardwood in a living room/dining room area some years ago. With 3 kids and 2 dogs, it was scratched and dented in under 6 months, and it was time to hit the redo button. We went with Mannington vinyl plank flooring (and, no, I don't work for the company). It looks (almost) like real wood with the grain and all. Fast forward 4 years, and it looks like we put it down yesterday. (And, yes, those darned 3 kids, all their friends, and the dogs are still in the house.) Nothing lasts forever, but I'm favorably impressed.
Tip #1 for those who decide to use wood grained vinyl plank: Each box will have a differing variety of faux wood grains. However, the patterns do repeat. Keep an eye on mixing them up as you lay them down so you don't end up with the same patterns next to each other.
Tip #2: If you're covering a relatively large area (and are buying a correspondingly large number of cases of plank), it is possible that the die lots will vary from case to case. Open up several boxes and mix up the planks from them as you go. Otherwise, you could end up with a bunch of slightly lighter ones in one area of the room and a grouping of slightly darker ones in another section.
Do you have a link for them?
HELPFUL Thanks
Which specific one?
@@jayjoseph3563 After almost 5 years, I don't recall.
We just did our office flooring today and noticed there were only 4 different patterns.
As someone who is an assistant manager of the wood dept. at F&D, it was very refreshing to see such an honest video about the current market
What's the name of the product mentions sold at F&D? I can't find him listing it in the actual video.
@@tomee639 I watched this video a while ago, but I believe he is talking about the NuCore/ NuCore Performance line
Listen to the man! I bought the cheap stuff and installed it in my basement in the summer, the locking did not hold and the floor pulled itself apart the following cold winter.
I'm not sure if it was actually mentioned, but WPC and SPC stand for wood-plastic composite and stone-plastic composite, respectively. WPC is supposed to have a slightly more cushioned feel when walking on it, which also makes footsteps quieter. SPC is generally thinner and often more expensive than WPC, and it is marketed as having better impact resistance.
I was starting my career as a florring contractor back in the day. You are an amazing explainer. We used the cheap stuff in apts. The good stuff went into houses. We included padding in the price. We wouldnt install unless it was done correctly. And I am not a big fan of the hd or lowes vinyl. I preferred pergo or armstrong.
You can get Pergo at Lowes now. $4.29 a square foot for their higher end waterproof, mold resistant
20+ mil wear layer and built in padding. I haven’t tried their cheaper stuff but there are tons of options just that brand alone.
Quick story, I went to a local high end flooring store on a previous remodel last year and spent a little more per square foot ($4.79) for “luxury” vinyl but really cant see any extra quality or Value, expect for ease of installation. The tabs were extremely tough so if you aren’t used to installing it, it’s very forgiving as they resists breaking off, even in tight places or from a pull bar. The brand was Mannington I believe, it shows every little scratch (was a darker color to be fair) and was identical in every other way that matters (thickness, padding, wear layers durability etc.) The Pergo seems like a better deal overall because the buyer doesn’t care how easy it was to put down and it’s your own fault if you damage a ton of material putting it down lol. I don’t care for how the Pergo connects as much during install personally as it doesn’t lay down as nicely as it connects. With other stuff, you could tell for sure if the boards were 100% connected properly (I may have ocd with things like that, but I’m not the only one by far) but for the money I’m just using the Pergo going forward. Plus I think more people have heard of the Pergo brand name if you’re flipping a house or plan to sell in the near future. Anyway, fun reading all the points of view and opinions. Cheers! 🍻🍻🍻
I used the Lifeproof stuff since I have dogs with pee problems. I left a sample in a bowl of water for a week with zero damage. Pretty awesome stuff
Im looking for a flooring for my kitchen..i have a cat that has plenty of pee problems also.....perfers the floor than litterbox, very frustating...Thank you for your post...
Implying a bowl of water is in any way a good test...or is in any way comparable to ammonia, oxygen, temperature, bacteria and pressure/friction...
@@juggmkj you are what we call in the business, an asshole
Could the moisture damage under the vinyl floor.
I live 5 min from Floor and decor. Glad to hear it meets your expectations.
I have been in the professional flooring business since 1985. The best residential flooring hands down is an Armstrong 'Inlaid' sheet vinyl floor. It is expensive and needs to be installed by a professional. Only available at certain dealers but will outlast any LVP or laminate floor hands down. Will not tear, color goes all the way through.
Armstrong makes good stuff, they have been around forever it seems. In your pro opinion, if you wanted to do a DIY install vs. having a professional, what brand of lux vinyl flooring would you recommend after the Armstrong? Also if you have any opinion on Laminate or Engineered Hardwood. Not sure where you are from but here in NJ I went to a place called Lumber Liquidators almost a decade ago and bought 12mm Laminate flooring from a brand called Manatee Hills or something in a beautiful mahogany finish. It has held up (so far) extremely well in my townhome even with a slight uneven concrete slab (despite our feeble DIY attempts to self-level the low spots LOL). Thank you for your valued insight!
I'm surprised you didn't mention the difference between WPC and SPC. As I've researched it, WPC (wood pulp core) is a mixture of sawdust and plastic to form the thick central core. It's good stuff and works well, but it will dent if you bang it. SPC (stone pulp core) is basically constructed the same, but has sand mixed with the plastic. Sand is cheaper than sawdust, so the product is usually a bit less expensive. It also will not dent. I've pounded on it with a hammer and can't leave a mark on it. I've put down several floors over the years as the products have evolved. SPC plank is by far the best way to go.
My wife and I have been shopping for LVP and haven't even seen WPC or SPC listed.. I need to go back and check on that with the products we are targeting. Thanks for that information.
Thank you for the information
Great demo brother..everything you said is so true..ive laid flooring for years and learned so much with newer labels newer products but the protection layer and costs should always come hand in hand whenever installing something were all walking on..you get what you pay for and dont get fooled ..alot of trickery in pricing always ask someone who knows amd go from there..great job again
Well said!
Love these videos, jeff keeps me from standing in the home centers aisles for hours confused about what product to use.
Wow, this enlightened me so much! I’m soooooo glad I came across this before choosing my floors. Thank you!!!
Wild. I went with a 4mm HD “cheap” floor five years ago in a three season sunroom that gets tons of traffic and sees wild variations in temperature and humidity. It’s been flawless. No separation of the locking joints and it still looks brand new.
Hi Jeff, Thanks for bringing the "wear layer" to our attention. I wanted to supplement this video by mentioning that manufacturers disclose this by using the measurement "mils" - which is a measure of vinyl thickness. A mil is 0.0254 mm which is 1/1000 of an inch. I have seen product for sale on the thin side of 3 mil and the thickest I found was 30 mil. Everyone should definitely be looking for these numbers to see how thick their wear layer is. A cheap plastic trash bag is 1.7 mil thick ... so be careful ...
IT's mostly meaningless unless you have big dogs or small kids. Sell a million feet of this stuff a year. 12-20 mils is good enough. 20 is commercial grade. 8-6 and below is trash.
@@maniswil2 thank you for sharing
Yes, shall be very careful about this
My son in law & dtr bought a home, the floor was already there, the wear layer scratches with the light bit of friction, they will be replacing it, the home is only 1 year old & floor looks awful
@@darleneprice1711 And this is what happens when builders cut corners by having cheaper flooring installed. Same thing thing happens with "builder grade" carpeting. You usually gotta upgrade sooner rather than later.
As a person buying a home for the first time and knowing ill have to learn this, thank you for breaking it down for us non-home emprovement types.
Same boat here! Closing on the 18th. So many plans but doing these vinyl plank floors is definitely on the top of the list. Along with painting and replacing baseboards and crown molding. Home Renovisions has excellent videos on all of it and makes it feel like I can definitely tackle it all myself!
I am a flooring department manager at one of the big box stores. I liked this video and a lot of what you said is exactly what I tell customers. Especially the wear layer part. That said, it's hard to find a plank without an attached pad now. Also, I would never sell a plank that was under 5mm. I agree with your comments on price point as well. One thing I don't agree with is needing an underlayment pad. All the manufacturers specs and warranties state that additional underlay isn't required if it is attached. One thing I hate though is the fact that most brands require their brand of underlay or your warranty is void. So yeah maybe a cheaper product is fine but what if you have that one in a million situation where you need the warranty protection. But all in all, loved the video but I think some of our differences are differences between the salesman and the installer.
Yep. Installing an underpad when the plank has an attached pad can also void the warranty as it has the potential to allow too much flexion putting strain on the joints and premature failure. I was surprised to hear him recommend this.
I wasted a lot of $ on box store major name brand vinyl plank that DID NOT LOCK together at the seams
Which store and what brand of flooring ?@@cindybarber8449
I'm really glad you appeared on my phone one day. You are so easy to understand and your voice & tone are so pleasant to listen to. You answer all my questions before I even ask, Very thorough. Thank you for all the time and energy you put into these videos for all of us. I really appreciate it.
True
My contractor went shopping with me when we were picking out our laminate floor and he had us go with the pergo higher end floor with a lifetime warranty. That was five year's ago and our floor still looks brand new. I'm glad he took the time to go with me because my husband wanted to buy the cheapest floor out there.
I'm still at a toss up, most I hear about are the Luxury Vinyl Plank's, So confused 🙃
I've learned that sometimes it's best to put the money out, in the first place! Instead of putting in the cheap stuff, and then spending the money for the good stuff, it can save you money 💵.
I bought the cheapest tile, because it was on sale, but 20 years later it's got cracks, chips and the grout looks terrible - so maybe I'll lay something over it.
Maybe you shall try SPC
@@johnnywong8962 what's that?
I know you aren't an expert on everything but you relate pretty well to the average person. In conjunction with others I use your channel to help me with almost everything on my house whenever I question my abilities on any particular task. Then I call my father who is a Civil Engineer and has renovated many of his own homes throughout the years. The engineer's mind is a wondrous thing. You don't always have to do things by the book. And often times, as long as you actually know what you are doing, there's better and more affordable but still sound ways to do things. I don't know your background professionally outside of this channel, but your suggestions usually jive with my father and that's a compliment considering he's an accomplished building engineer.
Shopping for vinyl has been overwhelming and of course the staff at HD just trying to push you on the most expensive so this video has been super helpful in understanding what we need to look for so we can make a great choice. Thank you!
At Home Depot, the more expensive vinyl floors are usually the best they have, not necessarily the best out there
At HD the staff wants to help you I'm certain; however, they don't get paid a lot. I'm certain they are selfless and wish to benefit the customer, but some depts. seem to incentivize them - some of them might try to sell you more costly materials. Just do your due diligence and spend some time checking out materials. You may get a lot that's limited in size, but it's marked down to close it our OR there may be a promotion or sale that gets you into better choices.
Use Lifeproof. I’ve installed @ 100k feet, in less than ideal conditions, without a single issue. Never had an unhappy customer. A contractor that knows the difference between Lifeproof and the cheaper options will charge you a justified surface prep, just to hopefully get your surface within tolerances that the cheaper alternatives require for a successful installation. Then be ready for “installer error/ end user neglect” accusations from the manufacturer when the cheap option fails. Keyword: LVP failures. Most times the manufacturer will provide more junk floor to replace the previous failure, but their instructions are getting exceedingly difficult and EXPENSIVE to follow, as to limit their liability for making a finicky, faulty product
That was an interesting and informative comparison. I’m certain most people shop by color/design on the same day. The lack of planning helps those big box stores.
I have seen people use this flooring on walls. Durable, wipeable, not a bad deal.
Very interesting. Great idea. May use that in our shop on a wall based on your idea. Thx.
My husband just finished a remodel, when installing the floors they had insisted no underlayment needed. So to be safe he made them sign a waver naming them responsible for the install specs. I thought he was over reacting. They"ll both be interested in this video. Go to your local building supply, big box doesn't even know there own products. Great video
I ordered all of my flooring through Calibamboo after a lot of research. 20mil wear layer, 50 year residential warranty, free delivery to my door by freight, heavy product. I payed a little over $3.00 per sq/ft with transition strips, under layment, stair treads, and 1500 sq/ft of flooring.
Olive lol
We just ordered samples from Cali Bamboo, quality seams excellent! We really wanted 20mil wear layer and found out the box store brands only go up to I believe 9mil, so we started searching elsewhere and came across Cali Bamboo! Their customer service is outstanding also!
I used COREtec plus HD... Looks amazing and so much like real wood. My contractor did do and underlayment.
As someone who has the original Life proof, low end vinyl planking flooring for 17 years now, it wears amazing. Unless you're dragging heavy machinery over it, you will never go through your wear layer.
Thank you. Also, from what I’ve read, the manufacturer voids warranty if under pad is used on planks that come with underpads. I think I’ll follow manufacturer’s recommendation on use of underpad (following the science)
I'm glad I've found you brother on here you've helped me with so much. May God continue to cover you brother don't stop with the lessons
Glad to know I bought the right product! But lifeproof says their warranty is void if you use an underpad.
Yep. Always follow what the manufacture says.
FLOORET - only available from Flooret - is the BEST. Have installed in two houses and LOVE LOVE LOVE.
For those looking for the top wear layer its called the 'MIL' layer. With the MIL layer there's a number associated with it (MIL 6 -20). The higher the number of the MIL Layer the better or 'thicker' the layer. This is the most important layer for wear. Most packages will list the MIL layer but some do not and in those cases do your research before purchase. You need to google that exact make/model for the MIL layer #. If you go to a big box store and it's not on the package chances are its a low MIL # 6-8. IMO any MIL that's lower than an 8 can expect to wear quicker. Anything that's above a 12 MIL can expect to last longer. Vinyl flooring MIL numbers can go as high as 20 MIL and may go higher. Also IMO with pets you're going to want a higher MIL #.
The room I want to add flooring to has tile. Do I need to remove the tile? Size of room is 19.1 X 11.9 Don't have much money right now Should I just put down a piece of carpeting for the time being, and save up for $ 3.50 vinyl and sub flooring or hardwood flooring?
@@pattyespinoza8902 Patty, I tore up the carpet. Put down the top of the line SHAW FLOORING - that was Dec 2019Before six months was up the edges that overlap were tearing up I’m in a wheelchair and I can remember rolling backwards a few inches --“CRACK”
Another piece of overlap to the ‘fancy’ flooring broken off
NEVER GET THIS STUFF or ANYTHING LIKE IT
I paid $2,600 for 25x25’ square great room - that was JUST THE FLOORING!!!!!
(Add cost of baseboards, paint, Labor, etc ...)
Please if you have tile, Sri I with it. Look on line for large rugs if you like - tile is the best. (Unless it’s broken and ...)
Then RETILE. NEVER EVER BUY THIS VYNAL-
And it needs doing alllllll over again!!!! It’s the biggest waste of money ❗️😢
It is called the "wear layer." "Mil" is a measurement of thickness - .001 inch. So, for example, "20 mils" means 20 thousandths of an inch (or 2 hundredths of an inch), 6 mils is 6 thousandths of an inch.
Wear layers go as hi as 28-30 now. Wear llayer isn't everything either. Some manufacturers have a coating on top the wear layer that make it more resistant to scratches like the Novalis brand 👍.
PureSPCMax brand flooring @ 20 MIL
Fusion-E or any Fusion line also has 20 MIL wear rating.
After just watched only one of your drywall videos, you became my new lover! My husband is renovating our basement and I told him I will do our drywall just like Jeff!
Weird cause he's my new love!! He can't be doing flooring in both our houses so I'm gonna need some answers! 😆
Amazing video, Love the help! Just sucks that the prices mentioned in the video do not reflect on your website. I called and Flooring is at $4.69sqft and underlayment is $0.79sqft!
We installed a plywood underlayment on top of the subfloor and have had no issue with 4mm flooring. In the whole upstairs. Not sure I totally agree.
Tip: use a small cut off piece of the flooring as your tapping block. Hitting directly may damage the locking ability!
Also, trim off the locking grooves for end pieces to keep the gap under the trim baseboard.
Thank you so much!!!! In escrow for my third home, but the only one we will have to get the floors completed done before moving in. This video took me from hopelessly vulnerable to more knowledgeable and confident. I will definitely be watching more of your videos to educate myself. Also thank you for being honest about the products.
I liked the video. I did my floor wrong but I'm not fixing it. It was a response to bed bugs, no underlayment. 600 sq ft, 7 doorways and no thresholds. It's one circular unit and I'm real proud of it!
Don't worry underlayment is definitely not needed for vinyl plank flooring.
Hi Jeff, you have blessed me so much. I practically just come to your channel to search for info; the how , the why and the why not before taking up any project and have been so successful at them. Thank you so much for all that you put into this to make life easy for a lot of us out there.
I work at a local flooring store here in Lancaster PA USA. We sell and install all types of flooring. The install is just as important as the product. Make sure your seller has someone you can call for advice on the DIY projects. And big box stores aren’t always the least expensive. Check out the local family owned flooring stores. Sometimes you can get an awesome deal and great information.
THIS! We are working on our basement and we've tried to find some locally owned wholesale places for our materials. Especially this year, we've taken a bit more time to support local AND it's saved us some money in the process. We have a smaller flooring manufacturer local to us and we are using the criteria from Jeff to verify the quality of product and if it passes we will be buying it. Supporting local doesn't always have to be expensive.
@@knotmaggot9588 so glad to hear it! Supporting local businesses is so important and helps the community. And a great deal? Can’t beat that!
I'd love to support local stores, however here in California I went to all these local stores named floor depot, wholesale floor, etc, for the same quality product they are still more expensive than big box store (after coupon and gift card discount of course). Sad..
@Laura Dissinger. I'm in York, PA. What's the name of the flooring store? I am in the market for LVT.
@@blakelav1639 Certified Carpet Been in business over 70 years. I’m not sure what we have in stock but we can certainly order what you’re looking for.
Even though this video is 3 years old, it's still helpful. Five years ago, I got samples from Lowes and Home Depot and after additional research, I also bought samples directly from Flooret. The quality difference with Flooret was significant, and I love that their planks are 9" wide. I installed Flooret in my kitchen, bathroom and front foyer in 2019. We have a big dog with long nails. The flooring has held up beautifully. I just installed Flooret in the family TV room that is beside the kitchen. You can't tell a difference between the 5 year old flooring and the brand new flooring. Happy camper here.
I have a floor and decor near me and that’s where I have been looking!! They have an underpad for $0.50 a sqft that is actually demonstrated at the store and works perfect
This video is GOLD! Thank you for making this and all of your other videos🙏🏼 This channel has been a true blessing to me.
For you Michiganders, there's a Floor & Decor store in Macomb County, in Shelby Township on Hall Rd. Not only floor products, but also kitchen and bathroom tiles. Haven't been there yet, but gotta go, and Jeff is giving it a heads up for at least their underlayment rather than using Home Depot underlayment crap. Happy shopping.
These types of videos are gold. I'm gonna redo my kitchen and finish my basement soon and this knowledge takes all of the confusion and decision fatigue out of a rather large purchase. Looking forward to supporting your channel soon!
I’m in the process of buying my first home and have been doing tons of research before I tackle any DIY projects. I’m very happy to have found your channel. Your knowledge and way of explaining the fine details is perfect! I can’t wait to have you help me on all my projects 😉
You have too ! I built this house 6 years ago, the laminate was a gorgeous cherry hue, the joints any where near any moisture are swelling..no more " moisture resistant", get water proof
You are so appreciated --your knowledge,experience, delivery style/presentation, personality, skills, sincerity AND sense. of humor! Because of you I'm less of a sap at the home stores. Thank you, sincerely!
I put vinyl flooring in my three season sunroom two years ago, to replace indoor/outdoor carpet I hated. I was very concerned about expansion and contraction. That room goes from -30C to +35C over the seasons. I don’t remember the manufacturer or the specs but I paid more for a premium quality. It was fairly heavy with a decent thickness wear layer and a good underlay layer. I got it from End of the Roll. It installed easily. Two years later, I just couldn’t be happier. It’s tough, looks fantastic, doesn’t move, it’s pretty much waterproof, and the cost was very affordable compared to any other options other than more carpet. I’m so happy with it that I’m now considering using it to replace the floors inside the house.
Similar experience. Four years ago, before I knew that manufacturers did not recommend LVF for unheated areas, I installed LVF in my unheated front porch (12 X 14). Temperatures fluctuate dramatically, about the same as yours. Four years later, product looks great and has performed with no issues.
So close to making a major purchase at Floor and Decor and this vid has given me courage! :) LOVE the channel! Thank you.
This guy is great.
This is why I love being honest and objective with the information. Great video, my favorite so far. Well done
100% hands down the most easy to understand information about vinyl flooring I've found. I couldn't appreciate the attention to detail more! Keep going, I've got a whole house to do!
Couple correction. All these manufacturers have a substrate moisture restrictions. So these product can not be installed under warranty if the relative moisture content is to high regardless if the flooring itself is "water proof". The reason for this is trapping moisture can lead to standing water that can find its way into baseboards walls and studs witch can make for structural damage. There is also concern that in the presence of moisture you can have different types of mold growth including black mold. #2 Any Lvt ( luxury vynal tile) that is sold with pad attached can not be installed over additional pad. Doing so will cause structural support issues. Meaning that the material will flex to much causing damage to the tongue and groove systems over time.
It’s allowed in a basement
@@carolynj3475 it's allowed under the the same restrictions of relative moisture.
Excellent video. We were at Home Depot and Lowes and looking at vinyl tiles for our master bathroom
Gotta be careful with the underpad with the Lifeproof (Home Depot) flooring though! The warranty specifically says no underpad, or only allows you to use the QuicPrep underlayment. Any other pad will void the lifetime warranty on it.
The pad must have enough density or the joints will stress and eventually fail.
👍🏼
Thank god there is a Floor and Decor within a quarter mile of my new home! Thank you for the info, this is exactly what i was looking for
what did you choose from Floor and decor? Are you happy with it? I have 880 sq feet that needs flooring in what will be a rental. thx
Or go to a local flooring store that has been in business for 25 years. The owner has 45 years in flooring and hires installers who are qualified, insured along with the helpers.
You will make ring marks beating your floor
You will negate expansion if you use his little tool.
Under cut the door jambs
I purchased what I think was the same one you discarded with the underlayment attached from Lowes...(Smartcore) That product does not require an underlayment per the manufacturer, just a 6mil vapor barrier, which cost about $40 for the entire house... I've had it in for two years now with no issues.... I did have to learn about using wood composites with an earlier project...never again!! But as of now the Lowes product with the attached underlayment works great.... the underlayment gives a little give over the concrete slab... just like you described with a separate underlayment, making it comfortable to walk on..with no crunch 🙂.(incidentally they have two grades of that product, both got GREAT reviews everywhere else)... and the vapor barrier also has no issues....
Thank you! I'm shopping (and educating myself) right now for my first ever vinyl plank floor. I plan to do entire house (minus two bathrooms that were recently tiled) so I only have ONE chance to get this right! I need to figure out what to buy and how much chicken and rice I need to eat to make it happen! LOL! Love your style! Fun video, but also very helpful!
Which one did you choose and why? Plus are you happy with it? We’re shopping and I’m overwhelmed.
The lifeproof vinyl planks they stock in the Home Depot stores have a thin 6mil wear layer. But you can special order lifeproof with a 22mil wear layer in most of the same styles for $.50-.60 more a square foot.
Wow, how do you special order it?
@@DewTime they recently brought it into the stores. It wasn’t actually order-able until October. Comes in 12mil and 22 mil. And the old 6-6.5 mil
Anyone buying a more grey color please buy the smoother ones, maybe called bamboo. I bought the kind with grooves and yes it maybe helpful in imitating wood but please be advised the grain is super hard to get clean. Dirt just seems to be attracted to this floor..
Thanks, I have installed a lot of lifeproof but never know any options on the wear layer.
Man wow 6mm... The vinyl my contractor is installing in basement is having wear layer of just 0.3mm and it's brand called lifestepp metro pro xl
I have the life proof flooring without a pad underneath and it's been great. My kids have put it through hell as well. I put down a diffrent one a year ago and it's coming apart already. Life proof works
NEVER USE UNDERLAYMENT with LVP flooring. The additional cushioning will cause the joint to buckle. I have installed over 10k square feet of LifeProof and never use an underlayment. In six years of installing I have never had one call back because of the sound of dirt 😂. Also be sure to acclimate the materials for at least two days before installing.
? For you. I'm installing in basement w/ linoleum floor. Mostly level with the exception of one spot that has a trough. Would self leveling compound work or should I not even bother?
@@bmack2204 If it’s minimal I would worry about. LVP is very forgiving with floor variance.
@@WildKnight23 thank you! And do you recommend underlayment for waterproofed basement? (Concrete subfloor partially covered by linoleum) If so any specific kind?
Lol Jk
@@bmack2204 Your welcome B Mack. I don’t recommend underlayment even if it is sub-level. LVP is water proof that contains no MDF so it’s not susceptible to water damage. However, if I was going to use one in this instance, I would use an organic water-proofing agent such as Red Guard. Be sure to use a quality LVP such as LifeProof.
We have Floor & Decors in Arizona as well. I’ve been in that store and bought some Schluter products for my shower.
This guy is a wealth of knowledge….and he’s genuine to the point of wanting to help all of us newbie-DIYer’s. However, he need to slow down and breath. He get’s talking (and moving) so fast, he wears himself out, and get’s himself tong-tie’s constantly.
Floor & Decor is a great store. I work for Shaw, so I went with their vinyl flooring in my new house (I get it at cost), but for everything else, I went to F&D. Couldn't recommend it more highly.
My home and entire neighborhood recently had a sewer back up because of city negligence and I thought it best to pull up the non padded carpeting in my basement. The original tile floor is still intact. Question, can I put the vinyl plank flooring right on top of the old tile or should I put down some sort of under lay under the planks?
@@juanitanoju2984 Yes if your floor is level you should be fine.
@@harmzuay thank you so much!
We bought the life proof floor from Home Depot 4 years ago and we love it!
Any issues to date? What underlay you used?
@@t0fast any idea why?
Because using an additional underpayment will cause it to separate from the cushion that it provides. It will void the warranty on any click locking vinyl product. The one mentioned in this video does not say that it is warrantied for use under vinyl, so contact the supplier to find out if it is or not.
@@SirD1 LifeProof includes an underlayment layer, so you don't need to install a separate underlayment.
Debbie Tuter, in what rooms did you install LifeProof?
I have a 50 year old house and the floors bow in the living room. I went through a month of research and bought Coretec 9 x 72 planks. When they go together properly, they don't sit flat at first, They only sit flat after being tapped home. And yes, I had a soft spot in the center of the room. But, I also have a 300 lb reclining couch. Put it right on the soft spot and problem solved. The coretec is 10 mm, 8 mm for the core and wear layers, and 2 mm padding. The manufacturer will also void the warranty if you use padding. Be careful on that regard.
As to how to test the resiliency, scratch it with your keys. I couldn't make a mark on it at all, even bearing down on it! 3 years old now. $5.25 per foot.
3 years ago I needed a floor for a 3 season tiny house here in Ontario. I researched the big box store floor options where I discovered nobody warrants vinyl flooring in freezing temperatures. So I grabbed all my samples took them home wrote down the dimensions and then stuck them in my freezer at 18C for 48 hours. I then remeasured and found lifeproof shrunk the least. So I went with lifeproof and have not regretted it. Non of the seams have popped and when I went in the winter it hadn’t shrunk so much that the edges were exposed from under the baseboards. It was very easy to install despite some of the reviews. I did install with out an underlay (unless you count the green indoor outdoor carpet under it) however if I was to do it in my basement I would put an underlay. Maybe now I will check out your recommended product. P.s. I would like to see comparisons for shower pan options for diy!
I think the test is heat not cold. Not sure what video I watched but it said temperature has to below like 90 or the vinyl will open.
I had picked up a couple of different samples of the laminate planks at my local Menards before I saw this video. After watching the video I took another look at the samples one was 5mm and the other was 4mm. Interestingly I noticed that the 4mm samples were bowed upward between the locking joints so that each piece would flex downward in the center putting stress on the locking joints. The two 5mm samples lay flat with no deflection in the center. Really appreciated you pointing that out.
About two years back I purchased Modin Rigid Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring straight from the manufacturer, talk about quality, wow!
I am so thankful for your channel!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share you wealth of knowledge!!
I've been installing the stuff for 20+ years. I never recommend click-vinyl plank, always the glue down or the new loose-lay stuff. You want to be able to replace one if it gets scratched, and it's easy with the regular stuff...not so much with click. Also I've seen the click stuff fail often if it's in the sun.
I agree. Except- the substrate needs to generally be perfect concrete, or subfloor. More expensive, and involved- but repairable into the future.(you can replace and interlocking plank. But. * )
Well, about 8 years ago, my drainage system outside the basement wall failed, causing soaked drywall, etc. Along that, the carpet that was installed on top of concrete slab was also ruined. So, after everything was fixed, I removed the carpeting and the padding under it. And installed ALLURE vinyl flooring. Allure is a little bit different that some other that I saw in that it has about an Inch of sticky strip on two sides and the other two sides kind of over hang that much of the top layer. So that when you put two sides together, the overhanging part sits on top of the sticky GRIP-STRIP (as they call it) and in about thirty minutes the seal is permanent. To make the long story short, from the day I installed 8-years ago, till today, the floor has been rock solid. not one seam came off. Makes me happy.
Just did my flooring with Floor and Decor. Great store!
That is awesome!
funny enough under another video (in comments) you said that LVP with 1mm pad does not require additional/separate padding. Manufacturer is also against it.
Glad to hear you like Floor & Decor, I’m actually going there today to compare vinyl flooring for our house.
Would you consider doing a video on engineered wood and full thickness hardwood?
We have Floor and Decor in Salt Lake I love the store too! I bought tile there 4 years ago and just went back and they had the same product. I send all my friends there when they need something.
Is this a good store? I just realize I have one not far from me. They carry good brands for flooring?
Love this content. Super helpful.
I work in the flooring industry (on the engineering side, not the installation side) and there is a lot of very poor information in this video.
The part about the wear layer was particularly bad. You can't see the wear layer by looking at the edge of the plank because it's too thin, and it is also transparent.
The wear layer is measured in thousanths of an inch, or 'mil', and it consists of a very hard substance, usually aluminum oxide, and a binding agent, usually some sort of UV cured polyurethane.
You can't just look at a plank and tell how thick the wear layer is. The layers that you see in the video are not the wear layer, they are just a result of the heterogeneous construction of the plank.
To find out how thick the wear layer is, you have to read the product specs. It commonly ranges from 8mil up to around 25mil, depending on the particular product and the price you're willing to pay. Often, the same product will be available in several different wear layer thicknesses, and they will all look identical when viewed from the edge.
For domestic use, 12mil is usually more than adequate, and even 8mil will last a long time in low traffic areas.
The most common reason for wear layer breakdown in a domestic setting is not foot traffic, but careless movement of heavy furniture.
I appreciate your input and disclosure of credentials; however, as someone who has worked with "old work" regularly, what is visible to laborer is notable and a definite reference point. I have no problem with him pointing this out. Yes, specs will be taken into consideration as well when purchasing. TYVM
@@nancyglynn2719 What I was pointing out was the fact that the layer of the plank he was pointing to was not the wear layer. The wear layer is essentially invisible to the naked eye. He may know how to install flooring, but he doesn't know what he is talking about when it comes to the construction of the plank itself.
@@thepenultimateninja5797 I appreciate this point. The wear layer is sometimes visible if you look very closely, but it's just about the thickness of paper - not very apparent.
@@cherrybearylemondrop Yes that's true, especially if you hold it up to the light and look at it from an angle.
Thanks for the information. They never talk about hardness, just thickness. Is there a lot of variation in the chemistry of the wear layer that affects this aspect? I figure the concentration of aluminum oxide can affect this
I’ve nearly bought that hard angle measure tool so many times!!!! I learned a lot and I’m so glad I found your channel. We got so ripped off when we built our house 22 years ago and I’m more than ready to replace it! This is really well-explained. 😊
My aunt is getting vinyl floors and this would be great for her to watch. TY! I am going with Tile floors for my whole house my Mom who’s 90 years old will be living with us and uses a walker and have seen what a walker does to wooden floors and I have 5 dogs so Tiles for me. Great Video 😎
I'm in the HDepot all the time, Picked up a Lifeproof sample. Put it in a container of water in my house... for months! Had to add water because some would evaporate. It never deteriorated. Why would I do that? I see tons of rental properties with cheap flooring that have major damage from water issues, because the tenants don't care something is leaking, and you may not find out till it's too late. So that may be a consideration for some also. I think I'll leave a piece outside next:)
Hi Jeff, been watching a lot of your videos, you can always make things sound so much easier to understand. I'm building a custom home, so need 2500sqft flooring, which I'm going to talk to my builder to order directly from your website. Thank you for all you do, learned so much as well, appreciate it
I'm a maintenance manager who occasionally has to do renovations & find all of your videos very informative. They have given me many great ideas.
I commented you. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
👏👏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Same here. Maintenance and diy
Great info as always. I'm glad you mentioned Floor and Decor. Thats my goto spot here in Houston. I could stay in there all day with all the products they have.
This guy is awesome
Flooring measure guy for box store here. Seen thousands of floors and here is my opinion...
LVP -
Pros: affordable great product, practical and durable, easiest DIY flooring
Cons: can't stand the feel and looks like plastic
LAMINATE-
Pros: affordable and looks/feels better than LVP. Ok for low moisture rooms in newer homes with flat floors
Cons: worst durability some carpet lasts longer lol. If floors are uneven or ANY standing water will fall apart. The edges will guaranteed start to peel and de-laminate over a decade
TILE (Ceramic/Porcelain) -
Pros: best flooring for foyer/bathroom. Can last forever if over concrete or PROPERLY installed over wood subfloor, can make creative patterns
Cons: alot of labor, cleaning grout, cold and hard, if installed over wood subfloor must have proper structure and installation technique or won't last.
Sheet Vinyl (aka linoleum) -
Pros: cheap and durable, waterproof, good for bathrooms make sure you caulk around the tub especially if you have particleboard subfloor.
Cons:not a premium product, people think it's dated. Hard to DIY
Engineered Wood-
Pros: looks beautiful and is much cheaper than solid wood. Comes in click lock easy DIY install
Cons:scratches easily and cannot be refinished. Not good for house with kids or large dogs
Solid Wood -
Pros:looks beautiful and can last over 100 years. Adds a solid feel but not as hard on feet and knees as tile
Cons:high maintenance, expensive, potential squeaks, adding a 3/4" thick floor to an existing house can be a bit tricky with the added thickness. If you have a particleboard substrate it won't hold the flooring nails
CARPET -
Back in the 80s-90s carpet was much better quality (nylon). 90% of people these days buy polyester carpet because nylon is double the cost. I'd avoid a solid light color carpet in favor of a dark multi color to hide the stains. Personally this is the one flooring I would buy cheaper. For most people expensive carpet is not worth it unless you have no kids and pets and you just built or bought your dream home.
Jeff I love your opinions ," this stuff wears better than hardwood, yeah I said it " I alsways appreciate your knowledge and presentations, always so thorough. You tell it straight. And you do the Lowes / Homepot comparison for us homeowners. " Good and garbage"..LOL The recommendations in this video are priceless, Thank you !!!!
Fantastic video! I'm trying to decide what LVP to go with for our new house, and this was SO helpful to me making an informed decision. Thank you!
I was thrilled to finally having found the kind of review video that I was looking for. Liked the way it was presented. The result, though, was that I felt so disillusioned and discouraged about vinyl flooring that I ended up going back to tile flooring. 😥
By far the best diy teacher on UA-cam
Jeff does a really good job looking out for the home owner/DIY person. How ever there is some embellishment of some of his reasoning and explanation.
Example?
@@danejerustv If you have a deviation of an 1/8” or more across two flooring boards you shouldn’t be installing flooring on it. There is additional prep work to be done to the floor prior to floor installation. I know he was trying to show a worst case.
@@andrewschafer8986 are you referring to the demonstration trying to pop the joint with the unsupported seam, where it still held fast?
Thank god for this video one of my next projects
Mines to but hardwood not vinyl.
This comment confuses me. It's incomplete. What about one of your next projects?
@@Hunterm10101 my next project is vinyl flooring in my house
Bought my underpad at Lowe's for about 32 cents per square foot. That was back in February just before corona hit my area.
@@cerebro1231 do not listen to this video almost everything he says is the opposite of true. especially the things he says about pad
You had me worried, but at the end my favorite is the winner!!! I tell clients I will not use anything but Life Proof
Love the common sense comparison videos Jeff...keep em coming! 👍
I went to Home Depot to look at the vinyl flooring and I don’t recall how thick it was but I swear I grabbed the corner of a plank and snapped it right off lmao oops. Went to floor & decor (somehow I only recently discovered them) and man the difference in quality was night and day. The amazing part is that the price difference isn’t even that significant.
Thank you for your post. I’m glad I found Floor & Decor as well… screw the HD!
I tryed more than 10 in my local shop and best to me seemed the one with lowest price. Rock solid joint, when locked does not come of, its hard does not bend easy. I purchased it :). Price was 15$/m2. Price is in american dollars :) first timer here
We have redone several homes...we used a thicker mm for wear with good under-pad. I like the sound absorption.It's quieter. It's worth the extra cost for the final result to last. Really liked your video.
What kind of underpad did you use?
Wouldve liked actual info on the underlayment product youre selling so I can purchase something similar locally.
Can you get it from the amazon link?
Many many thanks. We really appreciate viewing and listening to you.😊