Luxury Vinyl Plank Acoustic Ratings for Condos
Filipina Pate
5 years ago
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Luxury Vinyl Plank vs Engineered Hardwood
Comments (46)So let's talk the about the difference between an engineered hardwood and a vinyl plank. And there are more than just the difference between the two flooring options. There are many differences within each type of flooring. For example: engineered hardwood flooring can come in different thickness overall and vinyl planks can come in different plank styles (glue down, WPC and SPC). Let's break this down for you guys a little further. Engineered hardwood is an incredible option for an authentic with longevity in mind. Typically is worth less than it's hardwood counterpart (hardwood) but in some instances, depending on the wood species, a high end engineered hardwood veneer could be worth more than a low grade hardwood such as your North American (domestic) species. Engineered hardwood is more often on the 7/16" side of thickness and that is your more price friendly thickness. You can special order a thicker 3/4" board, but that will come at a heftier price because it's added layers. The added layers create a more stable plank that expands and contracts at a lower rate than it's 7/16" counterpart. Engineered hardwoods always should and for the most part come prefinished with an aluminum oxide coat. This very coat is your barrier against everyday beatings from walking traffic and dropped items. This coat is very tough but no floor or finish is indestructible. You will have dents and scratches pop up over the years. Depending on the company, you can buy "refinish kits". Although, technically you cannot refinish aluminum oxide, the kits just help you hide the scratches until you decide to do a professional refinish to your floor. Lastly, let's talk about refinishing your hardwood floor. Please have a professional do it! And it is very expensive to do this job. Depending on your floor size it can cost well over $3,000 USD. At this rate, you are in the market for a high level LVP. Which brings me into the luxury vinyl plank spectrum. As you all are aware, LVP's are dominating the flooring market and they should be. They do a very, VERY good job at imitating a hardwood or stone surface and multiply the longevity all the while. Vinyl has come a long way in the last couple of decades let alone the last few years as far as planks are concerned. There are plenty of options and so, so many different brands all wanting you business. Luxury vinyl planks can be divided into two different categories in the market right now: glue down or floating. The first generation of vinyl planks are your glue downs. They are still very popular and serve as one of the friendliest DIY repair floors. You simply heat the old damaged plank, peel it and put a new one down. The floating aspect of planks gets a little more complicated as you can have a WPC (wood polymer composite), SPC (stone polymer composite) or a loose lay style. And you can look those up to see the complete difference in each to see what's your most needed. I'll lightly go over each to explain what they are. While all three styles are virtually waterproof, you really can't go wrong with any and will have a good product in each one. WPC's are a click based plank which does not require an underlayment, hence being labeled a "floating" floor. The foaming agent in the core of the plank helps with sound absorption and makes the plank a little more friendly to stand on. It's a thicker overall plank and you should think about how the trims will be affected. SPC's are a click based plank which also does not require an underlayment which helps reduce the installation cost. The core is limestone based and makes it very rigid and tough. It's extremely dent resistant but for the most part is lower in wear layer for some reason. You can however find plenty of SPC's with a higher wear layer, nearing 28-30 mil, but it will cost you more because you will have a high dent and scratch resistance. And finally you have your loose lay planks which are the ultimate form (as of now) in easy maintenance and installation. They do not require an underlayment, do not use a click system and don't need any adhesive (although some installers recommend gluing the perimeter). They have a friction backing which let you lay the plank adhesive free without any movement on its end. The plank itself is waterproof and pretty dent resistant. While engineered hardwood does cost more and is less maintenance friendly, it does add value to your home with the hardwood veneer. The ability to refinish gives you a long floor life but the cost of a refinish is a setback in itself. Luxury vinyl planks are a low cost and long lasting floor option but adds little to no value to your home. The endless options of styles and colors gives you endless customization to your home at a far less price. Either option can last a while but at this time vinyl planks are a better option for any household with multiple members, both human and furry alike. I hope this little bit of information helps in the short and long run. Just a flooring dude....See MoreSmudges/footprints/paw prints all over luxury vinyl plank flooring
Comments (250)Thanks for the encouragement. I do not believe the grit is still installation grit. This floor has distinct rigids that define the wood design. I know other brands are more smooth. I am still leaning more towards ripping it out before it is done and going back to carpet. I have 8 cats and I thought a hard floor would be easier to keep with the fur and furballs. I wish it was not so beautiful, then it would be easier to say good bye. I did find a product that may help... Never Strip Floor Coatings. Their vinyl care product proports to make it easier to clean. But it won't help with the cold. Of course it is a very cold day here in CO....See MoreAdvice on leveling wooden subfloor for luxury vinyl plank install
Comments (9)Thanks so much for the detailed advice, @SJ McCarthy! I do have 3 extra boxes and then some, and so far pulling them up isn't seeming too difficult to do but I'm sure we'll run into some issues :-) The condo rules aren't very specific: 80% of floors must be carpet or area rugs - we have carpet in the bedrooms and someone on the board told me that LVP with an underlay is fine; this one has a pre-attached pad. But thanks for brining it up - I do want to run it by them once more to be sure before we totally finalize things. When you say "a little grinding PLUS a little leveling compound" are you referring to self leveling compound? It does seem to me that SL would be the best way to easily get a good level. We've worked with some patching material (Henry 345) on a few spots, and it has the appeal of potentially being simpler than SL up front (doesn't have to be mixed and doesn't require primer), but it's more expensive for covering a given area, and doesn't level itself. I'm still trying to figure out if we can reasonably apply self leveler to just a portion of the room, and I'm thinking mainly that will require that there is indeed a consistent "low" spot / sink so that the SL doesn't run out into the areas we don't want to repair. That does seem to be the case, but I need to really spend the time with a level to fully map it out. Thanks again!...See MoreLions Floor Luxury Vinyl Plank?
Comments (52)@HU-796072056 Hello! I chose the bambino because of the color I was looking for, the budget, the low foot traffic in my house. I have no kids or pets in the house. I was aware of it being 5.5mm. For more peotection, I recommend 7.7mm+. I’ve had my first incident where I dropped a knive on the kitchen, by accident, and it hit the floor with the sharp point and it made a small cut. I realized it’s very thin. I’ve placed area rugs where I spend more time doing things and could drop object by accident :). I’m clumpsy! Also, all my furniture have protection to avoid damage when moving them. Like anything, it‘s just taking care of it. I do have to say, if I do it again, i would demolish the old floors in the whole house and then be able to place the planks on the floor before installing since some of the knots are too close together. the installees where going room by room and i was able to be here. it would have been more days of installation and at that point I let it go. The installers tried, but it was hard since the plank design repeat every 10 planks and have an open floor plan. if you get a chance, tell your installers (if not you) to place them on the floor ahead of installation that way you can avoid that. keep that in mind in case you need extra days. My installers were not designers. Now I know:)....See MoreFilipina Pate
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SJ McCarthy