Buying or updating a home comes with many challenging decisions. Flooring happens to be one of the largest decisions for a homeowner to make. A common dilemma when making flooring purchases can be whether Hardwood or LVT is the best product for your home. There are many things to consider when making this decision and we are here to help!
Can you guess which flooring is Engineered Hardwood, Solid Hardwood, and Luxury Vinyl Plank? Find out the answer at the bottom of this blog post!
What do you want your floor to achieve?
When picking a hard surface product, it is important to know what you want your flooring to accomplish! When starting your shopping experience, it is helpful to go shopping with a priority list.
Here are a few things to think about...
- Design/color
- Adding value to the home
- Budget
- Durability (stains, spills, scratching, denting)
Coming in with a priority list is helpful for the salesperson to be able to point you in the right direction. Here are a few more things to consider to help make the decision of Hardwood vs LVT easier!
Do you have pets?
Furry friends are man’s best friend…but, is your furry friend best friends with your flooring? No matter how young or how old, pet accidents are bound to happen! Although Hardwoods are sealed, liquid that isn’t cleaned up in a timely manner will be absorbed by this natural product. By using LVT the wear layer provides extra protection from liquids moving past the surface! It is also important to consider the safety of your pet. While the look of wood is stunning, keep in mind it can be slick for pets. Picking a wood or LVT product that has texture, is helpful for your pet to keep traction or simply adding an area rug can help prevent slipping and sliding.
Do you have children?
Spills, stains, and denting oh my! Hardwood and Engineered Hardwood are both great products but are not always the best fit for rambunctious families. For young families, LVT is often recommended. LVT is made to withstand the unexpected! Compared to Hardwood and Engineered Wood, LVT does a better job standing up to scratching, spills, and denting. With LVT, parents can have the gorgeous look of hardwood and not have to worry about their children enjoying the home too.
Where are you installing it?
Installation is important to consider before making your purchase! Both Solid Hardwood and Engineered Wood expand and contract in different temperatures. When considering a hard surface for the main floor or upper floors of your home (wood subfloors) you can float, nail down or glue hardwood flooring. LVT can be floated or glued on wood subfloors.
When considering a hard surface in the basement, it might be time to seriously consider an LVT! LVT does better with temperature changes and is forgiving to water damages. Any LVT can be installed below grade – it can be glued down on concrete or floated. If you choose to install hardwood in your basement, make sure it’s Engineered Wood. Solid Hardwood should never be installed over concrete.
Reading from right to left: Luxury Vinyl Plank, Engineered Hardwood, and Solid Hardwood.
Images sources:
Photo 1: https://www.hometalk.com/6411893/q-vinyl-plank-wood-look-floor-versus-engineered-hardwood?se%5B%5D=fol_new-20150105&se%5B%5D=fol_new-
Photo 2: https://www.luxuryflooringandf...
Photo 3: https://seekinglavenderlane.com/hardwood-flooring-and-tiles/
