Updated on Apr 10, 2023 10:55 PM EDT
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Hardwood planks have long been a popular flooring choice, offering unrivaled natural warmth. Unfortunately, having fitted them in a farmhouse hallway and a lounge in a remodel, I know that hardwood floors can also be expensive; difficult to install; and prone to dents, scratches, or water damage. Alternatively, the best vinyl plank flooring provides a virtually indistinguishable alternative that’s low cost and can shrug off wear and tear. Some can even be installed on new concrete floors or over existing wood or tile. After my experience downstairs at the farmhouse, I switched to vinyl plank in the five bedrooms—saving a lot of money and completing the job more quickly.
While there are many similarities among the products available, there are also vital differences to consider. Read on to take a closer look at those features and decide which is the best vinyl plank flooring option for your home or business.
As a DIY enthusiast who has carried out extensive remodels of three homes, vinyl planks are one of my favorite flooring systems. I have used them in numerous locations, so I have a good understanding of their structure and limitations. This, combined with the Bob Vila team’s extensive research into vinyl plank flooring brands and their products, resulted in the following selection criteria.
We’ve gathered some of the best vinyl plank flooring currently available and organized them by category to make it easier for shoppers to select the option that’s right for their home.
With so much variety available, choosing a single product as the overall best vinyl plank flooring is a real challenge. Smartcore gets the nod for its combination of practicality, durability, and price. It is good-looking, hard-wearing, and 100 percent waterproof, so it can be used in kitchens and bathrooms as well as living rooms and bedrooms.
The toughness demanded in both residential and light commercial environments is provided by a 12-mil wear layer; a texture layer then provides authentic wood-grain looks. This is on top of a wood plastic composite (WPC) for long-term stability, then an acoustic pad that helps reduce noise.
Smartcore vinyl planks can be laid over any kind of subfloor without prep, but a cork underlayment is recommended for maximum sound absorption and comfort.
Get the Smartcore vinyl plank flooring at Lowe’s.
TrafficMaster may be a budget vinyl plank option, but it is still a good-quality product. It is exclusive to The Home Depot and is manufactured by Shaw, which makes many premium products on the market.
At 4.4 millimeters, it is thinner than some, but it still offers good scratch and impact resistance. It is fully waterproof and suitable for use anywhere in the home, including basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. Sound-absorbing underlayment is preattached, making for easier installation. It is available in seven colors.
While TrafficMaster claims its vinyl plank flooring is intended for residential and light commercial use, a wear layer of 6 mil means it is not intended for high-traffic areas.
Get the TrafficMaster vinyl plank flooring at The Home Depot.
NuCore vinyl plank flooring is unusual in that in addition to the wear layer, it also has a separate antimicrobial coating designed to combat the mold and mildew that can be a problem in humid environments. While this flooring can be used throughout the home, the protective coating makes it particularly good for bathrooms and kitchens.
The wear layer is a substantial 22 mil, making it suitable for both residential and commercial environments. In addition to being waterproof and qualified for installation on, above, and below grade, NuCore vinyl plank flooring is available in eight colors. Added texture offers increased realism.
Despite the product having an attached cork backing for extra comfort, the manufacturer recommends an additional underlayment sheet for sound dampening and to improve warmth.
Get the NuCore vinyl plank flooring at Floor & Decor.
Wide vinyl planks can be impressive in open areas, but in small rooms, they can look a little overwhelming. Narrower flooring usually suits the space better and has the advantage of making the room appear bigger than it is.
COREtec Plus 5-inch vinyl planks are ideal in this instance. The extensive range of a dozen colors means there’s something for all tastes. The planks might be narrower than many others, but they are no less tough with a 20-mil wear layer that makes them suitable for residential or commercial use.
The patent-pending “Hydracore” is a stone plastic composite (SPC) that is totally inert and thus unaffected by water. This means COREtec Plus is also a good choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, and it can be installed above, on, or below grade.
Get the COREtec vinyl plank flooring at Flooring Inc.
Pergo has been making quality flooring since the 1970s. Their Extreme range of vinyl plank flooring is notable for the use of an aluminum-oxide coating rather than the more common polyurethane. It offers increased protection against scuffs and scratches, making Pergo Extreme among the toughest vinyl plank flooring options available. It is also fully waterproof.
Although super tough and ideal for high-traffic areas, Pergo Extreme vinyl plank flooring remains affordable. There are 10 colors to choose from, and each is textured for a more realistic wood effect. An attached cushioned pad deadens sound.
The oversize boards make a dramatic impression in large rooms, and the ease of installation means substantial areas can be covered quickly. However, the size can be inconvenient in smaller rooms. A selection of smaller planks is also available.
Get the Pergo vinyl plank flooring at Riverwoods Flooring.
Lifeproof’s hugely popular luxury vinyl plank flooring answers just about every need while still remaining competitively priced. The 22-mil wear layer means it is as tough as anything available, and it’s rated for both residential and commercial use.
It is easy to look after because it’s scratch-resistant and inhibits mold and mildew thanks to its antimicrobial treatment. Waterproof, it can be swept, vacuumed, or cleaned with a damp mop, but steam mops should not be used.
Lifeproof vinyl flooring does not absorb moisture, so it stays dimensionally stable. It’s also highly resistant to temperature fluctuations and won’t normally distort in sunrooms. The preattached underlayment reduces noise and improves comfort underfoot. The wide choice of finishes means there’s something for nearly every home style.
Get the Lifeproof vinyl plank flooring at The Home Depot.
One of the key features pet owners look for when choosing vinyl planks is scratch resistance. Cats can retract their claws, but the family pooch can’t, and the paths they habitually use when crossing rooms can soon look dull and worn. The Home Decorators flooring has this important feature, combined with dent and stain resistance plus a 12-mil wear layer that ensures it can also shrug off pretty much whatever a family throws at it. It’s also easy to clean.
The Home Decorators vinyl plank flooring comes in a wide range of colors and is rated for both residential and light commercial installations (though not in areas that are regularly subjected to moisture). A preattached pad provides sound suppression and comfort. Plus, it can be installed over almost any subfloor without needing additional underlayment.
Get the Home Decorators vinyl plank flooring at The Home Depot.
Visual appeal is often a key issue when selecting vinyl plank flooring, and it can be a very personal decision. However, beneath that attractive surface there are a variety of features that require careful consideration. The following section provides a detailed explanation of the important technical differences that can impact a vinyl flooring choice.
At its most basic, vinyl plank flooring is a photographic reproduction of wood grain (or other visual) printed onto a PVC sheet. There are a number of other layers in addition to that PVC sheet, and these can greatly affect performance and comfort. There are a few formats of vinyl plank flooring, and each can be installed in different ways.
Many of these products are made abroad, so thickness is usually described in millimeters, with 25.4 millimeters equaling 1 inch. They vary from 4 millimeters for low-cost vinyl plank flooring up to 8 millimeters for a higher-quality, more durable product. Thicker vinyl planks usually absorb more sound and feel more pleasant underfoot, though they do tend to cost more.
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is a much used and occasionally misleading description. The majority of vinyl plank flooring can be called “luxury” regardless of quality, so it’s important to note that there’s no one best luxury vinyl plank brand and to check the specifications carefully. The term “EVP” (engineered vinyl plank) may also be used.
LVP generally consists of three layers: a backing or base made with vinyl and fillers, a printed pattern layer (where the wood look comes in), and a clear-finish layer that offers protection from scratches, scuffs, and staining. Installation options will vary from product to product, but in general, LVP can be installed by gluing planks directory to the subfloor, using a click-lock system to keep the flooring in place (sometimes called a floating floor) or in a loose-lay format, which allows for laying the planks flat.
After LVP started gaining popularity, there were still many customers who preferred the feeling of a rigid plank in their hand—something that felt closer to a true hardwood plank. Enter wood plastic composite (WPC) flooring. A waterproof vinyl plank option featuring a rigid core made of wood pulp and extruded foam, WPC flooring is light and sound absorbent, and it feels warm underfoot. It is generally installed with a click-locking system, eliminating the need for an adhesive.
Stone plastic composite, the successor to WPC flooring, features a rigid core that uses limestone (calcium carbonate). While not as soft or quiet underfoot as WPC vinyl plank or luxury vinyl plank flooring, these floors are very tough and less prone to indentation from heavy objects, such as furniture, than WPC.
Like WPC, SPC vinyl planks are also installed with a click-lock system using preformed grooves rather than needing to be glued down.
Another area that can be confusing is whether vinyl plank flooring is waterproof or not. One of the main components, PVC, is 100 percent waterproof. Both WPC and SPC planks also contain plasticizers to allow some flex without splitting, and this also helps shed water.
However, while a good deal of vinyl plank flooring is waterproof, some is only classified as water-resistant and should not be used in areas of potential high humidity or frequent spills, such as bathrooms and kitchens. Even fully waterproof vinyl plank flooring will distort if submerged for long, and it may not survive flooding.
Vinyl plank flooring’s composition varies a bit from product to product. No matter the format, all vinyl plank flooring will feature a clear-wear layer and pattern layer. Rigid-core vinyl plank flooring, like WPC and SPC, will feature a rigid core made of either wood or stone composite, which gives the plank its rigid feel and heft in hand. Flexible LVP will not feature a core layer but instead a backing made with vinyl and fillers. Some of the best vinyl plank flooring has an additional cork or foam acoustic layer already attached to the bottom.
While lower-cost vinyl plank flooring is usually composed of these three layers, it can be a little noisy when laid on a concrete subfloor. A thin foam or felt underlayment layer is usually recommended to both absorb the sound and add “give,” which improves the comfort underfoot.
Choosing the best vinyl plank flooring for a particular area of a home or office will depend to some extent on the amount of traffic. While each format offers good durability, all surfaces wear eventually.
High-traffic areas like kitchens, dining rooms, entryways, and lobbies don’t necessarily need thicker vinyl planks. While increased thickness often means greater comfort, it is the actual wear layer that is key. Interestingly, wear-layer thickness is measured in mils, and while that sounds like it would be related to millimeters, a mil is actually one thousandth of an inch (.001 inch).
Minimum wear-layer thickness is usually 2 mil, though good-quality vinyl plank flooring will generally be 6 mil and upward.
Wear layer is often used as the distinguishing feature between vinyl plank flooring for residential or commercial use. A 12-mil wear layer is frequently seen as the boundary between domestic and light commercial, whereas 20 mil and upward is considered commercial, used for high-traffic offices or retail areas, for example.
However, the terms “residential” and “commercial” are somewhat arbitrary. A commercial-grade wear layer is usually advised for business premises, but vinyl plank flooring designated as commercial is often also designed to be used in a residential environment. In households with boisterous kids or pets, it could well be the optimal choice.
Picking a grain pattern and color are personal choices, but the variety of vinyl plank flooring options is so vast that whatever the home’s decor, there’s almost certainly something that will fit. Planks are generally 36 inches or 48 inches long. They are easy to trim to length where necessary. A utility knife or hand saw can be used, but a miter saw is the quickest and easiest way to trim a vinyl plank.
Plank width is usually 6 to 8 inches. This is an important consideration in terms of appearance and one that some people struggle to visualize. If there aren’t planks of the appropriate width for reference nearby, it may be worth cutting a couple of mock-up planks.
Vinyl floor planks are usually sold by the square foot. It is important not to underestimate requirements. The entire order should carry the same batch number, or there is a risk of minor color differences.
While some vinyl plank flooring has a peel-and-stick backing, and others need to be glued down, by far the most popular installation option is as a floating floor. When properly installed, the combined weight of the planks and the confines of the room prevent any floor movement. Each manufacturer should provide specific instructions on how to install their product, but the following gives good general guidance.
The above information should have provided plenty of insight into how to choose the best vinyl plank flooring for a number of different locations. Our top picks provide real-world examples. If you still have questions about how to choose the right vinyl plank flooring, read on.
It depends on which is most suitable for the installation. With WPC flooring, a thinner plank may be perfectly acceptable in areas of low traffic, whereas a thicker flexible luxury vinyl plank is probably desirable in lounge or other high-traffic areas. However, SPC can be very tough, despite being comparatively thin. It’s important to consider what happens at the transition between rooms. Choosing a vinyl plank that is too thick can lead to problems with leveling at the doorway.
Vinyl plank flooring is best described as scratch resistant rather than scratch-proof, though it does depend on the quality of the product chosen. Some can be very tough indeed, and many are more resistant to damage than expensive hardwood flooring. Scratching isn’t a common problem, but it can happen. When moving furniture or appliances it’s a good idea to lift rather than drag them, for example.
Absolutely. One of the major advantages of vinyl plank flooring is its ease of installation. Few tools are required and, with a little care, even those with only modest DIY skills can achieve a professional finish.
It depends on the type, so it’s important to check the specifications carefully. Some options are described as water resistant, which is fine in areas where occasional spills are soon cleaned up. For areas that are regularly exposed to moisture, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms, look for 100 percent waterproof vinyl plank flooring.
This will depend on the product you’ve chosen. Typically, vinyl plank flooring is installed by gluing the planks to the subfloor or by using a locking system, which allows the planks to “float” above the subfloor. Some manufacturers also offer loose-lay options.
While some people suggest using a steam mop on a low setting for cleaning vinyl plank floors—particularly some SPC products—it is not recommended. In fact, some manufacturer warranties specifically say you should not steam-mop your vinyl plank flooring.
Steam can eventually penetrate between the planks and get beneath the surface, possibly weakening the glue and causing swelling or warping. Generally, you should use a vacuum or a flat mop that is moist, rather than soaked with water, but always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning.
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