If you missed the list of projects we have for 2022, then you may not know that our biggest project is new floors upstairs. And they got installed a few weeks ago! We’d been planning for a while and prep and demo took us a few weekends.
I’m going into detail on why we chose to go with LVP and the exact flooring we picked, so keep reading!
Why we chose LVP & not laminate or hardwood
We ruled hardwoods out pretty fast. We already have solid hardwoods throughout our main floor (minus the kitchen) and there are areas that have not held up as well as we’d like. They’re also not resistant to water.
Laminate was one option we were seriously considering. We actually have a tile-look laminate in our kitchen that have held up great great and I think we’ve had them over 10 years. The reason we decided against laminate for upstairs was they can get damaged if liquids don’t get cleaned up right away. One of our family friends installed laminate on their main level and one day their dog peed in the house and they didn’t know until it was too late. Some of their laminate veneer was damaged and peeled up. Our family dog has seizures and can’t control his bladder during them so our fear is that he would have one while we’re not home and it would damage the laminate.
Ultimately, we decided on LVP because of its durability, water resistance, and the ease of installation.
The exact flooring we picked
Once we decided on luxury vinyl, it took us months to find the right color LVP that was warm and complimented the existing color of our gunstock oak hardwoods that are downstairs. When you stand on the top landing and look down the stairs you’ll be able to see both flooring types so we had to make sure they looked good together.
One of the reasons it took so long was because my mom and I were trying to convince my dad that we should go slightly lighter instead of matching the gunstock. It would have made the rooms too dark, plus the glossy dark floors show every speck of dust and dog hair.
The exact flooring we picked was NuCore Blonde Oak. It’s a really great warm wood color with just a hint of a red undertone which really complements the gunstock hardwood we have downstairs.
I won’t go into too much depth about the technical specs or what you should look for when selecting LVP because there are a number of great articles that explain it much better than I could. I will say that one important number to look for is wear layer because that is going to provide you with the durability. The higher the number, the greater the durability. The Blonde Oak has a 20 mil wear layer and with the cork backing the overall thickness is 5.5mm.
Another great thing about LVP is the quick and easy installation since it’s a floating, click and lock floor. Installation happened a few weeks ago and it only took 2.5 days!
Disclaimer: I won a Floor & Decor sweepstakes prize which covered the cost of materials. We paid for the installation ourselves.
