The floor everyone asks for now
Luxury vinyl plank took over for good reasons. It is waterproof, it takes a beating from dogs and kids, it costs less than hardwood, and the good product looks convincing underfoot.
It also telegraphs every flaw in your subfloor, which is where most bad LVP jobs go wrong.
Flat matters more here than anywhere
Rigid core planks are thin and they do not bend to meet a low spot. Lay them over a subfloor with a dip in it and you get one of two outcomes: the floor flexes and clicks when you walk across it, or the locking edges work themselves apart over a year and the seams open up.
Manufacturers publish a flatness tolerance, usually something like 3/16 inch over ten feet. We check it with a straightedge, not by eye, and we fill or grind until it passes. On a rough basement slab that can mean a self-leveling pour, and if it does, we will tell you what that costs before we start rather than discovering it mid-job.
This step is where cheap bids get cheap. Skipping it is invisible on day one and obvious in month ten.
Rigid core, WPC, or glue-down
Rigid core (SPC) has a dense mineral core. It is the most dimensionally stable option and the best choice for a room that sees big temperature swings, like a sunroom or a basement with big south windows.
WPC has a foamed core. It is softer and quieter underfoot and more forgiving, though slightly less stable in heat.
Glue-down LVT is the commercial answer. It goes down flat, it does not float, and it handles rolling loads like carts and pallet jacks. For a warehouse or a retail floor it is usually the right call. See commercial flooring.
Transitions and expansion
Floating floors need room to move at the perimeter and under every door. We leave the expansion gap the manufacturer calls for and cover it with base or quarter round. Pinning a floating floor at the edge, by screwing base too tight or trapping it under a cabinet toe kick, is the most common reason an LVP floor buckles in the middle of a room.
Where we install
LVP and LVT installation from Logan to Nephi, including Murray, Sandy, Midvale, Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Millcreek, Taylorsville, West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton, Draper, Lehi, American Fork, Bountiful, and Layton.
Have LVP that is lifting or gapping? See vinyl plank repair.