i don't think that is insane I love mine we have 2 big dogs and no scratches after 7 yrs I would use it everywhere on the main floor as it does not look good used next to real wood.

I should also mention the ceramic tile may be exacerbating
some foot pain for both my husband and myself.

Actually the price of the laminate is comparable to the ceramic wood-look we were considering for awhile. I just don't want to decrease the value of my home while increasing my investment. What would a realtor think/advise?

This would devalue a home I was considering buying. I'm not a fan of tile in kitchen but pulling up wood floors due to color is shortsighted and wasteful. 10 years is a short time. Invest in rugs, rubber mats for standing areas in kitchen. Refinish floors and stain if you like. If you must replace it all, use factory finished hardwood.

Hi Janis! go for it. I think for the kitchen this is a practical choice because of foot traffic, spillage, etc . For other parts of the house investing in wood would be good. Just balance your investment. In 10 years who knows if your taste will change and there's something new you'll want to try.

you can also decorate your floors with oriental rug (which is something you can pass down to your grandkids).

This question reminds me of a scene in the movie He's Just Not That Into You where Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Connelly was standing in the aisle of a home center and debating over whether to purchase hardwood or laminate?

LVT is not laminate. It's important to know what you're looking at when choosing a flooring material. LVT is a vinyl (plastic) plank tile. Laminate is a wood veneer over a plywood backer which is pre-finished and installed the same as a true hardwood. LVT is glued down.
A note on the installation of LVT: Make absolutely sure that your installer completely cleans the subfloor prior to installation and keeps it completely clean through the entire installation. The smallest piece of any debris on the floor will poke through the floor and be seen as a raised bump. LVT is not easy to get right, especially on a wood subfloor that may not be perfectly level. You will see every imperfection.
Laminate flooring is very durable. Because of the shop finish, it is typically more durable than true hardwood that is field finished. Excessive scratching and dinging in a true hardwood is usually due to a poor finish - either too few coats or improper curing of the top coats.
It is always a shame to see real hardwood floors be taken up and replaced with fake. But if you do, my recommendation is laminate wood flooring. LVT looks exactly like what it is - plastic.
Best of luck.

Thank you for the clarification. What I am considering is Audora Luxury Vinyl PLANK not laminate.

Janis, I still recommend a laminate pre-engineered wood floor. LVT looks like plastic. Also, it's likely that the hardwood is existing underneath your tile. The wood can be sanded and stained the color you're looking for much cheaper than replacement. If you have them refinished by someone who specializes in hardwood floors there is no reason the finish shouldn't last 10-20 years or more. Even with animals.
My own home was a 1918 Craftsman. I refinished the floors and we had a very large dog who was "energetic" as well as my son crawling around. We never had any scratches in our finish from the dog's nails. Furniture dings, yes. Claw marks, no. The key is a quality finish with multiple coats and proper curing. Hardwood will nearly last forever.
Best of luck.

Rogue, you're confusing your products. Laminate is exactly like laminate counters. It's a picture of wood under plastic, laminated to a MDF substrate. It's NOT wood. It is installed as a floating floor, with a foam underlayment vapor barrier an cushion.

What you are sorta describing is engieered wood, which IS real wood. The top layer can vary from a very thin non refinishable piece, to a thick piece that is refinishable several times, just like solid. It can vary as to the number of layers of ply inside, as well as the species of those layers. It can be cheaper than laminate, or if good quakity, more expenive than solid.

Engineered wood is much more stable than solid wood in the presence of moisture. Thus it is the preferred choice to go over that porous sponge of a concrete slab foundation. It usually can be installed by nailing or glueing to the substrate. Some can be floated, but it makes it sound hollow and echoey like laminate does. It adds value to a home to install engineered wood, whereas laminate does not.

In a higher end home, vinyl or laminate would be a serious deduction at selling time.

Sophie, yes you are correct. Thank you for clarifying laminate versus engineered. As you can tell I am not a fan of LVT. Especially with so many engineered and hardwood options today.
On moisture, I agree about engineered over hardwood but if you prepare the slab properly and install over sleepers with a vapor barrier you won't have any issues with the hardwood. This is a standard detail for my office and has always worked well.
Great comments. Thanks!

Installing LVT in kitchen to replace tile shouldn't do too much in way of resale. LVT in place of solid hardwood will certainly devalue your home. If you are set on LVT in the kitchen then go for it. At the same time (as you've already stated) have the hardwoods sanded down and refinished with a complementary stain (not identical but same tones) and refinished in a CLEAR COAT polyurethane. The "orange" you are seeing on your oak is due to solvent based (aka "oil based") polyurethane/urethane. If you stay away from oil or oil modified finishes you will stay away from "orange/yellow" tones. The sand/refinish is (roughly...depending on where in N. America you live) $5/sf and that includes custom stain jobs. You would be hard pressed to find LVT with an INSTALLED cost of $5. Let alone the cost of removing/demolition of old flooring. Subfloor preparation with LVT is VERY PRECISE. Run away from anyone who offers an "installed price" without visiting your home (ie. big box stores rarely come out to offer demo+product+install costs).

Once the floors are finished to your liking the wear on both the hardwood and LVT should be just about the same. I'm sorry to hear that a solid hardwood hasn't stood the test of time as it should (re: Robin's comments). A solid hardwood can have a 'pick-me up' called a buff and coat and is usually half the price of a full sand/refinish...and takes roughly half the time...uses half the product...and produces roughly 1/2 the dust...you get the idea.

Because you are doing an "upgrade" and "update" at the same time, try to maintain the hardwoods in the home. Replace the tile/carpet with what you want...but keep the hardwood. A hardwood always offers the HIGHEST resale value over any other flooring type...even cork (I had to throw that in there).

I would consider that many would prefer tile in the kitchen - and I couldn't read all that was posted...comfort rugs and comfy shoes for your bodies' sake. If you like idea of covering the tone of honey, FLOR has some beautiful carpet tiles which could be extended into the living area.
You lift up and rinse in the mudroom.... I just received their catalog and they give 15 percent off.

LVT is relatively thin. Could you lay it right over top of the tile and hard wood if they are the same height?

LVT cannot be installed over anything with a texture (like tiles that have grout lines). To install LVT over ceramic/porcelain tiles you have to A) sand to a flat surface or B) cover in self leveling compound to get an even surface. LVT should go down over smooth, flat, even plywood or concrete. That's it. (Oh it can be installed over top of well adhered smooth flat even vinyl/lino as well).

Just curious what you decided to go with - LVT or hardwood? We have a similar dilemma. Our hot water heater flooded our main living level, ruining our existing engineered hardwood floors. The floors were already in terrible shape, as our two 50-lb dogs had scraped through the wood layer with their nails, making them impossible to refinish. We have looked at all types of flooring (strand woven bamboo, solid hardwood, tile, laminate, LVT, etc.), but we have found that EVERYWHERE we go to look at flooring, salespeople are pushing LVT. I get that it is waterproof and easy to maintain for a family with two large dogs and three small children, but we're probably only going to live in our current house for 3-5 more years, so I'm terrified of limiting resale options down the road. Yet we also don't want to put new hardwoods in and have the dogs ruin them in the next few years, also making the house less desirable for resale. Any opinions? If you did install the LVT, are you happy with it?

I kept my ceramic and replaced everything else in the kitchen! Good luck to you!

Just to clarify, LVT stands for Luxury Vinyl Tile which is not the same as mass market vinyl tile. It is more resilient, absorbs sound and is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Proper prep and installation is key. LVT is typically a commercial product which is made for heavy traffic. Again, there are different thicknesses and different qualities. Most people would not be able to tell LVT is vinyl. My recommendation is you work with an registered interior designer to determine which product is best for your application. Education is the key.

I really don't think someone will base their decision on buying a house if it has hardwood or laminate. I f someone likes your home,location etc. they will switch it up to what they want. Nothing is permanent. The value will probably stay the same if the job is done correctly and the house looks good.

I would absolutely judge my home buying decision on flooring. No laminate, no vinyl, luxury or otherwise. I would get regular old hardwood and refinish when you sell. Easy-peasy.

If your dogs are scratching your floor their toenails are too long.

We don't have dogs but 3 contractors who specialize in flooring told us that they would provide warranties against normal wear and tear and scratches for wood- unless we had dogs. They insisted that pet claws can cause deep scratches.,

. I don't know if this is true so I am only noting the info I was given. When we bought our house, however, the former owners had digs and the floors had deep scratches.

If course, maybe they didn't keep the dogs' nails trimmed properly. Again, I have no idea how risky it would be. We do have laminate flooring in 2 rooms and wood in the others. I regret purchasing the laminate because in spite of being careful some pieces have risen enough to be noticeable.

Is it possible to install wood over laminate?

Currently, I'm considering doing my entire first floor (and eventually the basement) in LVT because I have too many issues with different floors and damaged original hardwood. All the rooms except the bathroom and the area of the kitchen with the appliances have unfinished 2" wide white oak. It has a lot of large stains and the previous owners apparently didn't humidify well enough to keep the boards from shrinking so there are many gaps between planks and some rippling in the hall in front of the bathroom where it probably got wet. I *might* look good refinished in a deep red mahogany but I don't know for sure. I have gone back and forth with all the options of what to do to bring all the floors into something fairly consistent in color, style and level since they all run from one to another.

Two years ago, I remodeled the bathroom and had a wood-look red mahogany porcelain tile floor put in with the idea that I would refinish all the floors the same red mahogany shade. But that still leaves me with the kitchen area that was originally built with '50s linoleum but now has a plywood substrate with sheet vinyl running over it and into the eat-in area that used to be a bedroom with a 2" wide hardwood floor. Considered redoing the kitchen area with 2" hardwood to match all but I live in MN (snow and salt coming in several doors) and have two cats that love to play in their water dish so how practical would that be? The living room also has some areas that would need to be patched with new wood before they could be refinished.

Then I thought using more of the wood-look porcelain in a herringbone pattern to mask the width difference between the kitchen and the eat-in area real wood but at least the floors would be more consistent color-wise. But tile is so hard and cold and I don't want to try to install that myself (I've installed floor tile and know my knees and patience aren't there anymore) so it would cost a lot. I had never considered LVT until a friend who's opinion I value said he put it in his kitchen and loves it. The Allure Ultra product actually looks really good to me AND I wouldn't have to put everything I own outside to install it like I would if I wanted to refinish all the wood floors at once to avoid any lap marks that would appear if I tried to do one room at a time.

My little rambler isn't a mansion and I don't intend to sell any time soon so not too concerned about resale but I do want it to look upscale for me (granite countertops everywhere/custom tile in the bath/nice appliances, etc). Plus, the Allure LVT is a floating floor so it won't damage the real wood underneath if a buyer really wanted to refinish it. So unless anyone has a better idea, that's probably what I'll do.

Lauri Mueller, take a look at Modin if you are looking for a vinyl plank floor that can be floated and has a luxurious feel. The planks are all 9" x 60", and have an industry leading 1.0 mm (40 mil) wear-layer. Here are some photos and a link:

http://www.flooret.com/modin-vinyl-plank-flooring/

I looked. Unfortunately, I don't like any of the colors and I don't like planks that wide :(

Thanks anyway!

Lauri-I recommend starting your own design dilemma. That said, I would make an effort to strongly differentiate different floor types (mahogany bathroom tile, kitchen choice) rather than try to match. It is commonly done and nice to have different flooring in these areas, where with matching, anything but a true match in color and material will look quite jarring and bad. You must finish your wood floors to avoid further damage and staining. I have wood throughout, and frequent puddles (Xmas tree, cat bowl) does not do significant damage if cleaned up reasonably soon. A placemat for cat water helps. Regarding salt and ice, sturdy mats for winter and spring with boots not allowed past is a must regardless of flooring! Shoes off at all times in my house :) re: kitchen floor, there are so many wonderful options these days!

Regarding comments about not installing LVT over existing floors: I have been told by flooring dealers that the thicker LVT (very rigid) goes over tile and existing hardwood, etc. without looking bumpy/lumpy. Am I a sucker to believe this?

@Amy...Don't believe a word they say about "not looking lump/bumpy". They are trying to "seal the deal" and then UP CHARGE YOU for flooring prep to get the original floor READY for the vinyl.

All vinyl (I'll say this again: ALL VINYL) requires: flat and even subfloors. Technically they can be laid over top of old flooring...so long as they are FLAT and EVEN.

Tile needs to be sanded (to reduce the corners) and then the grout lines need to be filled. Need to be filled! If in doubt, read the installation instructions found on the internet.

A SOLID hardwood (no bevelled edges...just a plain old flat hardwood) that is PERFECTLY FLAT can have vinyl installed directly over top without preparation. I've never met a "perfectly flat" hardwood so that rules out "directly over top". It would have to be sanded to help even it out. An engineered hardwood with bevelled edges (those little valleys between each plank that look so pretty) have to be sanded down or "filler" used (this is a NO-NO but they will try) or plywood installed OVER it...and then you can lay the new vinyl.

I've seen floating laminate and cork installed DIRECTLY over these types of floors (without prep...just slapped it into place) and they felt and sounded HORRIBLE. They bounced and clicked and "slapped" every time you stepped on them. And laminate/cork can handle more movement than vinyl.

Do not believe ANYONE until they have STEPPED INTO YOUR HOME and taken measurements. The "sales guy" won't do that. A flooring professional will come in and have a look. You will get an estimate which includes ALL the prep to get vinyl in place (without the horrible sound/feel of badly installed flooring).

And vinyl does NOT like underpad...so there is nothing to be added that will "help" the floor feel or sound better. Many have tried...and many have had complaints about the product. It isn't the product...it is the subfloor. If you have lumpy/bumby subfloor you have BAD flooring. That's reality of flooring. The finished results are based heavily on the prep. Bad prep = bad floor.

I have a sample of the thick LVT and I find it hard to believe that ANY texture from a lower flooring would ever come through it. It is hard stuff. Standard vinyl sheet flooring, yes, that would show through because it is thin and soft. Now, if the surface to be covered is lumpy and not level in a large way, like tiles popping up, I could see that it would be difficult to get LVT planks to lie flat without the edges popping up so in that case you would need to do something about the subfloor but for simple, even textures like grout lines or spaces between wood planks, I find it really hard to believe that that would end up on the top of quality LVT planks. Does it show up if wood laminate planks are put down?

Cancork- How can you say that dealer is lying to upsell her floor prep when they are actually telling her that she WON'T need floor prep? Seems like a baseless accusation and not very nice of you business to business. Yes, they may be overselling the ease of installing the floor but they certainly aren't trying to sell her prep services based on what they told her.

I wish I could say that all floor sales people where of the same ilk, but I can't. I've seen enough people sell the WRONG product for a project. I see it on a daily basis. As a flooring sales person, I have seen the practices first hand. I've helped replace those floors (the wrong one's sold to clients). I've helped educate clients and sales people alike.

The "telegraphing" through of the surface bumps underneath are not the concern with the really thick planks (7mm - 8mm vinyl). The integrity of the lock system sitting over top of the wavy/lump/bumpy grout lines will certainly be stretched possibly to the breaking point.

I've seen enough of these vinyl lock systems snap or break (or come apart like a badly bent zipper) to know that the flatness/evenness of the subfloor is paramount to success.

Laminate floors are often "thicker" than vinyl. Many vinyl planks are 4mm thick. A 'low end laminate' is 7mm. A high-end laminate is 15mm. The physical thickness of the laminate (and therefore the physical size of the click system) allows greater strength. This then translates into less chances of the lock system breaking or "letting go" when installed over a less than perfect subfloor.

Even then, customer satisfaction DROPS when these floors are installed over top of uneven surfaces. That means complaints go UP. The bouncing and the clicking causes upset. Satisfaction with a floor is also part of the equation. Proper preparation helps satisfy this element.

Thank you for your detailed explanation. I am discouraged by this news. Perhaps you will indulge me further by hearing my situation and possibly recommending a better option. My main floor is approx. 1,500 square feet. My house was built in 1998. The tile in the kitchen, breakfast room, laundry room and bathrooms is original, as is the hard wood flooring in the office, foyer, hallways and stairs. The living room, dining room, master bedroom and guest bedroom all have newer carpet. I have 4 dogs, all rescues. I need flooring that can withstand accidents and provide easy cleanup. I like the look of wood. I despise carpeting. Since I have a great deal of square footage, and flooring sales reps have explained LVT's durability, waterproof characteristics, reasonable cost and ability to leave all but the carpet intact, it seems like a no brainer to go with LVT. What would you do if you were in my shoes?

You have three different floors. Of which only one can handle pet urine...the tile. The hardwood and tile are poor choices for the circumstances. IF you remove the carpet, you have to put in either tile (different pattern of tile) or LVT/sheet vinyl. This still leaves you with the dreaded "3 different flooring products".

Porcelain tile is the BEST option for the animals. It will withstand everything. You may have to look at replacing two of the three floors. Sadly that means removing the valuable hardwood as well.

Tough choice. Expensive choice. Rescue animals will cause damage to the wood that will eventually cause you to remove it anyway. Tiles are the best bet for incontinent animals.

Thanks for your feedback. If porcelain tile is my best option, does all the existing flooring need to be removed first? Also, I have seen claims on various websites that cork and bamboo can float over existing floors. Any thoughts on this?

Hi Amy,

Cork is a good option with pets. It is moisture resistant when treated properly, spills wipe up easily, and its antimicrobial and low-allergen properties are helpful for allergies.

http://www.torlys.com/best-flooring-for-furry-family-members/

I feel like cork would get torn up by pets. Laminate is durable but considered low-end compared to real wood or tile. Factory finished hardwoods are tougher than those finished in place and lighter colors do not show scratches as much. I also would like to put out there that wood floors are still beautiful even when they are worn. Floors are going to get dirty and be subject to wear and tear.

From icorkfloor.com:

Cons

One of the main drawbacks of cork is it is soft. For people looking for “perfect looking” floors for decades, cork cause upset. It will scratch (like a hardwood). It requires maintenance products be used (just like laminate) and on occasion the surface needs to be refreshed (like hardwood).

I have a higher end home and have two large dogs, a toddler and a baby on the way. We’ve gotten 4 quotes for wood floors and every installer has told me that I need to prepare myself for the fact my dogs will scratch them. Also, in the kitchen it will raise the stove height to above the counter height, it will lock in our dishwasher so we will have to rip the wood up if we need to replace the dishwasher and it will swell and warp if it gets wet!

Thinking about all those expensive repairs to the wood floor is not appealing to me. I came across some luxury vinyl tile and I’m going to be replacing all the downstairs area with this. I currently have 18” tiles and carpet.

Personally, I think more people are realizing the benefits of luxury vinyl. In my case, the cost savings are just a bonus but even if it weren’t less expensive if I’d still choose the more durable, less maintenance product!

We too have a mid- to higher-level home with mostly hardwood floors (but also a stained concrete floor in a "great room" addition). At the center of it all is a galley kitchen, with connecting powder room and mud room, that for 20+ years have been covered in a high quality Wilsonart laminate. Its realistic "red oak" planks have fooled countless visitors and tradesmen over the years who complimented us on taking such good care of our wood floors. (It's in "better shape" than our ACTUAL wood floors.) When installed, a luan type wood sheet was put over an older plywood subfloor and then the foam underlayment. Never an issue with leveling or squeaks, so I'm hoping that prep for a new floor will be straightforward. However, due to some water damage (slightly raised plank edges) over the years (around the toilet, near the sink) it's finally time to replace it. We'd like to avoid the potential water damage issue again, so are looking at LVT.

To the point made by others, when we go to good flooring stores (including the one that sold/installed the Wilsonart floor 20 years ago), the displays and salespeople overwhelmingly push LVT. I like the look well enough, but think I might miss the ever-present, satin sheen of the old laminate. LVT seems "matte or flat" no matter what and I see issues with water spot, which is ever present in our kitchen. We don't have dogs and our boisterous boys no longer clamber through the kitchen on skates.

We're empty nesters and hope to get through another 5-7 years before we sell the place; the buyers will almost certainly be a young upwardly mobile family looking for neutral if not trendy decor. However, a medium oak finish will still be what matches the rest of the home's floors and woodwork the best. We've seen some finishes in Coretec One and a few others that are a decent match.

What do you think...should we fall in with the LVT plank gang?

Nope

I’ve said it before but I don’t mind repeating this. I love my tile floors. Beautiful, easy care, indestructible. My only regret is that I didn’t do the kitchen when we had it installed, but hope to get that done soon. Probably the best decision I ever made.

Scratches and all, I'd go with wood. I just call ours well-loved, but I also prefer imperfections.

Busygal, what brand are your vinyl floors? Choosing flooring sounds impossible! We're in the process of figuring it out in the near future. To please ourselves if we stay in this house, or to please potential buyers if we decide to downsize. Maybe make no decision at all and give buyers a flooring allowance! The first floor of our house has an entryway, l.r., d.r., large kitchen with large eating area, and a family room. And I like carpet too! I would like to know more about your vinyl floors.

For scratch resistance and a wood look, consider a carbonized stranded bamboo floor, the color is the same all the way through the floor material so if a scratch does make it into the board, you will not see it. The stranded bamboo does not have the signature bamboo knots, but looks more like a traditional wood floor of a dense grain. We put this in my son's room when he was 7, he is now 17 and there is not a scratch on it, finish is like the day we installed it and he loves his skateboard and not picking things up but tossing them in the room. he had a roll out trundle bed and we have a dog that likes to jump up on the bed to say good morning. There is no evidence of any of these events on the surface of the floor. We used an engineered stranded bamboo floating floor and it has held up great. I tried to gouge it with a screwdriver prior to installing as was not able to make a dent, very high on the janka hardness scale. this site has some good explanations and images of the carbonized stranded bamboo floors. https://www.ambientbp.com/carbonized-bamboo-flooring.php

Honestly,

Don't buy LVP it's a major pain to install and unless your floor is dead level and I mean dead level the seams will pop out at the end and even then they still pop out.

I know floors are supposed to be level, but a house will inevitably settle and your done, the floors will start to pop and your floor is junk.

Save the hassle and go with engineered hardwood. LVP is not worth a dime a square foot in my opinion, the subfloor is probably a better option. I majorly regret installing it and now I'm stuck with it.

@Timothy Doermer, would you mind posting what brand of LVP you installed? Is it still giving you problems?