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Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Considerations when purchasing luxury vinyl

The following information about Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) should be  informative and useful when trying to decide on luxury vinyl flooring for your home

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We primarily install Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP) that fall into two of three categories.  The categories of LVP products are similar to each other in that they are composed of 3 layers (vinyl on the top, a rigid core in the middle, and an attached pad on the bottom).  These floors are usually installed in the click/floating method of installation.  We install very few of the old types of "floppy" vinyl planks that are glued down directly to the concrete. 

 

The two primary categories of LVP are the ones with SPC cores, and ones with WPC cores.  (SPC = Stone Plastic Composite, or WPC = Wood Plastic Composite).

 

The third type of core is called a MINERAL core.  Products with a mineral core are VERY hard and are often the most scratch resistant LVP floors. 

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In a nutshell, all else being equal...

  1. Planks with SPC cores will be less expensive than planks with WPC cores.

  2. Planks with WPC cores will be more expensive than planks with SPC cores.

  3. SPC planks are made with compressed limestone.  Therefore SPC cores are VERY hard and dense.  SPC Planks are more dent resistant, louder (with regards to impact noises), and not as comfortable to walk and stand on.

  4. WPC planks are made with a type of foam/plastic core.  Denting is not usually a problem for a WPC floor.  However, technically, a WPC floor will be less dent resistant compared to a SPC floor.  WPC cores will be quieter with regards to impact noises (hard soled shoes & dogs with nails clicking on the floor), and softer/more comfortable to stand and walk on.

  5. Scratching...  LVP floors WILL SCRATCH.  Experience tells us that LVP floors are more scratch resistant when compared to wood floors.  However, we're not aware of any data that states that when a LVP floor is compared to a wood floor that the LVP floor is 5% more scratch resistant, or 50% more scratch resistant.  The color that you choose can greatly influence how scratch resistant you perceive your LVP (or wood) floor to be.  Since floor scratches tend to be white, a floor with a contrasting darker color will definitely make the scratches appear more visible.  However, the same scratches on a lighter colored floor will likely be much more "camouflaged".  Therefore, at any given price point or quality, all else being equal, a lighter floor will likely give the impression that it is "wearing" better than its darker colored counterpart.

  6. Wear Layer Thickness...  The wear layer is the transparent protective layer on the top of the planks and is measured in "mils" (20 mils = .02")  .  "Better" LVP products usually have a wear layer that is at least 20 mils thick.  Most products in the marketplace tend to be 12 mils or 20 mils thick.  However, I've seen products with as little as a 6 mil wear layer and as much as a 30 mil wear layer.  20 mils is the minimum for commercial applications.  12 mils is considered fine for most residential applications.  The thicker the mil layer, the longer it takes to wear through the protective wear layer and into the picture on the plank.  *Keep in mind that a thicker wear layer does NOT (necessarily) make a floor more scratch resistant.  

  7. The overall thickness of a plank is measured in millimeters (mm).  SPC products tend to be thinner and range in thickness from +/- 4 mm to 6.5 mm.  WPS products tend to range in thickness from +/- 5.5 mm to 12 mm (or more).  Generally, thicker products tend to feel more substantial and are quieter with regards to impact noises.  Better products tend to be thicker products.

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COREtec has their own terminology for describing the various features of their products.  In an effort to assist you in navigating the multitude of products on the COREtecfloors.com website, please find a few definitions of the product descriptions and terminology that you'll find on their website:

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  • "Original" Series = Products with a WPC core

  • "Pro" Series = Products with a SPC core

  • "Scratchless" Series = Products with a Mineral core.  This is the only product that I'm aware of that has a warranty against scratching.

  • "Plus" = attached cork pad

  • "Enhanced" = beveled edge.  COREtec has 2 types of "Enhanced" edge profiles:

  1. Cut Bevel = Painted Bevel (Has a small "V" bevel)

  2. Integrated Bevel = Pressed Bevel = Natural Bevel (Has a "rolled" bevel and the "picture" that is on the plank "rolls" down the into the bevel)

  • "XL" = Extra long (+/- 72') and/or Extra wide (+/- 9")

  • In the COREtec family of products, the terms "Premium" and "HD" = High Definition photos and EIR Technology (Embossed in Register).  EIR technology is a process that simulates the natural appearance of hardwood flooring by aligning the surface texture with the photo of wood below the protective surface.  For example...  When you see a knothole, you'll feel a knothole.  Where you see graining, the texture matches up exactly with the graining.  Almost every LVP on the market has some type of texture.  However, most LVP products have a simple, random texture across the planks and the texture does not match the picture on the planks.

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COREtec's nicest products: Most of these products will feature the EIR texture, highest photo quality, longer lengths & wider widths, enhanced bevels and they are VERY thick (10mm, 12mm, and 15mm thick). 

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Examples are:

  • "Soft Step" is a collection with a thicker "Original" WPC core, and a special Soft Step attached pad.  This product is COREtec's quietest and softest floor.  https://coretecfloors.com/en-us/search?searchtext=vv810&searchmode=anyword

  • "Grande" is one of the industry's "Top of the Line" LVP's.  It features a VERY thick (15mm / 5/8") WPC core.  It also is packaged in "random" lengths - up to 82", and has a 30 mil wear layer (most of the other COREtec products have a 20 mil wear layer).  

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