What Is the Top Coat on Cali Bamboo Vinyl Flooring Reviews Consumer Reports

This post shares affordable vinyl plank floor reviews from a homeowner perspective. I have researched affordable vinyl plank floor for months and want to share my findings with you, plus the line we decided to put on our concrete slab in the basement. This post may incorporate affiliate links. Yous can read more than about that here.

10 of the Best Vinyl Plank Flooring Reviews From a Homeowner

I have been researching affordable vinyl plank flooring reviews for months. I've read countless websites—store, large brand, and blogger reviews—asked for input in Instagram, and asked for input on my personal Facebook folio.

I asked friends at work and grilled floor store employees (nicely) near the pros and cons of each option. Basically I am insane. But being insane tin can pb to well-informed decisions, which I am confident nosotros've made!

If you're looking for honest affordable vinyl plank floor reviews from a homeowner, yous're in the right place! Much like my contempo DIY or Rent Out: Lessons from the Staircase post, this ane is going to be long. Buckle up and get ready to take some notes!

Why Choose Vinyl Plank Flooring For My Basement?

First I want to embrace why nosotros're going with vinyl plank flooring for our basement. Some people still have the view that vinyl floor is icky and ugly, only that elementary isn't the example. It volition be a huge pace up from the gross carpet we accept.

Hither are my reasons:

• Cost. Information technology's one-half the price of the engineered hardwoods we thought about trying to lucifer. It'due south more than than laminate, but…
• Durability. Information technology's waterproof. We have a kid and pets, and this space leads to the backyard, where we spend a lot of fourth dimension. Information technology'southward also tough and easy to clean.
• Ease of Installation. Most use an easy click-lock floating method and only require a few tools. Handy homeowners can handle installing information technology.
• Warmth. We're putting ours on a concrete slab, and then I'm not certain how much this will hold true, but I'thousand positive it will be warmer than tile.

All-time Vinyl Plank Floor Reviews Criteria

To begin my search, I created a listing of flooring brands and lines I was interested in researching. Here were my requirements:

• Easy to install.
• $three or less per square pes.
• Can exist laid on a physical slab.
• Excellent reviews—how does information technology concord up?
• Available for me to buy myself—I didn't want to go through a distributor. I wanted to meet big samples, bring them home, feel them, etc.
• Color—the perfect gray-brown to tie in our existing coffee-colored flooring without looking like we were trying to match. Not too much color variation (not my cup of tea), and non as well beach-y looking.

I quickly nixed some options due to my requirements. At that place are some really swell higher end vinyl plank floor brands that can cost upwards of over $v/sq ft. Mannington, Karndean, Congoleum, Cali Bamboo, and some of the brands I looked at have college-end vinyl plank lines. I looked at all of them, but most were out of my price range.

1. SMARTCORE (Lowe'southward)

• Price: $51.61 for a 20.01 sq ft carton ($two.58/sq ft)
• Thickness: 5.5 mm thickness with a 12 mil acrylic wear layer
• Health Factors: GREENGUARD Gold Certified for low emissions
• Fabricated in: Unsure, mixed reports of U.s. and China

SMARTCORE is exclusively sold at Lowe's and is marketed as their best vinyl plank. It'southward 100% waterproof, and the website says it volition never swell when exposed to h2o like laminate can. (Note: I question this because its cadre layer is MDF. Is it truly waterproof?).

The admirer at Lowe'due south said this is the all-time option to hibernate very minor imperfections in subflooring. Information technology meets standards for low emissions, has a durable double coat of UV acrylic terminate, and has a 12 mil wear layer for high traffic. Limited lifetime-residential warranty.

The planks wait amazing and felt substantial. One detractor, however, is that its bankroll didn't seem as cushy as some of the others. The store associate too said I needed an boosted underlayment—no biggie, simply adds to the cost calculations.

I considered Cottage Oak and Huntington Oak, ultimately favoring Cottage Oak because it had a bit more than gray in information technology. Your call for what y'all're looking for, but both are great.

2. Mowhawk Luxury Vinyl Plank (Lowe's)

• Cost: $47 for an xviii.22 sq ft carton ($two.58/sq ft)
• Thickness: 4.five mm thickness with a 20 mil urethane article of clothing layer
• Health Factors: No mention
• Made in: U.s.

While the Mohawk Luxury Vinyl Plank was thinner than the SMARTCORE, it has a thicker clothing layer, so I thought it was worth checking out. Especially since the colors online looked beautiful. I was disappointed that merely one color was available in stores—thankfully one I was interested in—and there were no samples.

The Mohawk planks have a low gloss surface finish, which I like. They take some actually beautiful patterns that I idea looked more than authentic online. Mohawk also markets a painted bevel edge for a more authentic look. Limited lifetime residential warranty, but no mention of reviews for health hazards.

I considered Tybee Island and North Sound. Luckily Tybee Island was in the store and the packet was already open up, so I took them out to investigate. The color and design were stunning—exactly what I was looking for.

Merely they felt very flimsy and I worried near how comfortable they've be on our concrete subfloor. The acquaintance besides said they wouldn't be great for surfaces with any imperfections. Bummer.

3. STAINMASTER (Lowe'due south)

• Cost: $47.19 for a 19.03 sq ft carton ($ii.48/sq ft)
• Thickness: 4 mm thickness with a 12 mil urethane vesture layer
• Health Factors: Flooring Score certified for indoor air quality
• Made in: China

Less thickness and wearable layer than the Mohawk floors, then why did I even consider information technology? The colors looked lovely online, and the reviews were smashing. The cost was excellent, too.

STAINMASTER is a recognizable make. They marketplace their planks as having a protective urethane coating to provide enhanced durability. Limited lifetime residential warranty.

I considered Washed Oak Dove, Washed Oak Umber, and Washed Oak Cottage. Washed Oak Pigeon was my favorite, but unfortunately Lowe'southward didn't have any samples. I too idea the planks felt very flimsy, much like the Mohawk planks. I had the same concerns about our concrete subfloor and comfort.

4. NuCore Waterproof Floor (Floor and Decor)

• Cost: $2.69–$2.99/sq ft
• Thickness: 5.five-6.5 mm thickness with a 22 mil wear layer
• Health Factors: GREENGUARD Gilded Certified for low emissions
• Made in: Cathay

Full disclosure, I take worked with Floor and Decor in the past on our master bathroom. They provided me with the tile, and we had a great experience. And so when a friend mentioned that they loved their NuCore vinyl plank flooring, I added it to the list.

However, the reviews online were spotty, and I didn't accept time to get down to a Floor and Decor to see the planks in person and talk to someone, so I nixed them. Sorry, Floor and Decor! I do have a friend who used their vinyl plank flooring recently, and he was very happy with them.

five. LifeProof (Habitation Depot)

• Toll: $59.97 for a twenty.06 sq ft carton ($2.99/sq ft)
• Thickness: 6.5-viii mm thickness with a 6–12 mil wear layer
• Wellness Factors: Floor Score certified for indoor air quality
• Fabricated in: Red china

This was one of the highly reviewed options from some of my friends who have the floors and live on them every day, so I was excited to check them out. LifeProof planks have an "innovative highly engineered" airtight-cell foamed PVC core (ISOCORE) that makes them very rigid.

Home Depot also markets the attached underlayment every bit able to minimize sounds and enhance warmth. They besides say that the planks have a treatment that inhibits the growth of mold and mildew on the attached underlayment and top surface layer.

The planks are phthalate- and formaldehyde-free. The wear layer is a bit thinner than the others, but Home Depot says it's "enhanced with ceramic bead" that "resists scratches and enhances durability." Lifetime residential warranty.

I considered Sterling Oak, Ocala Oak, and Choice Oak. Ocala and Choice ended upwardly being way too calorie-free and dark, respectively. And then difficult to tell online. Sterling oak seemed to be a great mix of gray and brown, though. All of the planks felt very substantial, much like the SMARTCORE planks at Lowe'due south.

A downside of this line is that it doesn't have equally many color choices, and the vesture layer seems a bit thin for the toll point. (Updating this post to add this note: Information technology'southward now 2021 and they accept TONS more than colors. So this might non be a downside anymore!)

6. Shaw Kalahari (Home Depot)

• Cost: $lxxx.03 for a 27.58 sq ft carton ($2.ninety/sq ft)
• Thickness: three.two mm thickness with an half dozen mil wear layer
• Wellness Factors: No certifications specified
• Made in: Communist china (assuming)

A lot of the Shaw vinyl plank floors at Domicile Depot were over my price threshold of $3/sq ft, but this i wasn't. Available in vi colors. 15 year wear warranty. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see information technology in the store—fifty-fifty a sample—and I really couldn't justify the loftier price for such a low mm thickness and mil clothing layer.

vii. Abode Decorators Drove (Home Depot)

• Cost: $1.99–$2.49/sq ft
• Thickness: 4 mm thickness with an eight mil wear layer
• Health Factors: Floor Score certified for indoor air quality
• Made in: China

I view this as the budget option of LifeProof. The reviews are excellent, simply the shop associate said these floors are best over subfloors that accept very piffling, if any, imperfections. For what it's worth, he said he'd put these in a rental property and put LifeProof in his own home.

Planks are phthalate- and formaldehyde-gratis. Unlike a lot of the other vinyl planks, these crave a 48-hour acclimation time, I assume before installation. That could exist problematic if you don't have anywhere to store all the flooring. Lifetime residential warranty.

I loved the colors Coastal Oak, Crystal Oak, and Quiet Oak online (view all colors hither). They were besides all beautiful in the stores, and this line has a much wider selection of colors. But like some of the others, I thought they were too flimsy for my needs.

8. TrafficMASTER (Home Depot)

• Cost: $45.33 for a 24 sq ft carton ($1.89/sq ft)
• Thickness: 3.viii mm thickness with a 4 mil wear layer
• Health Factors: Flooring Score certified for indoor air quality
• Made in: China

Bully customer reviews on Home Depot'due south website and great diverseness of colors. Installation uses grip strips but is nonetheless a floating floor. 25 year express residential warranty. I considered Brushed Oak Taupe, which looks like a really lovely taupe-y gray.

Like some of the other brands, though, I couldn't get samples or actually see the planks. Given how thin the planks and their wear layer are, though, I nixed them. (Though it's worth noting that with comparable specs to Shaw's Kalahari line just a much lower price, this one would be a better bet.)

ix. Tranquility (Lumber Liquidators)

• Toll: $45.78 for a 19.99 sq ft carton ($2.29/sq ft)
• Thickness: 5 mm thickness with a 20 mil wear layer
• Health Factors: Floor Score certified for indoor air quality
• Fabricated in: China

I was especially excited near this floor because of the lower price, the great reviews, and the personal testimonial from a few friends. I had a lovely experience at my local Lumber Liquidators, where I was able to come across larger samples of the floors and chat with the store associate most the differences.

The Lumber Liquidators website says the planks are also phthalate-condom. I'm wondering if that ways phthalate-complimentary or is a tricky way of saying they have some but not much? 🙂

I drawback of these floors is that they accept no preattached padding, which you lot tin can buy separately if you want. Yous likewise have to purchase a moisture barrier, which is required. I considered Riverwalk Oak, which was really lovely.

10. CoreLuxe (Lumber Liquidators)

• Price: $55.26 for a nineteen.12 sq ft carton ($2.89/sq ft)
• Thickness: 7 mm thickness with a xx mil wear layer
• Wellness Factors: GREENGUARD Gilded Certified or Floor Score certified for indoor air quality
• Made in: People's republic of china

A bit of a pace upward from the Tranquility line in terms of thickness, the CoreLuxe line has a solid polymer core and a high-density 1mm fastened pad underneath. Although information technology has the aforementioned wearable level of thickness as the Tranquillity line, the website claims CoreLux has an enhanced wear layer that protects confronting damage.

It also has superior dent resistance. Same comment as the Placidity line virtually being phthalate-safe. 50-yr residential warranty. I considered Beach Cottage Oak and Driftwood Hickory, and I can tell you that these planks are great. Very thick and sturdy.

I was really impressed past how realistic the samples looked and how substantial the planks felt, especially with the attached pad. Information technology felt like it would hold upward very well and "felt" more like wood to me.

Withal, I had some trouble finding the perfect color. I also didn't like that a separate moisture barrier was required, and the store was also selling an insulated underlayment; these things would push me up over my $iii/sq ft upkeep.

My Top 3 best affordable vinyl plank flooring options

After researching these 10 options and spending more fourth dimension in stores and staring at samples than I'd like to admit, hither are my top three choices for overall bank for my basement buck:

• CoreLuxe EVP in Beach Cottage Oak at Lumber Liquidators
• LifeProof Luxury Vinyl Plank in Sterling Oak at Home Depot
• SMARTCORE Luxury Locking Vinyl in Cottage Oak at Lowe's

But I'm going to leave yous hanging on what I chose. Every bit of writing this mail, this is what my basement looks like comparing my top 3 floor options. If you listen hard enough, yous tin can hear Mike whispering "but make a damn decision already." 😉

2021 Update: Nosotros dear our floors!

Hi everyone! I get a decent number of messages about this postal service, and then I wanted to pop dorsum in and do an update. Which flooring did I choose? When I left this postal service in early 2019, I was merely about to decided which flooring to put in our basement. I was down to the following:

• CoreLuxe EVP in Embankment Cottage Oak (Lumber Liquidators)
• LifeProof Luxury Vinyl Plank in Sterling Oak (Home Depot)
• SMARTCORE Luxury Locking Vinyl in Cottage Oak (Lowe's)

I exercise believe that all three of these would have been groovy options. All the same, we ultimately chose to become the Home Depot route and get LifeProof Luxury Vinyl Planks in Sterling Oak. Here's why nosotros chose LifeProof flooring, too as why we didn't cull CoreLuxe or SMARTCORE.

CoreLuxe vs. Lifeproof vs. SMARTCORE

My CoreLuxe review in a nutshell—information technology was beautiful, and information technology honestly felt the most substantial out of all three options. It had what appeared to exist the best vesture layer at 20 mil. Yet, it also required a separate wet bulwark, and the salespeople were really pushing an insulated underlayment also.

This would take merely been more things to add to my list to do, and it also would have pushed the price up over what i wanted to spend. Also, on a colour note, I did think the color was but a pilus besides brown for what I was looking for, and I wasn't finding anything that I liked better there.

Equally for SMARTCORE, I loved the DIY arroyo of being able to really expect at the planks and experience them. (Lumber Liquidators has everything in the back in more of a "exhibit style" store.) This one had a 5.5 mm thickness with a 12 mil vesture layer, so less than the CoreLuxe, only more than or equal to the LifeProof floors.

Even so, a big detractor for SMARTCORE for me was that the store associate said I'd also need to buy an underlayment. Once more, not a bargain breaker, but something else I'd take to do and something else I'd have to gene in to my costs. So that left us with LifeProof.

The LifeProof luxury vinyl planks at Dwelling house Depot seemed very similar to the SMARTCORE planks (v.6-viii mm thickness with a 6-12 mil clothing layer). Then the wearable layer was a bit thinner.

Ultimately, LifeProof won me over for iii reasons:

• Despite the thinner wear layer, everything I read suggested it was more than plenty for residential use.
• The planks felt great and looked awesome—Sterling Oak is pretty much exactly the color I wanted.
• The color I wanted was in store in boxes on the shelf. I similar the DIY approach. Showrooms stress me out.
• And, finally—no underlayment or moisture barrier required! Just lay the planks right at present—yay!

I'one thousand really proud that I did this totally by myself, and so if I tin practice information technology, I know you can practise it. You tin can besides check out more detailed posts on installing LifeProof luxury vinyl plank floor and our review of LifeProof floors one twelvemonth later.

Share my Vinyl Plank Flooring Reviews on Pinterest!

**Please know that your item preferences, state of affairs, room, and handiness may differ from mine. While I hope you found this post helpful and can utilize it to help guide your search, definitely ask store associates and read a diversity of reviews to ensure you brand the best decision for your dwelling house. Also, specs and prices change over fourth dimension, so while I've made ever effort to ensure the information included hither is accurate as of March 2019, it might change. Good luck on your search! 🙂

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Source: https://www.bybrittanygoldwyn.com/affordable-vinyl-plank-flooring-reviews-from-a-homeowner/

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