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We install both, so we don't have a horse in this race. The right floor depends on the room, who lives there and how long you plan to stay. Here's how we explain it to customers at the showroom.
Where LVP wins
Luxury vinyl plank has a waterproof core, which makes it the easy choice for basements, mudrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens with kids and dogs. It handles a wet boot or a leaking dishwasher far better than wood. It's also warmer and quieter underfoot than tile, and it goes in fast because it usually floats over the subfloor.
Our LVP installation runs $5.00 per square foot installed. Good products today have realistic wood grain and a tough wear layer that stands up to claws and toys.
Where hardwood wins
Hardwood lasts for generations because you can sand it and refinish it again and again. When LVP gets a deep gouge, you replace the plank. When hardwood gets one, you sand it out. Hardwood also tends to carry more weight with buyers in older Rhode Island and Connecticut homes, where people expect wood in the living areas and bedrooms.
We install unfinished hardwood at $5.50 per square foot and prefinished at $6.00 per square foot.
The honest trade-offs
- Water: LVP handles it. Hardwood doesn't like standing water.
- Scratches: Both scratch. Hardwood can be refinished, LVP can't.
- Basements: LVP, almost every time. Solid hardwood isn't recommended below grade.
- Lifespan: Good LVP lasts many years. Hardwood can outlive the house.
- Feel: Hardwood feels more solid. LVP is softer and quieter.
A mix often works best
A lot of our customers put hardwood in the living room, dining room and bedrooms, then LVP in the basement, laundry and mudroom. You get the value of wood where it shows and the protection of vinyl where water happens.
Stop by the Coventry showroom to see both side by side, or book a free in-home estimate and we'll help you plan the whole house.
