Considering vinyl plank flooring in your home? Here’s our review of how peel and stick vinyl flooring has held up over two years.
When it comes to projects that Corey and I have completed in our house, one of the things we get asked about more than anything else is our peel & stick vinyl plank flooring. We installed the Style Selections luxury vinyl plank flooring from Lowe’s in Jackson’s room a little over two years ago, and in our living room and dining room about a year ago. We frequently get asked if we still like it, how it’s holding up with dogs, and how we clean it. I haven’t ever done a formal vinyl plank flooring review, and we get asked about it all the time.
Well, I’m nothing if not helpful…so here’s what we think of our vinyl plank flooring after living with this floor for more than two years:
This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
UPDATE: Since this post was written we’ve had experience with two different types of vinyl plank flooring in two different houses! Here are a few posts that may interest you after you finish this one!
- Here’s a detailed review of this flooring and an overview of how to install it.
- Here’s a more in-depth tutorial on installing this exact flooring.
- This post shares our experience with having glue-down vinyl plank installed in our second home.
- And this post shares what we think after three homes and three different types of vinyl plank – which one is the best?!
2 Years In: Our Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Review
Bottom line?
We love our vinyl plank flooring.
I could just leave it at that, but I’ll elaborate.
We were pretty eager to get this flooring installed because we hate (hate hate hate) carpet and couldn’t wait to get it out of our house. We wanted something that mimicked the appearance of wood but was a little less precious (we are pretty hard on our floors with two dogs, a toddler, and very little time to devote to upkeep), and we wanted something cheap. My sister installed this same brand of vinyl plank flooring in her home a couple of years before we did, and she was constantly singing its praises, so we figured we would give it a shot.
Vinyl Plank Flooring Review
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts about the flooring, it is a breeze to install. Other than having Corey’s help with prep work and moving furniture, I installed all of the vinyl plank flooring in our house by myself (click here to see the details on the installation process). It’s pretty idiot-proof, and I honestly worried it wouldn’t be very durable with how simple it was – but that’s been far from the truth! I’m pretty passionate about telling the world how awesome this stuff is (I promise they’re not paying me to say this!), so here are some answers to the questions we get most frequently about our floor.
What brand of vinyl plank flooring did you use?
This is hands down the questions we get asked the most often. The flooring we used is from Lowe’s and it’s the Style Selections luxury vinyl plank flooring in the Antique Woodland Oak color. There are similar options available on Amazon – this one is probably the closest to the color we used.
How is it holding up?
The flooring definitely has some dings and scratches from the dogs, but they’re far less noticeable than I would imagine they would be on real wood flooring. You can only see the scratches when the light hits the floor just right, and even then they aren’t bad enough to bother me.
There are a few imperfections from installation – which are totally our fault. I blame this on not taking as much time as we should have with ensuring the floor was completely clean and free of bumps or dirt. There is one board where there was clearly a raised spot in the concrete that I missed, and you can see how it’s affecting the board.
There are a couple of other boards that are peeling up on the edges due to some dust or imperfections underneath them. I think there are two in the whole house.
So, is it possible to fix the issues?
Yes! The beauty of peel & stick vinyl plank flooring is that the fix for both of these issues is extremely simple – all I have to do is pull up the board, fix the floor underneath, and lay a new one. We even have some extra boards in the workshop, I just haven’t gotten around to fixing the issues because it doesn’t actively bother me. I plan on trying to add some adhesive to the peeling-up boards before I replace them, just to see how it works, but the other one will need to be replaced.
We have only ever had to replace one plank so far, and it happened the day after we installed the floor. Corey dropped a glass on the floor at just the right angle, it shattered, and it cut up the vinyl pretty bad. We popped a new board into place and you can’t tell the difference – if we had scratched up brand new hardwood flooring, it would not have been that simple of a fix!
How does it look in real life?
I totally understand this concern – it’s so cheap that it almost seems too good to be true (ours cost about $1.50 per square foot)! I can promise you that the flooring looks just as good in person as it does in the photos. We have fooled many, many people who visit our house and don’t believe us when we tell them that it’s not real wood. My sister has had delivery men insist on keeping booties on and laying down protective covering on her floor when bringing in large things because they’re afraid of messing up her nice wood floor!
Does it feel like real wood?
Short answer – not really.
It definitely doesn’t feel like hardwood, but it also doesn’t feel like vinyl flooring. It’s got a wood-grain texture on it, and the vinyl is really high-quality, so it feels nothing like the vinyl flooring that we have in our kitchen. It’s thicker, nicer, and much more realistic feeling. I would say that when you’re walking on it, it feels similar to the texture of hardwood, but it’s cold like tile or concrete. It’s not unpleasant to sit or even lie down on, and I’d say it’s just as comfortable to walk or sit on as hardwood would be.
How do you clean your vinyl plank flooring?
I clean it just like I clean the tile and other vinyl flooring in my home – I vacuum regularly, and I use my steam mop to clean once a week or so. If I’m in a rush and don’t want to pull out the steam mop, I’ll just grab my spray mop and use some all-purpose cleaner (I love Mrs. Meyer’s brand!) to do a quick cleaning.
* * * * * * * * * *
We have been more than happy with this flooring since we installed it, and we can’t wait until we muster up the money and energy to carry it into the kitchen (and the rest of the rooms upstairs)! If you’re looking for an affordable, easy-to-install, and durable option for your house, vinyl plank flooring is your friend. Promise.
Have you ever tried luxury vinyl plank flooring? Do you love it as much as I do?
A Few Related posts you may find helpful
- Our first experience with vinyl plank flooring
- Installing vinyl plank flooring downstairs
- Installing vinyl plank flooring in our master bedroom
- Tips and tricks for installing vinyl plank flooring
- Our experience having vinyl plank flooring installed
- Vinyl Plank Showdown: Glue Down vs. Floating vs. Peel & Stick
Thomas says
Very good flooring. It’s so vibrant even though it’s 2 years old. I think I’m planning to have this kind of flooring soon.
Floors says
I have always loved hardwood floors but I think vinyl is really starting to grow on me. I was thinking about ripping up the carpet I have in my dining room (I know why is there carpet there) and putting in hardwood but I actually might go for the vinyl.
Kristen says
If using directly on concrete would you suggest an adhesive?
Amanda Hendrix says
Yes, I would!
Hardwood Revival says
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for your great review of this flooring.
Which is more durable (on your opinion) – LVP or engineered hardwood? Do vinyl plank floors scratch-proof?
Thanks,
Stephan
Amanda Hendrix says
I don’t have experience with engineered hardwood, but based on what I know, I’d guess LVP is going to be more durable. It’s much more scratch-resistant, and is water proof.
Daniel Hartness says
The other thing I wanted to mention is that I also have a couple of dogs. I always worry about having some scratches on the floor, especially when they get excited and run across the room. There’s actually LVP options out there that can really help with this. The key is to look at the mineral compilation used in the finish. Aluminum Oxide is the toughest option available to be mixed into the finish layer. It’s the hardest mineral available, just a little softer than diamonds, and heavily increases the hardness of your LVP’s wear layer. It’s nearly impervious to scratches. It is a bit more expensive though, but a good option to have available depending on the customer’s needs.
Amanda Hendrix says
This is great to know – thanks for sharing!
Keegan says
Daniel,
Where were you able to find the information you listed in both of your posts? I have two dogs and would like to have flooring to where I don’t have to worry much about them scratching it to pieces. The low price of LVP has brought me to this blog post through a bit a research. Is there a particular brand of LVP that provides these types of finishes in their product at a decent price? Any other information you can share about your sources would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Keegan
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi Keegan –
I don’t know a ton of different brands of LVP, but I can tell you that we’ve got dogs and don’t have any issues or scratching on our current flooring after 2 years. You can read more about it here!
Daniel Hartness says
Hey Keegan,
Thanks for the reply. I also think Mohawk has some solid LVP offerings, similar to the link Amanda provided. The main place I learned about Aluminum Oxide was from a blog post explaining the different types of LVP from Shaw’s Floorte Pro Series. I’ll provide the link below if your interested. To sum a bit of it up, their series 6 and 7 introduce Aluminum Oxide to the finish with the goal of making the boards impervious to scratches and scuffs. It was a type of offering I was specifically interested since I’m a dog owner as well as much of my family and friends.
https://www.reallycheapfloors.com/blog/shaw-resilient-gallery-floorte-pro-series/
Keegan says
Thanks Daniel! I was searching around a bit as well and it looks like COREtec is another popular brand that’s using aluminum oxide in a few of their offerings. From what I can find, several customers seem to leave good reviews and they seem to offer a few more types of LVP than Shaw’s Floorte Pro Series. One of the main differences with the products is that COREtec has thicker offerings (more in the 20 and 16 mil range) than what I can find for Shaw. Just something for me to think about when I choosing haha. Here’s an example I found from the blog:https://www.reallycheapfloors.com/blog/coretec-flooring-by-us-floors/
Also, does anyone have experience with either of these brands or have a preference?
Daniel Hartness says
Hey Amanda.
Thanks for the post with a lot of great pictures. That makes it a bit easier to see where you’re coming from! There was a couple of things that I wanted to add to your discussion about LVP:
I’m also a fan of the wooden look with flooring. Cabin wood, rustic barn wood, anything like that and then I’m pretty fascinated with it. I wanted to mention that there’e been some pretty cool development within the LVP market in order to capture the feel of real wood even better. It’s a process called Embossed in Register. This means is that the embossing, or texture, matches the printed décor layer. It’ll match the original piece down to the grain as well as texturing every knot to feel like a knot. Another bonus to this is that it gives you more texture for your footing and you won’t slip as easy if you have the LVP in a more wet environment.
Amanda Hendrix says
Yes! I’ve started to see more and more texture in LVP and it’s so exciting!
Zaleina says
Thank you so much for this! I had my heart set on porcelain wood-look tiles but it wasn’t cost-effective. Someone recommended the vinyl option but I was afraid it would be like those old-fashioned peel-and-stick squares from the old days. I’m glad it looks like real wood and won’t cost a fortune! We have old ceramic floors that need to go!
Amanda says
We really do love them! They’re so, so durable and really beautiful.
Sofia Hamner says
I just ordered the top of the line vinyl plank from Lumber liqudoators but I’m freaking out because i’ve read vinyl smells. Does your vinyl smell like plastic? All these articles are out there on the chemicals they gas out. Advise? I might spend more to get real wood to avoid the smell.
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi Sofia – there will probably be a bit of off-gassing with any manufactured product (just like with rugs or sofas). I’ve never found it to be bothersome – or even noticed it – and it should fade very quickly! My flooring doesn’t smell at all.
Liz says
I’ve read both of your posts about this flooring, looking to try it out for our new build! You mentioned you had stairs in your house– what did you use to cover your steps? We were planning on using the vinyl flooring for the upstairs too, just not sure what to put on the stairs/steps. I really wanted white risers with stained steps — wondering if I can stain the steps to match the vinyl?? Thanks!
Amanda says
Hey, Liz! We actually ended up carpeting our stairs (we decided to move and didn’t want to spend the money/time to do wood on them, so we just replaced the carpet). If we were doing it again, I would just stain the steps to match – they sell transitions that should make the switch from vinyl to wood pretty seamless!
Joan says
Thanks for your great review of this flooring. I’ve been looking at flooring for two months now. First it was bamboo, then laminate, and now vinyl. Home Depot is closer and they have a great vinyl flooring like this but it’s double the price. I have a new fixer upper and a lot of flooring to replace. This may be just the answer to my flooring and budget. Thanks, again!
Amanda says
Glad it helps!
Aleksandra Djordjevic says
Hello, I was wondering if you had any advice about potential yellowing from area rugs. I installed Amstrong Luxe LVP Farmhouse on my 1st floor and are not reading that latex backed area rugs may yellow it. Is that true? Any experience? Thanks!
Amanda says
Hi Aleksandra – we haven’t ever had this issue! In our old home we had a rug on the vinyl flooring without a rug pad for years and didn’t have any discoloration when we removed it. Different brands may react differently, though!
Eve says
We’ve had vinyl plank through out our whole house for three years. Love. Love. Love it!!! Looks beautiful and mops clean and so durable. Like you we recommend it every chance we get.
Amanda says
It really is the best, isn’t it?!
Paul says
Did you install this flooring throughout your entire home? Bedrooms, Bathrooms and Kitchen?
Amanda says
Hi Paul – Yes, we installed it throughout the entire house. We installed it in one bathroom but left the other two tile (for aesthetic purposes rather than functional – it works great in bathrooms as well!)
Lourds says
Hi there! We are getting read of our carpet in our living room area and replacing with flooring. We have 6 children and run a small daycare from my home. We are considering putting laminate floor but I’m a little hesitant because I hate to see any kind of smudge and smears from kids crawling on the floors (it drives me crazy). From your experience does vinyl show any smudges and smears ?
Amanda says
Hi, Lourds! If you’re looking to avoid smudges, I’d go for a more textured vinyl-plank like the one I used here. The smoother ones tend to show more smudges and smears, whereas the hand-scraped style hides a lot more of that! I think this would be a great, durable floor for a home daycare!
Joy says
I couldn’t agree the you more! This is the best and easiest to maintain flooring I’ve ever had! I have had mine for 5 years! Still love it! Also have two dogs and a 5 year old granddaughter. One of my dogs is 15 and has accidents daily. I mop on an almost daily basis.
ericka says
Hi, was there any info. about VOC’s or chemicals in this vinyl product specifically? I’m considering vinyl wood flooring but reading about all kinds of toxic chemicals so curious if this product had any info. regarding that? Thanks for any info!
Amanda says
Hi Ericka – I don’t have any information for you about this particular product. I can tell you that we didn’t notice any sorts of off-gas that was bothersome to us.
Angela says
Only a 2.8 wear layer, not scratch resistant, not waterproof… this stuff you’re endorsing is garbage. If you’re looking for vinal flooring make sure the wear layer is at least an 8, preferably a 12. That number tells you how well your flooring will hold up to scratches.
Amanda says
Thanks for sharing your input, Angela! There may be more durable options out there – this is just the brand I had experience with as of the time of writing this post. I can tell you that I know people who have had this exact flooring in their home for 7+ years with no issues, and we lived with it (in parts of our home, at least) for 4+ years with no scratching or other issues. I definitely encourage anyone who is considering vinyl plank to look at the options and choose what’s best for their family and lifestyle, but for us, I can confidently say this particular brand was a great fit.
Katie says
Do you find that this flooring is easy to keep clean?
I know with some darker flooring, it doesn’t take much for them to look dirty – like footprints showing after walking on them in bare feet, and they especially hard to keep clean with dogs! Do you have any issues like this?
Thanks 🙂
Amanda says
It definitely takes a bit more commitment to keep a dark floor clean. I didn’t find it too terrible (I would definitely do this color again!), but if visible footprints or dog hair will drive you nutty, you might be sweeping every day.
Erin says
Hello, beautiful flooring! May I ask what color this is and what brand?
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi – thanks! It’s Style Selections from Lowe’s in Antique Woodland Oak! 🙂
Alicia Lanier says
Any recs on the clear scuffs ??? Right after we installed we had family come in and the kids would slide in their socks and creates scuffs..
Amanda says
I’m generally able to get any scuffs or marks out of the flooring with a Magic Eraser! Hope that helps!
Palino5 says
Can you lay it directly over tile, pergo flooring? (Tile floor is super duper old and wearing… I HATE pergo floor)
Amanda says
My understanding is that yes, you can lay it over tile!
amanda says
So happy to find this post with an update! We are trying to decide what to do with our main floor. We took down a wall & now have one open concept living room, dining room kitchen….with old tile floors in part & old beat up hardwood in the other. Wondering if we can just go right on top of these with the peel and stick vinyl? That would be so great to not have to demo all the floors. What do you think? Just curious about the tile/grout lines because its not totally flat/level… We could do this whole downstairs for about $1000…so much better than any other options!
Amanda says
It really depends on the flooring! Technically speaking, you can definitely lay this on top of other flooring (including tile). But, I wouldn’t if it’s at all uneven or if the surfaces are at different levels. Good luck!! You’re gonna love it!
House basement says
Beautiful ,whats’s the color?
Amanda says
Thanks! It’s called Antique Woodland Oak – the exact product is linked in the post, if that helps. 🙂
Casey says
This is beautiful! I found your blog when I searched “style selections flooring reviews”, as we are considering this brand for our new kitchen in Shanghai Mist Stone. It listed as groutable, which we would prefer in the kitchen. Do you know of anyone that has grouted these vinyl tiles?
Amanda says
Thanks, Casey! I don’t know of anyone who has done it with grout, but I do know it’s totally possible! I say go for it, if that is preferable to you!
Nick says
I just installed Luxury vinyl floors in my bathroom. I used spacers when I installed them and added grout once they were in place. It turned out absoulutely amazing. I would definitely suggest going with grouted vinyl. Its more work but worth doing.
Amanda says
Glad to hear you love it!
amy hamilton says
First thank you for your post!! We just installed vinyl plank floors in a new kitchen/laundry addition. They are a dark wood color and I am happy with the look, but I have a problem with a film appearing on them after they dry from being mopped. I have tried the apple cider vinegar/water cleaning technique with no success. We have a lot of dust right now because we are still a construction zone in another area of the house and I am sweeping religiously everyday. Any suggestions so my “clean” floors don’t look dulled? Thank you!!
Amanda says
Hi Amy!
I had that problem on occasion depending on what products I was using. I found that I had the best success if I used a regular mop with a mix of water and Mrs. Meyer’s concentrate, or if I used my steam mop with JUST water. With both of those strategies, I never had an issue. Hope that helps!
Sunnync says
Did the glue method work or you had to replace the plank? Thanks!
Sunnync says
Just to clarify, my question above was related to the statement: ” I plan on trying to add some adhesive to the peeling-up boards before I replace them, just to see how it works”.
Cheers!
Amanda says
Hi Sunny! Yes, it worked well for us. I can’t guarantee that it would work on every brand, but it was a great solution for ours!
Christine says
Reading your blog helped me decide to have LV installed. Did you put anything under your furniture to protect the floor?
We have a piano with wheels and a number of heavy pieces so I’m worried it might cause indentations if I decide to move it’s location in the future.
Did you have any issues? Did you use a furniture protectors?
Amanda says
Hi Christine! We didn’t use any sort of floor prorector under our furniture and didn’t have any issues. However, we didn’t have anything that was particularly heavy (like a piano). I might recommend it for anything that’s overly large or heavy, but for most things you should be just fine!
Shawnda says
We also laid style selections luxury vinyl planks in our home just over 2 years ago. We liked it so much that we went back and bought enough to complete the three bedrooms, a.bathroom, and closets in addition to the original living room and hallway project. We also love it. They have discontinued the walnut color we used, so we had to switch to a different brand in a similar color for the family room and back hallway. The two are separated by the kitchen, so the difference isn’t really noticeable.
The vinyl is heads and shoulders better than the laminate in the kitchen. I can’t wait to replace that hollow-sounring, joint swelling awful stuff!
Jody says
Reading this as they are laying LVT in my laundry room/kitchen/dining room and a bathroom. Have 3 dogs and a not so delicate husband, so this post gives me peace of mind. Thanks for sharing!!!
Amanda says
I’m sure you’ll love it!!
Janice says
Hi was wondering about wearing heels will it pressis through I have two, teenage girls
Amanda says
We haven’t had any issues with that at all – I don’t wear heels all that often, but enough that I imagine we would have noticed it if it was a problem!
Debby says
We have a two story house with the living quarters upstairs and bedrooms downstairs. Is this flooring really noisy to walk on? I hate carpet and am looking for a wood look flooring that is quiet.
Amanda says
Not at all – we have a two story home as well and haven’t had any issues with noise.
Meredith says
We have Luxury Vinyl plank in a very similar color to yours although we had it installed threw a local flooring place and It was put down with glue. I’m assuming yours was peel and stick? We have had absolutely zero issues with ours! It’s been 2 years for us as well. We have cats with back claws so I occasionally see a little scratch but since ours has the “reclaimed wood look” they aren’t noticeable. I love the look of it and will be putting it in any future homes we have!
Amanda says
Yes, ours is peel and stick. We LOVE it!
Paula says
Oh good. We are just laying down Adura Athena cameo in the locksolid floating floor installation in our kitchen, dining, entry, and living room area (all one open room basically). We also have dogs but our kids are grown.
We are installing diagonally so it’s a bit more complicated. But I really wanted to get rid of the tile (which was improperly installed by the previous owners, cracking and uneven with never-sealed grout) for the entire time we’ve lived here (since Dec2003). We had to pull up all the underlayment and replace it. So glad to know you are not regretting it.
Amanda says
You’ll love it! I bet it will look amazing laid diagonally!
Gina says
Thank you for the update! We’re on the verge of pulling up our engineered wood floors and carpet so we can replace it with a hard surface. Our dogs and kids have done a number on our current wood, so we know we have to go with something more resilient. We’ll be doing our entire first floor, up the stairs and through the hall, bathroom and laundry room upstairs. That equals a huge investment and stressful decision.
We chose a Luxury Vinyl Plank that has a look we love, other than the deep bevel that I wish it had. My big question is, how does it sound when your dogs walk on it? We bought a box of the flooring we liked best and put it on the floor to see how we really feel about it. I think the sound our dogs nails make on it might bug me, I’m just not sure if the sound will be different when the floor is actually installed with the proper underlayment. What do you think? It just sounds super plastic-y….
Amanda says
It’s not something I’ve ever really noticed, actually! It definitely doesn’t sound like wood – it sounds similar to walking on regular laminate flooring, I guess. It’s definitely not loud, though, so it’s not something I think about regularly! Good luck with the new flooring – we really do love ours!!
Liz says
If you can hear dogs nails on your hard floor then you should dremmel their nails down. It’s bad for dogs to have nails long enough that you hear them click when they walk.
Nicole says
Have you had any issues with your steam mop on these floors? We purchased a home this year with vinyl planks as well, and I wanted to get a steam-mop for the ease of cleaning and less chemicals. I was told by a flooring guy and a family member that the water/high-heat on steam mops will warp vinyl floors? Have you found this to be true? Thanks!
Amanda says
Not at all! I use my steam mop at least weekly on the floors and haven’t had a single problem. My sister also has the same flooring and regularly uses a steam mop with no problems.
Lynne says
What did you do in bathroom?
Amanda says
Hi Lynne – We currently still have the old flooring in 2 of our 3 bathrooms. The third one has tile. We will be doing this vinyl plank flooring in our downstairs powder room, though!
Macks says
I did vinyl planks on one wall. Just clean wall.peel start at bottom.press on.we used a nail gun and nailed up too. Each row.easy . cost like 57.00 for one wall.looks like wood.
Amanda says
What an awesome idea! I bet that looks awesome – I’d love if you’d share a photo on my Facebook page so I can see it!
Elka says
We are looking at vinyl flooring but are looking for something textured so that it hides some of those scratches that will surely come- is this textured or smooth in top? Also is it waterproof- my dog has accidents and I worried- thanks!
Amanda says
Yes, it’s textured, similar to real wood. We haven’t had an issue with scratches at all – we have two dogs (used to have three) and a toddler. And yes, definitely waterproof. We have our fair share of dog accidents and toddler spills and haven’t had any problems!
Rose says
Hello! Do you have chairs or bar stools that get pushed around daily? I am wondering if this would hold up under the constant scraping of them. You see, a few years ago we put vinyl plank flooring in our dining room and it has lots of white marks where the barstools are. The dining table area is ok since we have a rug underneath. I can’t remember the brand but it’s a floating floor with no adhesive at all. Not sure if that makes a difference, or if we got a bad brand. I like the easy care of it and in a year or so we will want to replace so I am debating wether or not to stay with the vinyl plank. Thanks!
Amanda says
We have chairs in the dining room that get scooted around daily (no rug underneath) and my toddler is always dragging his play table around in the living room. We also have a Doberman who always runs around on the floors. There aren’t any significant scratches that I’ve noticed!
Stacy says
What color style is this?
Amanda says
The color is called Woodland Oak. There’s a direct link to the product up at the top of the post! 🙂
Jessica says
What color is the vinyl flooring in the first picture with the desk?
Amanda says
The color is called Woodland Oak. There’s a direct link to the product up at the top of the post! 🙂
Shawnda says
We have the same flooring in our house and we love it too. The hardest part of the installation was pulling up all the staples and tack strips from the nasty carpet that was previously installed. I also screwed down the subfloor to eliminate squeaks and then hit all the loose nails with a hammer before applying the vinyl floor primer and laying the planks. I also have two planks that don’t want to stick and it’s my fault. I squeezed the in widthwise when I should have trimmed 1/8″ off. I bought adhesive to see if I can get them to stick, but haven’t done it yet because they don’t bother me enough. Our floors have been down for 1.5 years now and I have zero regrets. We chose a color that was later discontinued, so we won’t be able to carry them into our kitchen when we finally pull out the HATED laminate.
Amanda says
It’s the best, isn’t it? And yes, pulling up those tack strips is awful! We still haven’t fixed any of our minor issues, because it really just doesn’t bother us, haha.
Flooring Chesapeake says
Hey, Amanda I really appreciate you sharing this blog post. I recently just opened up my new flooring company & ran across this blog. I highly recommend grabbing that extra board out of your workshop to repair that lifted board so you, Corey, or little man don’t hurt yourself from kicking it on accident.
This was a great compelling story and I’ll definitely recommend people checking this out that have a thought on whether or not they should get vinyl flooring installed.
Beth says
Please let us know the brand, how many mils of thickness it is, and the vinyl was connected to a backing for click lock installation? Also, when did you have it installed?
Thanks for your help.
Amanda says
Hi Beth – there’s a link to the exact product we used right at the beginning of the post. That should help with any questions you have about it. It’s a peel & stick product, so no click lock installation. As stated in the post, it was installed about two years ago. 🙂
Debra says
The link at the top says it is peel and stick. Is that the kind you used? We are considering the floating vinyl plank. We aren’t sure which would be better. Help!!!
Amanda says
Yes, it’s peel and stick! I don’t have an experience with the floating vinyl, so I can’t speak to that. We love ours, though!
Ami says
I had vinyl flooring in my previous home for about a year. I had a darker color and loved the way it looked, but it scratched so easily! I don’t know if it was because it was a darker color but it was so frustrating. My chairs, toys and the piano bench were so hard in the floor. And heaven forbid I had to move furniture! The only remedy that worked for me was a dark brown sharpie followed by a wet paper towel. It was easy to clean and spills were a non issue, so that was definitely a plus.
Amanda says
Yeah, I know some people definitely have issues with scratching on some brands! That isn’t something we’ve struggled with with this flooring, but it’s definitely something to consider!
Jenna Slowakiewicz says
Where did you get this vinyl plank flooring?
Amanda says
Hi Jenna – it’s the Style Selections brand from Lowe’s.
Lea Ann says
The pictures look great! I am considering it for our walk out basement. Since this is a vinyl product, is there a smell to it out of the package, or after installation? Does it give off fumes after installation?
Crystal says
Im so confused. Have had a sample of Shaw franklin hickory in my home for 6 months. Love it. Looks almost identical to your picture. I was ready to purchase and install it and was told to do pergo instead. I have 2 medium dogs and 4 teenage boys. It will be put in my family room. What do you think?
Amanda says
Do you mean Pergo laminate floors, or do they have a vinyl option? I don’t have experience with either brand – ours is Style Selections from Lowe’s. I’ve heard great things about the Shaw brand, though! I can’t say enough good things about how our flooring has held up so far.
Emily says
What is the “color” called on this exact one you installed? It is just the right shade…
Amanda says
Hi Emily – it’s called Antique Woodland Oak. The exact product is linked at the top of the post! 🙂
Cola says
My experience has been totally different. Not even 2 months & it’s totally scratched up with white marks. $2.70 a sqf & professionally installed Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring I purchased is junk. Not as good as grandma’s faux wood vinyl from the 80s that’s for sure although it starts out much prettier. So glad we only put it in a rarely used dining room & an office. Had considered doing the whole house. Only one Christmas& you wouldn’t believe how scratched up it is from just having family sitting at the table. Even the wheels of my husbands rarely used office chair are scratching it up. My son’s Hotwheels scratched it too. The rep isn’t willing to do anything but replace a few planks give me felt for the bottom of my dining chairs which have caps on them. Not sure how that’s going to work on the office chair wheels. Wish I could post pictures here… Anyway since I’d read your review before I thought I’d let you know how poorly it went.
Amanda says
Oh no! I’m so sorry you had such a bad experience – what brand did you use? That’s so frustrating. 🙁
Chelsey says
The floor is BEAUTIFUL! We bought a house last year that has real hardwood floors and, honestly? Not a fan. I mean, they’re gorgeous, but they are such a pain to take care of! No exaggeration, I’d rather have fake-looking laminate wood (I actually do upstairs 😛 ) than hardwood. You definitely went with the best choice, I’m very jealous. 😛
Amanda says
Aw, thanks Chelsey! I definitely feel like the upkeep on these is WAY easier than real wood would be!
Jenn holmes says
Hi –
I’m considering floating vinyl in my whole house but my concern is that the sound when walking on it with hard soled shoes will sound hollow like pergo does. Have you noticed this?
Thanks
Amanda says
Ours doesn’t sound hollow at all. It’s a vinyl flooring, just in planks instead of sheets, so it sounds similar to any other vinyl flooring. Kind of like just walking on concrete!
Shawna says
What are the brand & colors of the two pictures you posted above? If you don’t mind me asking, They’re beautiful!
Amanda says
Hi, Shawna – the exact product we used is linked at the very beginning of the post! Hope that helps. 🙂
Lorraine says
We recently installed a click vinyl plank. Aqua floor – 25 year warranty. We did not remove the old vinyl flooring which is over cement, despite being recommended to do so- because the vinyl was in relatively good shape and was doing a good job of holding the cement together. We were told it was okay as long as it was only one layer of vinyl below. My husband was very careful to ensure joints were not located in low/high spots on the floor. We did remove carpet/glue and levelled the floor In a separate area, so it will be interesting to see if there is any difference in the long term. Floors look great! Huge improvement!
Amanda says
It’s such a great, versatile flooring option, isn’t it?! I love ours so much!
Sarah says
I can’t comment on this brand specifically, but I have another brand of vinyl wood plank that is “loose lay” (doesn’t click together) and says it can be glued down, but I thought that sort of defeats the purpose of being able to easily pull one up to replace it if it gets damaged. We literally just played this down over our clean subfloor without glue, exactly as the name says “loose lay”. We used a VERY sticky, double sided carpet tape and cut 2″ x 2″ squares and glued down the boards in a few spots around the perimeter of the room, and them put tape down on every 3rd or 4th row. Additionally, if we ran into an area of the floor that had a slight imperfection we would tape the underside of the seam to help keep the two boards together. It worked beautifully, has been down for 3.5 years and looks great with 2 kids and a dog. We are NOT careful with the floor, things get dragged over it etc. and it looks as good as the day it was installed. We steam mop it and vacuum as needed. We couldn’t be happier, and have also had many people left in shock when we show them it’s just vinyl tile and lift up the edge of a board to show them.
Amanda says
We did the same – we didn’t use the glue (even though it recommended it) and we haven’t had any issues! And we’re SO not careful with it. 🙂
Paige says
Thank you for this review! We recently had water damage throughout our entire downstairs that ruined our expensive Brazilian cherry floors. Since all flooring will have to be replaced, I’ve been looking at LVT for the fact that it’s waterproof (kitchen and powder room can be the same flooring and dog accidents won’t ruin it) but I was concerned about how it holds up. I love the look of the new HD planks – it looks just like wood! Hard to believe I’m actually choosing a significantly cheaper flooring but I can’t wait for the ease of maintenance!
Amanda says
Oh no, Paige, that’s awful! I really can’t recommend this stuff enough – we absolutely love it!
Michele says
Does this product tell you how to prepare your floors prior to installation? For example, should I remove the old vinyl that’s down now?
Amanda says
Yes, there are directions in the box. You’ll need to remove the old flooring and thoroughly clean the subfloor.
Shannon McKinzie says
I love the look of your floors, and at this price, its hard to pass up. My question is that I noticed from the link that this is the glue down kind, vs the click and fit together kind. Why did you pick the glue down vinyl planks vs the click together (which are more expensive)? I’m just curious because the glue down kind of scares me for some reason…
Amanda says
Our decision was based mostly on cost and my sister’s experience with these floors in her house. She installed them a few years before we did and has raved about them, and we loved how they looked in her home, so we decided to copy her. 😉 And, they’re significantly cheaper, which was a major bonus!
karen says
We had another brand (Earthwerks for environmental reasons) installed over a year ago and we love it! Two large labs and two boys and it looks great. My sister has rental property and luxury vinyl plank flooring is all they put in.
Amanda says
It’s the best, isn’t it?!
Jeannie says
I have the same exact floors in my home & I love them as well. I have 2 dogs & 2 cats (and a teenager at the time they were installed) and they hold up so well to the abuse. Everyone thinks they are wood. I am so happy with my choice.
Amanda says
They are the best, aren’t they?!
Angie says
I am so glad to hear that you love your floor! I’m getting ready to start building and am planning to do vinyl plank floors. I have two greyhounds and had the same concerns about wood. It’s very helpful to read your review of the doors after you’ve lived with them for a while!
Amanda says
Definitely can’t recommend them enough, Angie! They’re great with dogs!
Joni says
How does it handle water?
Amanda says
I believe it’s totally waterproof (I’m not making any formal claims here, but I believe there aren’t any issues with water at all). Ours gets wet all the time, and we haven’t had any problems.
Ginger says
Is your link for sure the same flooring you have? It’s listed as $.98 sq ft. I’m very interested and want to make sure l be as pleased with it as much as y’all have been!
Amanda says
Yup, definitely the same! We just bought some last week for 0.98 per square foot to put in our bedroom – I guess the price has gone down. Score!
Merry says
What type of vacuum do you use?
Amanda says
Hi Merry – I have this vacuum! I’ve had it for almost a year now and I’ve been really pleased with it so far.
W.k says
We had vinyl flooring installed last year and it is great. We to have two dogs and a cat and it doesn’t scratch easly . AND the best part is we got the flooring with the cork backing and also this type of flooring is water proof. We use are steam cleaner often and spills are no problem…
Amanda says
I love the whole waterproof thing too! It’s so nice not to have to worry about spills or dog messes. 🙂
Dee Pier says
We put down luxury vinyl wood planks 3 years ago and love, love, love them! We have a backyard pool and two dogs that have occasional accidents in the house and we have had absolutely no problems! We have laminate in one room that was put down by the previous owner and it has had problems but the vinyl is still great!
Amanda says
I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experience too. My sister had a lot of problems with laminate flooring as well, so I knew that wasn’t a route we wanted to go! They had so many spots where the floor go wet and expanded or warped or something – definitely no fun!
Rebecca says
What is the brand name and color. We’re considering doing most of the house in this product. Thank you
Amanda says
Hi Rebecca – The brand is Style Selections from Lowe’s. If you go up to the beginning of the post, there’s a link to the exact ones we purchased. Hope that helps! We can’t recommend it enough.
Maura says
So this is kind of funny, my mother in law wanted to replace the floors in some of her rooms and I had remembered you posting about this so I recommended she check out some vinyl plank flooring. She has two german shepherds (her seeing eye dog and retired seeing eye dog) and just wanted something that looks good and is low maintenance. She liked the style and price (with help from my sister in law picking the color, since MIL is blind) and then her handyman friend (who is also completely blind but is also really excellent at remodeling and repairs!) installed it. It looks SO much better than it did and has held up for over a year really well. I’m so glad to hear you guys are still happy with it so hopefully she will be for a while too. Thanks for the update!!
Amanda says
That’s so awesome! I’m glad it’s worked for her too. We recommend it to everyone we know!
Amy says
Thanks for the review! We’re considering getting new flooring, wondering how it holds up against spills or pet urine? Those are not so fun things that happen to floors all the time!
Amanda says
Hi, Amy! Spills, pet urine, etc. have basically no effect on these floors! Since they’re vinyl, they’re waterproof – we have two dogs that spend the day inside while we’re at work and there have been a fair amount of accidents that have happened while we’re not home and are then left there all day. When we get home we just have to wipe it up and it looks as good as new!
Amy says
That’s great to hear! Our dog is older and she has accidents while we’re at work also. It’s time for new floors!
Jordan says
That’s awesome! Glad to see vinyl was a good option for you. It’s good to get a review that’s beyond your impressions when you first set it up. Knowing how it handles in a home for a long time (especially with kids!) is important.
Courtney @ Foxwood Forest says
I think it’s easy to assume that the “real” thing is always better (like hardwood floors), but I’ve been hearing great reviews about vinyl flooring. We’re getting ready to install new flooring in our main sitting room, kitchen, and hallway on the first floor (of our new house) and are still going back and forth on what material to use. We’ve always been in love with hardwood floors and have them in our current house…just trying to see what makes sense. This was helpful!
Amanda says
Glad it helped! I can’t recommend them enough – we have absolutely loved ours and have no desire for hardwood anymore!
Kristy Butler says
2018 now. Still holding up? Shopping for our flooring project! Thanks. 😊
Amanda says
Yes! I still highly recommend it! We moved out of that house in November, but we immediately replaced the flooring in our new home with vinyl plank too (you can see it here!)