Same. We got some fantastic European made laminate that's certified not to off gas and affect indoor air quality (huge factor since we were replacing old carpet out of air quality/allergy concern). My sister in law in England did the eco research for her London apartment, then I found it's available here in Canada!
@@annetteanderson3375 I’ll chime in. We did our second floor with golden select laminate from Costco. $2sq ft in Toronto. This thing is amazing, easy to instal. I left a couple left over cut off hoard and they have had rain and snow pour on them for over a month in my backyard and no sign of damage yet. The box says it’s made in Germany.
I have lived with hardwood, engineered hardwood and LVP. I never hear reviewers talk about what it is like to walk on these surfaces. The feel and sound of hardwood floors is very distinct, in my opinion. Engineered wood is not as dense so it feels light weight, if that makes sense. And LVP, even with decent padding is, well, its own animal. Other than that, you did a very good job describing the flooring options.
I'm loving this channel! It's great that you get right into it and don't blab off-point for the first 10 minutes of your videos - and you are able to speak to poor trends in a way that is not insulting to people who may have them. Most of us don't have the budget for major furniture/flooring/kitchen re-dos every couple of years, and you are motivating me to step back and see if I can make 2 or 3 small changes to update and add interest to a room. Thank you so much for sharing your personality and your expertise!
I agree...hardwood flooring should last forever in residential uses with just basic mindfulness to treat it nicely and by all means, keep the roof from leaking and never let the house sit abandoned where interior humidity levels can shoot up. I installed a 3/4 inch red oak floor in the winter in Ohio. Humidity level 30%. By spring, humidity was 40-45% and I saw the start of buckling between boards. Rushed to get a dehumidifier and then later AC....took care of problem and never returned. Floors got flat again.
I love the fact that you don’t focus only on aesthetics but you also know details about the materials. My bf places floor. A lot of times the interior decorators would chose something that looks good but totally impractical. My bf (who worked over 20 years in this industry) would sometimes give them advice but a lot of times they wouldn’t listen and my bf would end up redoing it anyway. I think last year we threw over 20k worth of floors because of this.
I own a hardwood floor installation and refinishing company (15years). We get 2 or 3 calls a week from clients seeking repairs to existing floors. Sometimes a client is remodeling, sometimes a client is dealing with water or fire damage. Luxury vinyl plank, engineered, and laminate floors are all produced in big batches overseas. 3 years later... when the fridge waterline leaks, replacement material will not be available and entire floor will need to be replaced. It is an expensive nightmare. Nice houses have solid real wood floors that can be refinished multiple times. We routinely patch and repair floors that are 100years old. You cannot do that with the others. Additionally, most wide plank engineered floors need to be trowel glued to the subfloor ( anything wider than 5"). Just wholesale cost on glue is usually $1 /sf and that doesn't include added labor cost ( usually + $1/sf in my market). Once a wood floor is glued down it is nearly impossible to remove. We charge $5/sf to remove glued flooring.... again expensive nightmare if you need repair Nothing beats a solid wood floor long term. It's refinishable and repairable and will add more value and livability to your home than anything else. That driftwood color engineered or LVP ( think Martha Stewart / Oprah's beach house) is gonna be the equivalent of 70's orange shag carpet in 10years. Trendy materials will devalue your home long term. A 3/4" solid natural white oak floor is timeless and never goes out of style. Install LVP in your rental or a starter home flip. Avoid laminates entirely. Save the engineered floors for installation over concrete and be prepared for increased labor and glue costs for installation.
My hardwood floors look horrible. I have a small dog and it’s impossible to keep it looking nice. We refinished it 10 years ago and it started looking horrible after 5 years. To refinish it now again, it’s expensive and a hassle. And am worried that 5 years down the line, am back with the same problem. That’s why am considering luxury vinyl. I don’t want to worry about scratches And refinishing hardwood every 5-8 years.
We had to use engineered wood in a piling house on the water in Florida. Otherwise an expensive subfloor venting system has to be built to keep moisture from buckling and warping hardwood.
We had two 20lb rat terriers when it was installed. Now we have a 55 lb flat coat retriever. Have had this flooring about 7 years now and still looks brand new.
wood is wood whether it is eng or solid...it will scratch. If you want to the best wood to hide scratches, you remember 4 things -- go light finish, low gloss, textured (hardscaped) and avoid soft wood (mostly birch, pine, cherry and walnut). Again, these four things will hide scratched and be way easier to touch up if damaged.
We moved into our house 3 yrs ago, our downstairs is Brazilian teak engineered hardwood. From the listing history photos we found it was put in approx 2014 or 2015....not that long ago really, 5 or 6 years.......it's terribly scratched and looks really bad up close...some really deep scratches in some areas. Anything scratches it. It's got some water damage too under our dog feeding station...guess some water got under the plastic tray. I would not recommend it to anyone, maybe just get solid hardwood if you are going that route... it's even cheaper! A beautiful hickory or red oak solid wood is only $3.88sqft (3.25" wide) at Lumber Liquidators. We have 2 rambunctious huskies and a small Tibetian spaniel...even their toenails scratch the engineered hardwood in some areas.
We're finishing our basement to function as a separate suite, and vinyl planks are our choice for the flooring! Gotta go with something waterproof in the basement. We found some really lovely herringbone options at Home Depot of all places. The rest of our 101 year-old house has beautiful original heart pine floors, so we still get the natural wood everywhere else. Thanks for this video, it really cemented that vinyl is the right choice for our basement!
Good morning from Germany! The wood flooring in my first house soon got ruined by children and dogs. It got black scratches. This just looked cheap and disgusting. So I choose wood-look tiles in my new home. This may sound horrible to puristic souls, but I‘m very happy with them. Good wood-look tiles have a wood-like structure and they look and feel like real wood. They always look clean. The only disadvantage is that your feet get cold. I choose STEULER wood-look tiles - LINCOLN.
Laminate, or any of these other options, is a vast improvement over old wall-to-wall carpeting. If you rent, you might be able to make a deal with your landlord to do this. Sometimes a landlord will buy the material if an experienced tenant installs it, or make a similar arrangement, like paying half the cost. Most landlords are pretty flexible and favorable towards any scheme that improves the look of the space. I suggest writing a polite and friendly request letter, with the pricing, a vendor photo and/or sample and some suggested payment/reimbursement options. If’s worth a try.
Thank you Nick! I’m starting a kitchen renovation in a home with original hardwood floors throughout and this video is BY FAR the most helpful, out of the many I’ve watched, for the flooring . New Subscriber !
In the northwest where it rains all the time hardwood floors are everywhere. You seal the wood and take good care of it you have no problems. Nothing is more natural then a beautiful (real) hardwood floor. Also, bamboo flooring is another great eco friendly option. They last forever can be sanded and refinished to look like new again. In the long run saving money, not having to replace the whole floor with new material.
We are going with mohawk solid tech lvt in our new house. I love it and its low voc so no off gassing.. We have kids and will be getting a dog so durability is key. We had real hardwood in our old house and it looks so beautiful but it got dinged and damaged so easily.
This was the best video I've seen for comparing the different 'wood' flooring types. I came from a townhome that had laminate. I HATED it. Any water on a seam for more than a few minutes and it was ruined. Purchased a new home with laminate and hardwood (old & repair cuts poorly done) and carpet. Decisions, decisions. Now I'm torn between engineered hardwood and LVP!
I have the luxury vinyl flooring from home depot and I love it, it's thick, waterproof and when you walk on it you can feel texture, at a very fair price. Never get the cheapest, and I usually can't afford the most expensive option, wood in this case, so "luxury vinyl" it is and love it.
We’re in Florida. Humidity matters. Plus, having a pool home & ease of cleaning determined what’s best for us. Thanks for practical information. Homes here have a lot of tile. I’ll check your videos first, yet if you haven’t already- tile video would be nice. There’s so much to look at & what to choose now. You’re info & opinions are enjoyable to hear. Thanks for all you do!
My parents built a gorgeous home in the mid 60’s and had wide plank wood floors. Sad they don’t make it now. 😞 FYI - every kind of wood floors all over Atlanta, it’s a humid place but there’s usually no trouble. I’ve had hardwood in every house I’ve ever had and there have been 10. ❤️ wood floors! Might be good to add the often dogs have real trouble with most of these floors, they can cause and/worsen ortho problems with canines - the down side.
Thank you so much for this video💙 I am grateful you took the time to explain the different types of people who would enjoy each type of flooring. And the pros and cons. Thank you!
Really late finding this video (lol). I had laminate flooring in a lot of my house, and it actually looked really nice! It also wasn't super inexpensive/cheap looking, and the quality was really good considering. I live in a very dry climate (Vegas), so traditional hardwood isn't really a good option for me because of how quickly it will be dried out. I unfortunately did have to have most of my laminate pulled up due to a sink flooding and am going with a vinyl planking to replace it. Which - ironically - the vinyl planking is a bit more expensive (okay, a LOT more expensive) than the laminate was. The bathrooms originally had vinyl roll flooring (that looked like wood, I was NOT going with one that looked like tile), so I opted to just extend the vinyl planking going into my bathrooms into the rest of the spaces.
I love hardwood but, coming from a tropical island and now living in the Northeast (USA), I'm having a hard time adapting to how delicate hardwood is. I miss my tiles badly. Plus, they come in really beautiful sizes, materials and patterns Specially in the kitchen and powder room. I am not used to be overly careful with spills and muddy/wet shoes,etc. Plus I have 2 large dogs that love to play outside. The convenience of mopping tile and not worry about it is priceless to me. Do you have a video comparing hardwood vs. tile (ceramic, porcelain, marble, etc.) floors? I would really love to see it.
I have lived in homes with both. Ironically, we came from the northeast with hardwood and moved to Florida with a tile floor. I miss my wood floors because they were warm and nice to walk on barefoot or in socks. These tile floors are too hard. they are too jarring and cold. Don't drop a glass or bottle on it! They also have lighter colored grout which is hard to keep clean, so we really miss our hardwood floors.
In middle class --- real world--- suburban Atlanta area, vinyl plank does not hurt resale value at all. Most people see it looking great and don't have to worry about it with pets and kids. It is preferred right now.
A couple of extra things about hardwood: - check your underflooring isolation if you're doing it upstairs. If you don't have a good floor with maybe something against the noise, you're going to hear every step and shuffle somebody takes upstairs and that's just really annoying. - There are companies that sell hardwood planks from all the scraps. When they make the planks, there is a ton of spare wood that can't be used because trees have a natural shape and companies want uniform planks with the exact same length and width. So planks from all the extra bits are going to be significantly less expensive. This is what my parents did back in the day. They are not small planks, it's not like you're left with an ugly floor. The only thing is that the planks are not the same length and width. That actually doesn't look cluttered at all because it's all the same wood, it just saves you a lot of money.
I am heartbroken. We just put in “luxury vinyl plank” through out the house during an addition/renovation because we are hard on floors. Less than six months, it started separating in the kitchen. Contractor said I had to deal with the subcontractor directly. Two reinstalls later with damaged cabinets and molding, we are now saving up for a new floor because new planks (additional payment) is never going to go down right. Just tearing up the house more. Nightmare and have no idea really of what to go with or who to trust. Contractor was from church, promised he would make any problems right and that’s why he was expensive, did work for close friends, know his family well. Didn’t do discussed prep work and product was defective without anyone owning up to it until just recently. Not the contractor, he refuses to follow up and changed churches. Any suggestions? Please be nice, pretty beat up over it.
Hi! I’m no professional but installation matters, very much so, and so it’s done properly. Your flooring will hold up super easily and for so much longer! I’m sorry you had dealt with that. I’ve learned to make sure I adhere each plank not only by snapping them together but using a glue will keep it more waterproof and stop from shifting so much. Hope this round works out better for you!
I had a situation where mine “puffed up “ and we freaked out. We filed an insurance claim because we didn’t know what was wrong. We were told that it was moisture and the insurance company paid for a huge dryer to dry out the floor. A year later we sold the house, so I don’t know how it is now
Buying flooring from a big flooring outlets and hiring an installer on your own is the biggest problem you make when it comes to your flooring or any remodeling. I am not sure if that’s what you did but judging from your post, I assume that’s what happen. Best advice next time, go to a speciality store front “brick n mortar store”, buy materials from them and hire them for installation. You may pay more for it but at least you will have a peace of mind going that route.
I've been trying to decide between wood-look tile and vinyl plank. I had never heard of off gassing until now. Your video caused me to do some research and now my choice is clear (definitely tile). Thank you!
Our home builder actually offered “Aqua laminate” which was waterproof and still cheaper than vinyl! I can’t wait to see what it looks like! I’m from Australia by the way and love your channel, I have binge watched so many videos in preparation for furnishing the new house😅
I have Pergo “originalExcellence” laminate throughout my flat, with “AquaSafe for superior water resistance”, so it sounds maybe similar to what you’re getting! I hope yours turned out as good as mine 😊
Hey... Just something I thought would add... In India we also have the option of tiles... That look like hardwood... No texture of course but alot of the other disadvantages with non wood would not apply to it
So happy I found this! Open concept with an entrance from our pool, kids, and pets? Vinyl seems perfect for our needs, but never would have considered it
If you're talking about off-gassing, also note that the real wood top layer of engineered wood flooring is glued to several layers of plywood. Check out the off-gas rating before buying.
Im from Greece and mostly lived in houses with terrazzo floors. That's because a) I'm poor and only old houses still have terrazzo floors and b) I really like terrazzo mainly because it's seamless. I hate tile (most popular n Greece ) and grout lines so much. Also another common thing here is mixed flooring that I've never seen in America. Usually we have wood or parquet floors in bedrooms, tiles in hallway kitchen and bathroom and sometimes marble living rooms. Mixed flooring saves you a lot of trouble.
The upside is terrazzo is really in right now, so you’re accidentally trendy 😄 I’m in the UK and would love to visit Greece (some day... 🥲), and I have mostly-realistic light wood laminate throughout my flat, but different tile in the bathroom: a fully waterproof porcelain tile (grey stone/concrete-effect on the floor/more creamy natural sandy beige on the walls, which isn’t what I would have chosen as a combo, but it mostly works) as it’s a wet room... but somehow it almost feels warm/not-cold to the touch, I think because they’re partially made of some recycled and more sustainable material, which is nice. I was worried about the wood-like flooring in the kitchen not being durable enough, especially after the lecture I was given on my moving-in-tour about the flooring not being waterproof (which isn’t what I later learned from researching it!), but it’s holding up fine so far, and looks better to be the same as the flooring in the living room as it’s all one open plan space (also not something I would necessarily choose, if I had the budget to live somewhere larger with more distinct spaces! Trying to work with what I’ve got ☺️). I know from holiday trips to Spain and Italy, there’s more “proper” tile and marble flooring than we generally tend to have in the UK (and which I’ve appreciated as a difference when I’ve visited... this B&B I stayed in in Rome 10 years ago sticks in my mind as having a kind of effortless and timeless beautiful style, while not being a colour palette I would choose to have at home... and I remember lying on the reassuringly-cool grey marble floor of Malaga airport in Spain as a kid with an ear infection after my first ever flight, and I at least remember the marble with fondness 😅)... but I grew up living in generic houses built in the 70s-90s, with mostly carpet flooring, and what I now think were fairly unusual choices by my mum to have (super-cold!) ceramic tile in the kitchen, and light wood laminate flooring in the bathroom! I like tile (except for when it’s cold on my feet!). I also like when the grout more closely matches the tile colour instead of being a harsh contrast, as I think that looks more classic and classy... but I hate dirty “white” grout, so if grout is going to be white it had better be good quality epoxy grout and less likely to discolour/require insane amounts of cleaning upkeep! The white grout in my bathroom floor is made of magic as far as I’m concerned, as it hasn’t discoloured despite me using red permanent hair dye at home... my old flat definitely used cheaper materials because the bathroom grout was an ugly disaster. I’m definitely rambling here, please excuse my accidental life story 😳 I’m avoiding my to-do list by watching videos/commenting about interior design, and maybe travelling-vicariously through RU-vid comments in lieu of the real thing 😘
@@EmmaVB82 Hey Emma, your comment was so fun to read! I never get to discuss flooring preferences with my friends so I really enjoyed it! My terrazzo like anything vintage looks old and tired, now the trend is more light and fun terrazzo colours , like in Mandy Moore's home. I wish I could live in a house with wood floors, but because of the high humidity you only see that in the mountainous part of Greece. Here because the weather is mostly warm to super warm, having tile or stone floors is the go to, and in the winter we all use heavy oriental carpets witch are a pain to clean and store every spring. We also have specific dates that we put the carpets down its on October 26 and then on May 21 we are lifting them up. That's a tradition of course , not the law hahaha.
I am very lucky to live in a house with Oak flooring. We did put Allure vinyl planks down in the main bathroom over 15 years ago and it will need to be replaced in a couple years, but it sure has been a great product. One thing that happened with it that was unexpected. I used the left over planks on the floor inside our basement door. We have a pet door and the door faces SW. The vinyl planks warped where the light comes through the pet door flap. I am sad that IKEA no longer sells flooring. We put their laminate down in the cabin more than 15 years ago. It still looks great and gets lots of traffic over it.
Well put together video and I appreciate the final section detailing your opinions. Would have also liked to see vague price comparison at time of filming.
Thank you for another great video! So helpful and to the point! Love the pros and cons and which fits what lifestyle analysis. Can we hire you for our renovation? Kitchen and flooring remodel in plan....
There's lots of great new linoleum available. To start your search, check out Marmoleum that even comes in click planks like LFP. There's also places that recreate the vintage looks in the linoleum recipe. I hope people begin to realize that yes, linoleum is alive and available!
Hi Nick, thanks for this video, very helpful to people like me who have absolutely no idea which one to choose, the pros and cons. Just to share my experience, I purchased a condo unit with newly installed laminated wood (and I just learned with your video this is the cheapest). What I noticed is, it is so obvious on small scratches, after 5 years (since living in Canada, 4 seasons, weather changes), I see some changes in structure, not good, including the gapping, it moved now suddenly. Then, me (and my Dad, RIP) made a mistake, we steamed it (duh?!?), and we saw the plastic top obviously shrink. My washing machine leaked on 6th year, got wet part of my hallway, and I saw the same result as your friend, 10:35 its not good. Now, 11th year, my Living Room looks like a scene in Insidious and Conjuring Horror movies (I love horror movies but I don't like to see them in my floors). I am about to change, and will choose Vinyl, Euphoria.
Hey Nick, I'm renovating a 223 year old farmhouse, and the wood floors need to be replaced. My budget can't do solid wood floors, so I'm thinking wood plank. I really want to bring back the "primitive " feel of the house and try to avoid the "trendy" greys. My neurodivergent brain needs all the floors to match throughout. What wood/shade do you think would be options to think about? Im going for warm, cozy, family holidays aesthetic with some antique furniture pieces. This is my forever home, so no resale thoughts to consider. Thanks!
Great Video ** BUT *** I am dealer that can sell to the public locally and I shipped across the USA. I didn't hear you mention, HDF Hardwoord which is an Engineered Wood made of High Density Fibers (real wood fibers) mixed with industrial grade wax, 1/2 inch thick. The HDF Hardwood I sell is pretty much stamped / scored 1/2 inch thick wood that has a hard janka of 1700. Styles are available in widths from 5 inches to 17 inch Multi-Widths. HDF Hardwood has a waterproof surface and is resistant to water, scratches, staining, household chemicals, fading,. impacts, ... AND IT IS CLICK LOCK INSTALL. Now that Shaw, Mohawk, Bruce, ... have discontinued manufacturing 3/4 inch thick solid hardwood in 2 1/4 and 3 1/4 inch widths, you can see why folks are moving away from solid hardwood or 3-ply, 5-ply, or 7-ply engineered hardwood and moving towards HDF Hardwood because HDF Hardwood is extremely more durable, has more appealing styles, can be installed in residences, businesses,. and many commercial settings. and it is AND IT IS CLICK LOCK INSTALL
I’m so lost now! We are building a house in the mountains and my choice is the luxury vinyl floor because all the pros that you mentioned, buy my hubby is a real wood kind of person and now I doubt my self about my decision! I feel like with the snow and the gravel, the vinyl will be better...but we don’t want to make it less “ sellable” if the times comes.🤷🏻♀️
Honestly, if you have pets, get vinyl plank because it’s waterproof. My sister ended up with this after her engineered hardwood flooring got ruined by the contractor and was on back order. One thing to know about vinyl though, it does have small grooves in it. She lives in a desert like climate that can be windy. She said that dirt gets into the house and gets in the little grooves, making it hard to clean.
Can you do a video about comparison between different types for flooring like hardwood vs stone vs carpet vs tile, etc.? also, which one would you suggest in a rental or primary home property etc.
When I was first married in 1970, we went to Connecticut because my husband was on separate. And our first apartment was the second floor of an old house. With hardwood floors. Oh my goodness. Joy. And it was all downhill after that when I move back to Florida. But hardwood is great simply because the older it gets, like good people, the better it gets. And you can make it look prettier and make it look newer but there's something about the character within the flooring. But as I said you come back to Florida and it's all downhill. Unless you can afford a McMansion in the way back machine. And who the hell wanted those things.
Yes I know commenting 3 years later- buy engineered can be as expensive as solid hardwood , if not in some cases more expensive . Thought I was taking a less expensive route by going with engineered hardwood - haha I picked out a product that was more expensive than some Real hard wood Floors
Thankyou for sharing these options, my question is how do I find out more about the off gassing issue? I'd like to know more about this before installing it in my home, thankyou ☺️
I like your channel and your approach to discussing design... I am really interested in (and hope you can put together a video about) man-made flooring materials/solutions such as linoleum and even better - other floor coverings such as the hard-wearing synthetic floors often seen in high traffic commercial or industrial environments. They are probably quite expensive but never wear out and require little maintenance
This video was so good, thank you! We're about to start building our home and this is pure gold. Question: do you know the "temperature" of vinyl? In my current place we have the woodlike porcellanato (a type of fancy tile), which is definitely cold. Looks like wood, but it's super cold. I want to go for a warmer floor, one that you step on barefoot and feels warmer than tiles. I was considering vinyl as I'd like the same floors for the entire house - bathroom and kitchen included. I live in a humid city so this is definitely something to consider, that's why I'm not sold on wood, even engineered wood.
@@clarity1984 Go for a WPC vinyl, warmer, durable and warmer on the feet. There are two types if Lux vinyl, SPC is a stone plastic composite and WPC which is a wood plastic composite.
Any opinions on LVP in bathrooms? I detest tile, and I want to keep consistent floor through the entire house, so I thought wood-looking LVP would be nice in the bathrooms.
Thanks for all the videos Nick. I'm a new sub and am watching episode after episode! Got a lot of good information from this video. I have heard that the LVP is good for basements where hardwoods are not recommended. We'll be doing a basement renovation soon and I will definitely use LVP.
Ok. We all know this comparison of product. But what I'm interested in is what color floor. For instance I have a lot of natural rattan furniture MCM with black Hardware legs Etc. Do I match It Go lighter go darker I do know I want to keep it warm white tan walls
i installed pergo on my stairs landing very small area but was extremely easy to do and came out great. Wanting something better for my upstairs bedroom. What is high quality but easy to install? i have a dewalt mitre saw and many tools.
How do you feel about wood grain porcelain tile? I’ve been seeing it a lot. It’s really pretty in my opinion. We live in FL and have laminate. It’s not very durable, especially against moving furniture around. The area under my mom’s desk chair is faded and scratched.
Hi! I am doing a whole house remodel and your videos are helping me decide styles/material/aesthetics etc! What is your opinion on “porcelain wood-looking tile? Is that a trend or something here to stay? I am strongly leaning towards that because I live on farm and our flooring takes a beating! I do not want wood or engineered wood floors but like the look of it. Is this a good alternative? What are your thoughts? By the way, howdy from Texas 🤠
Hello Texas! From Vancouver! 🇨🇦 Yeah so I think they can really be great in surfaces where any wood isn't possible like bathrooms (I've even see them in the shower which is pretty cool) and also for areas where real wood isn't ideal. The trick to them is to get tiles that have a wood like texture to closely mimic the feel and grain of wood, and also try to get something where the patterns has enough variation. I find that tile (like marble for example) can repeat very frequently which to my eye is a dead giveaway that it isn't real. If you stick to those, then you'll enjoy them. Also, have you considered luxury vinyl plank? Also make sure you go over the complexity of installation (and cost) with your contractor between porcelain and vinyl. Good luck!
I have laminate that is 10mm thick (measured at the transition and floor vent). I want to replace the carpet that butts up against the laminate but having a difficult time deciding on the brand. It will be in a living room and hallway. I also looked at LVP, but the thickest I've seen is 6mm. I don't want to use 4mm of underlayment just to match the height. Floor is being installed over a wood subfloor. Options? Ideas?
