Thank you for input. Yes like quiet and warmth. Vinyl plank and cork. Floor will be floating in a lower level. In Midwest on a lake.

Cork is also a "green" option which will improve the indoor air quality of your home !

We put vinyl plank floors in my office. They are great- low maintenance, desk chairs roll on them, good looking. That said, they don't really look like wood, and they aren't nice to the touch. You say lower level- kids area in a basement? Vinyl sounds great. Lower level family room with fireplace facing the lake? Cork.

Cork is a particular product. It is a carpet replacement item with the ability to be installed in kitchens and (if you work with glue down) in bathrooms.

Cork SCRATCHES, it FADES, it patinas and it "dimples" (non-permanent indents that work out over time). These are the peculiar aspects of cork. If you are afraid of ANY of those 4 characteristics, then stick with vinyl. You'll be happier.

After working exclusively with cork for 5 years, I've gotten quite good at weeding out "good cork personalities" and "poor cork personalities". I won't sell to anyone who is squeamish about fading, scratching or denting. It is a recipe for disaster. Considering that I'm both the Sales Manager AND the complaint desk, I will screen my customers if I feel they might be a bit hesitant with scratches, fading and dimpling.

Cork is lovely, quiet and warm...but it has a dual personality that can upset people who are not ready for such a big change in characteristics. If scratches in hardwoods upsets you, you need to stay away from cork. You won't be happy.

That's as honest an answer as I can offer. No amount of money is worth something if it will upset you in the end. Just because it is quiet and warm will NOT compensate for dissatisfaction over physical appearance (scratches and fading).

Notice how many times I've mentioned scratching and fading? If you winced at those words, then vinyl is the way to go.

And to be clear...I LOVE cork...I don't care if it scratches or fades. I know I can fix the scratches and the dimpling...and fading doesn't bother me one bit. I know it will even out after 5-7 years so I don't care.

Warm and quiet are more important to me than "perfect". That's why my laissez faire attitude to floor works well with cork...I couldn't care less.

Vinyl is a 'hard' surface flooring. As cancork mentioned cork is a 'softer' surface resilient floor covering option that adds value and literally warmth to your home( insulating R value). Cork is an upgrade from lvt. Contact cancork for pricing. You may be pleasantly surprised.

We have cork on a concrete slab foundation in our cottage...as soon as it went in I just got down and rolled around on the floor for some reason. It is magic. Quiet, warm and organic and not plastic or smelly like other flooring. Still loving it 10 years on...