Any thoughts on LVT? I know there are other discussion threads but most are a bit old. As this is a newer product, I'm really interested in opinions from people that have had their LVT installed awhile. Did it hold up? Any issues? Pet scratches? Would you do it again? Which brand did you pick? Need to order ASAP for remodel. Thank you!

We also have the Adura LVP, in Essex Oak. We have stairs that come down into the room, so when we found out that Mannington was (at the time; I don't know if anything newer than Nov 2015 has come onto the market) the ONLY mfg who offered one-piece stair treads, we turned our attention solely to that line.

You may want to know that our vendor absolutely refuses to do a click-lock install on LVP. Glue-down only is their policy. They said they had way too many consumer problems with click-lock installs on LVP versus zero complaints with glue-down.

Two different contractors and three different friends who were experienced remodelers, all thought the flooring was wood. The LVP is only slightly separated, at a right angle, by our kitchen flooring, from a 1940's red oak flooring. We were pretty amazed that no one could tell the LVP wasn't "real" wood, with the red oak flooring so close by.

Sorry our experience is less than a year so far. But we have been very pleased with the LVP. Easy, easy, easy to keep clean. Do note that some folks who have had LVP very long-term have said fade occurs in strong daylight situations. I can attest that even the highest quality LVT does suffer color changes in strong direct daylight.

Our kitchen flooring is Metroflor LVT in a slate-look tile, installed in 2003. I recently had to have a single tile replaced, whose corner edge had chipped off. It wasn't until after replacement I noticed the new tile (from an extra box I bought at the same time) which had been used to protect a table surface but was exposed for about 10 yrs to more direct sun than my kitchen floor, IS now a very slightly different color than the rest of the kitchen tiles. It has a color shift to the more brown/tan hues, than the others.

It's not terribly noticeable - after six months I don't think my DH has ever noticed it - but UV shift is something to be aware of if you have windows with direct sun coming in, that are not coated with UV reduction film. YMMV, of course.

This is a 25x18' MBR:

Close-up:

The one-piece stair tread, with mitered side edge:

jakkom thank you so much for all the good information and photos! Your floors look beautiful. I am thrilled that most folks think the LVT is real wood. We have Pergo in our kitchen now and although it fit our budget at the time and weared extremely well, I have never liked it. Looks, feels and sounds like plastic. Had my heart set on real wood floors but the price tag and practicability with farm dirt and pets ultimately ruled it out of the running. I have read about the sun fade and it does make me a bit nervous, however, we are located in the PNW and excessive sun is generally not a problem. Haha. We did plan on installing the LVT on our stairs so thanks for the heads up on the treads. I'll have to check out availability before making a final selection.

Question on replacing a plank. My husband wants the click-n-lock installation for just that reason. How involved is it to replace a glued down plank?

Thanks again for your help.

We're early in our own construction process in SW FL. Going with LVT (vinyl plank flooring) throughout entire house. High end custom builder recommends. Has it in his own office space and I thought it was real wood. Now I notice the stuff everywhere (restaurants, hotel lobbies, etc). Going with a Shaw's line that is private labeled through a regional flooring distributor (Boone). Builder recommends the thicker click together type, which he then glues down the same as you would the thinner glue-down type. Best part:. I can't believe how inexpensive this stuff is. It's like we're practically getting free floors (compared to other finish selections) which look great and are waterproof and maintenance-free to boot!

keywest230, that is intriguing he's going with click together but gluing down. That is the one thing I wasn't as crazy about on the glue down; the planks were thinner and didn't seem as substantial. Sounds like glue down is the way to go. It would address the few complaints I have read about LVT bubbling and planks popping up. Do you know if the glue down process he will use for the LVT is the same as with sheet vinyl or do I need to find an installer with specific experience gluing down planks? Thanks.

Sorry, I don't know that yet.

Installation is everything and I do mean everything. Flooring generally fails not from mfg defects but from improper installs. So the more experience your installer has with whatever you're putting down, the better. That's actually why we picked the store first, THEN looked at the product lines they sold.

As I understand it from the wonderful pro advisors on this site, click-lock installs are very sensitive to uneven subflooring. Glue down is much less so - but nonetheless, they put down a subfloor layer OVER our plywood subfloor, because our floors were wildly uneven. Even so, you can tell there are high/low spots just by walking over them. But there have been no issues at all; feels good underfoot.

Replacing planks is probably pretty simple. It only took a few minutes for a contractor to pull up and replace the broken kitchen tile. He blocked it off and said not to walk on it for 24 hrs, and that would be it. That was six months ago, no problem with any shifting or lift-up.

In fact, replacement ease was why the original project estimator suggested we rethink the use of the sheet vinyl I had originally selected. There was not really a lot of difference in price of materials, although installation costs were greater with the LVP. But we felt he was right that the sheet vinyl would be just as prone to damage as any LVP, except that the entire sheet would have to replaced (due to the lack of regular pattern in the one we selected).

We hadn't thought it through enough, and were pleased with everyone we dealt with at the company. We had problems getting the LVP from the factory due to a major mfg problem, and the store went to bat for us so our overall project was only delayed two weeks instead of three months!