LVP or Wood tile for home with pool, dogs and baby on the way?

8 years ago

Hello! We recently purchased a home with "good bones" that needs a lot of updating. We've decided to update the kitchen and floors right away and postpone bathroom updating for later. Our problem is that we're not sure what to do about flooring. We were all set on wood tile because we figured it would hold up well with the pool (which has 4 entrances straight into the kitchen, dining room, master bedroom and another hallway) but the floor contractor we met with tried to talk us into purchasing LVP (luxury vinyl planks) because he said it's more cost effective, durable and softer). I'll be honest... when I think vinyl, I think cheap. Not that we're buying a million dollar home or anything but we're spending a good chunk to update the kitchen and just don't have a warm and fuzzy having and upgraded kitchen with vinyl floors. Here are pros/cons of each as I see it:

LVT pros- more cost effective, durable, water resistant, softer for baby

LVT cons- doesn't add any value to the home, "sounds cheap", and I'm concerned that vinyl uses pvc and/or or other chemicals which could technically cause health problems. This probably bothers me the most since our little one will be crawling all over these floors.

Wood tile pros - durable, water resistant, more "upscale" and desirable than vinyl

Wood tile cons- more expensive, hard/rough floors (especially if baby falls), and our kitchen contractor mentioned that because we have high ceilings we have to be careful with the echoing from the tile. Having an echo in the main area where we'll spend most of our time does sound pretty awful.

I'd love to hear thoughts, advice or feedback from those of you that already have one or the other. Also open to other flooring suggestions but I should mention that my husband is very anti-carpet and we don't think hard wood flooring would hold up well given the pool and humidity of where we live. Also, we're kind of set on having the same flooring throughout the living areas and bedrooms because they all open up into the pool area.

Thank you!

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Comments (5)

PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
8 years ago
The area where you live (super hot climate vs. temperate) will dictate which is more appropriate for your situation. Someone in Seattle would be happier with LVT than someone in Florida.

In Florida, tile is the norm, whereas in temperate areas or areas with a true winter, the tiles would be poo-pooed by the next homeowner.

The value of your home is also part and parcel as to what works. It would be ill advised to install $25K worth of tile if your home is only worth $100K. The opposite is true of course.

The true measure should also be the homeowner themselves. There are LVT products out there that are phthalates free (more expensive) and allow or have cork underlayment as part of their construction (again, more expensive). The cork underlayment will help (a little bit) with the echo in the space.

And BTW...both vinyl and tile will have almost identical issues with echo. The vinyl will be a SNICK better. If you add the cork (assuming it is allowed) it will be a bit better than that. But that's as good as it gets. Both have issues with noise.

A vinyl plank with all the things you want = $4-$6/sf for material. Install is a bit cheaper than tile...but if this is glued down then it won't be much cheaper. At the end of the day, a HIGH END glue down vinyl plank with an allowed cork underlay (also glued) will cost the SAME amount as a nice porcelain tile installed. Once all the bills are paid, you are going to be within a few hundred dollars of each other.

Which leads me to say - get what you want and what works for your family. Be aware of the inherent value of your home and your area but get what works for YOU. And remember: babies are only little for a few years. After that they become more adept at avoiding hurtful situations.
Cori thanked Cancork Floor Inc.
Cori
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you so much! That's very helpful information. I am in Florida (north/central) so am wondering why the floor contractor was pushing the LVP so much. He said that's what's "hot" now.
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PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
8 years ago
And he's right...everyone and their DOG are doing vinyl. And some people in the hot areas (temperature hot not "fashion" hot) have discovered the draw backs of vinyl. It does NOT like direct sunlight (can either FADE or BLACKEN). At the same time, it doesn't like HEAT (like the heat produced by direct sunlight). Excess heat can and will cause vinyl to warp curl (ever left something "plastic" out in the sun for a day...now imagine thousands of dollars of flooring doing the same thing).

Vinyl MUST have PERFECT climate control. If you are someone who likes to leave windows/doors open then vinyl will be an issue. You have to work with the VERY high priced/high end stuff to get away from these issues ($4-$6/sf).

Porcelain in Florida is the most common and most accepted floor type. There won't be any issue with "resale" in the future. Keep a box of tiles after install. It will be your "repair kit" for the next 30 years.

Have fun. Vinyl may not be the right floor in Florida...depending on how you like to live your life.
Mrs. S
8 years ago
I'm going to chip in here, and say that as a So. Cal. family, we went through this same decision. We have 4 dogs (about 40lbs each, lots of fur), 4 kids, a huge swimming pool, and we are THAT house, with endless streams of neighborhood kids running in and out. (As I write this, there are 4 additional teens here, gearing up for a night swim). We finally decided on rustic, distressed mid-priced wide-planked engineered oak. It is wire-brushed and has a matte finish. Then we bought a huge water-hog mat (4X6) from Costco for inside the double doorway, and we try to get the kids to towel off outside the door. 2 and half years later, with the hard abuse we give it, the floor still looks perfect to me. I think this was the right decision for us.

With multiple doors, you might consider getting multiple waterproof mats.
backyardfeast
8 years ago
We put LVT down recently in a basement reno and really love it. We needed waterproof and durable for mudroom, laudry room, but attractive enough to maintain the same flooring into a den and bedroom. It was a great choice for us. But that's because in a basement in the PNW, a lot of other products, including tile, weren't a good option. In Florida, I would definitely do tile.