Vinyl has it's place. Just remember it doesn't like heat and it doesn't like strong sunlight. It also needs a BEAUTIFULLY prepared subfloor. As in the subfloor preparation could be more expensive than the vinyl floor.

Vinyl in hot climates with low grade windows that allow the floors to heat up too much can ruin a vinyl floor by the end of the first summer. The same floor in Seattle will have very few problems.

Mohawk is an 'over the counter' name found in many big box stores. It can be considered "mid-range quality" with a mid-range price tag. Not the best. Not the worst. Somewhere in between.

You get what you pay for. That includes the subfloor prep. Depending on your situation, you could be looking at preparation price between $1-$5/sf. Absolutely normal for preparation costs for vinyl.

Do you know of a good name brand of vinyl?

Modin and CoreTec Plus are the local ones. EZ Lay and Drop N Done are imports from Korea that are known to be more stable than most.

Again, where do you live? What is your installation situation?

Live in Louisiana and I was gonna do the kinda floor you lock in place. I’m not sure exactly what it’s called. It’s not the glue down.

It's called a "floating floor" (nothing is locking it to the subfloor below). Please be aware of the limitations of the floor you choose (how long the floor can "run" before it needs an expansion joint). They will require t-mouldings in doorways and are NOT allowed underneath cabinetry.

And you will really need to know how hot things get in direct sunlight. Louisiana can get HOT and HUMID. Humidity does weird things to floors but the HEAT does sooooooooo much damage to vinyl it is breath taking.

Tile is a better option in your location.

Thank you so much! I’m really glad to know the name brand that you used. I will go look find that floor sample tomorrow.

http://www.usfloorsllc.com/display-category/coretec-plus/

This is the website of the brand. Glad I could help. It may not be what you want, but at least you can check it out. :)

We always fear there is the possibility of having a flood if the hot water heater ever breaks or washing machine over flows. So no hardwood on the first floor, some type of vinyl or tile would be better. Right now we have some very old ugly brick look burgundy colored linoleum from 1979 down there, and are thinking of looking into using an updated vinyl or maybe a floating interlocking 'wood look' floor, or tile. We wish it could be hardwood but is too risky. Our house is temperature controlled nearly all of the time so that wouldn't be an issue. When we get around to redoing our 1st floor flooring I'll post about whatever we wind up using & tell you how we like it but yours will probably have already been completed by then.

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What does it mean when someone says 'Following' ?? Does that mean flowing this thread or something else? Am I missing something?

We just purchased NuCore flooring that looks like a “rustic concrete/slate” tile, or as my husband calls it “acid washed concrete”. I love the look and blends well with our wood floors. It’s a floating floor with a cork backing and “click and lock” installation. It doesn’t need any major prep work, just lay it on top of your subfloor. If it gets wet underneath (I’m told) you can pull it up and dry it out...by “wet” I mean major flooding, as it’s advertised as waterproof. Our contractor suggested it when we had to pull up our kitchen flooring due to water damage from a leaking back door. Check out Floor & Decor online - they have wood-like options, but personally I’m not a fan of “vinyl wood”, but that’s just me.

I’m still waiting to see when the contractor can come install it, if it’s soon I will post a picture. I am seriously considering putting it down myself, as I’m not wanting to deal with plywood flooring in my kitchen for much longer!

following

SJ McCarthy Do you know if EZ Lay and Drop n Done are more stable than COREtec? Seems like those floors would be better than others re shrinking/expanding, but I don't see it offered in local stores and not many reviews online. Thanks!

"Following," meaning I have no comment at this time, but am interested in the topic and the comments resulting from it.

Thank you Waynette Bailey!

@Jess Haege -

Please be aware that the cork backing does NOT like to get "wet". People who have had major flooding (the backing sitting in several inches/feet of water for more than 24 hours) have had MASSIVE problems "salvaging" their floors. The cork gets soaked and then it becomes moldy. And there is no way to "sanitize" the cork backing = throw it away and try again. Actually it isn't the CORK that is the issue, it is the GLUE. Cork is almost impervious to water....but that is when it is whole pieces of cork bark. The backing you have is AGGLOMERATED cork (tiny cork granules held together with LOTS of glue). The GLUE can be a source of food for mold and mildew (and bacteria if you have waste water mixed in). That's the "weakest" point of the cork backing = glue + water = mold. Cork be damned.

If you want to salvage the floor after a burst pipe....you will need to pull it up inside of a few HOURS....and then be EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE with your drying (bleach sprayed onto the backing and then industrial fans and dehumidifiers running IMMEDIATELY). That all has to happen within HOURS of the backing getting wet.

@chrisntine - EZ Lay and Drop n Done are hard to find. They have to be imported from Korea and there are many consumers who are scared of anything out of Asia. To get some samples you will have to find a retailer (anywhere in the USA or Canada) and have the retailer mail you a sample.

It is my understanding that these two brands (owned by the same company) do NOT sell directly to the public (no "online" purchases). They only deal with retailers with skilled workers who can install them. As you've seen, many of the concerns about vinyl come from INSTALLATION ERRORS. So Drop n Done/EZ Lay have tried to eliminate that issue = no internet sales to homeowners who will "source" their own installation process.

SJ McCarthy thanks for the info. So bummed about not being able to find anyone nearby who carries EZ Lay / Drop n Done. I used the XL Flooring website to find dealers, but none had even heard of these products. :/ If they're made in Korea that's actually a good thing too IMO.

You've been a wealth info and great advice. Thank you!

I just wanted to let you know that I installed mohawk revella sandstorm with the uniclic by myself because the install cost was between 5-7 dollars a square foot. You need to be extremely educated on what they are going to do. Installers are notorious for cost cutting, some will level your whole floor with leveler instead of trying to fix a couple of high spots. I found I saved myself about 6000 and I am proud of the job when it was finished plus I installed the whole floor without using quarter round. I pulled all of my trim and put it within the specification of the drywall, New trim was installed after and it looks much better than 100 feet of quarter round.

I would say that it was a Pain to install based on how finicky it is. My wife loves how it cleans up and the kids don't exactly treat it nicely. We had to put "chair socks" on all of our dining room chairs and anything I was scared would scratch.

It will scratch. I tested a chair on one corner on a piece of scrap and it left lines.

I would never use this product in a moist environment because I don't believe the locking mechanisms would last (if you had to remove to clean the water up and re-install)

Here was my normal process for each plank install.

1. Grab a new piece and inspect the whole thing front and back and all edges (you will have damaged edges if you do a large section.

2. Run my fingers along all the locking edges clearing out any debris from the manufacturing process.

3. Blowing down the whole plank to make sure everything is clear.

4. Place the new piece and get the inside corner of the end as close as I could to the already laid down plank. I would then gently set the long end and make sure it looked like it would lock.

5. push down firmly and inwards to set the long edge, I always started close to the end that was going to be locked in. I then would either use my rubber mallet gently on the edges or use the pull bar with a scrap piece.

I did not use transitions from my main bedroom into the master bath and into the master walk in. It was very time consuming measuring exactly and doing the cut-outs around the doorways. It does look very clean and there is only one section (i believe it is the locking mechanism not my install error) that keeps slowly floating away from the joint a tiny bit but has not separated.

I think it took me about a week to do around 1100 square feet. I had to rent a sander and knock down the high spots, screw in any squeaky areas, sweep, sweep, sweep, vacuum, sweeep.

I was surprised how little tiny specs could cause the locking to have issues. I also had about 1-1/2 box's of unusable pieces. The locking edges were either broke, smashed, pressed or not routed correctly.

If you are interested in pictures I can send them when I get home.

btw, cutting these things with a laminate cutter was a pain, a sharp utility blade was possible but felt it left the edges without clean lines where the material would break. I used my table saw (needed for starting and ending rows) and my mitre saw.