Looking for feedback on loose lay LVP (especially Karndean).

5 years ago

I'll be making a decision on flooring soon and I'm leaning heavily toward Karndean's loose lay. I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with loose lay vinyl planks, and especially with those who have worked with Karndean. One of the issues I'm looking into is sub floor prep - lumber prices have gone wild and I've been recommended cabinet-grade Birch plywood or "factory(sub G1S)" as alternatives.

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (5)

SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
Check the installation instructions for Karndean. Pretty much every floor on the market (worth writing the installation guide) require Subfloor grade plywood or better. The Karndean installation instructions will tell you what you want to know.

I've heard that the loose lay (perimeter glue + loose lay) is VERY good. It is SUPER easy to replace planks later on down the road. It costs a bit more to install because the cuts/precision needs more 'thinking'....but once the perimeters are all figure out, it is a great product + install.

The down side = thin, flexible planks that WILL telegraph 'bad' subfloors to the finished look of the floor. If there is a knot in the plywood (just an example) then the vinyl will mold itself INTO the knot and show the indents/ridges of the knot. This can happen at every seam in the subfloor. Which means you need plywood that can be sanded and patched with SLC (self leveling compounds).

Remember: if you go cheap on the subfloor, your VERY GOOD Karndean will look very cheap....and you will hate it.

As for wood costs, they are going up, up, up. The Canadian Mills that have shut down over the last 15 years (almost 75% of Canada's mills are inoperable) are now retooling to start up again. They will take 6 - 18 months to get them up to full production. And by that time, the lumber industry will have to catch up to the demand...which means another 18 months for bids on Crown land (Provincially owned lands must go through a bidding process....sigh....and then there will be summer break....and COVID...and the Senate has to chat about it...and...and...and).

I don't see lumber prices stabilizing for another 3 years. Until then, it will continue to go up. Purchase now...the best product you can afford.
Jarah thanked SJ McCarthy
Jarah
Original Author
5 years ago
SJ McCarthy: Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.
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Bill Hilton
2 years ago
Did you go with the Karndean loose lay and howis it working out?
Jarah
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Yes I did and no regrets. The big plusses are no risk of water damage, and the very easy replacement of a damaged plank. And they look great. BTW, we followed the advice of the Karndean rep to apply adhesive to the subfloor as part of the installation -- this holds the planks down better but still allows easy removal of plank if needed.
kathy95
2 years ago
Do you happen to have a picture?