I would consider WPC over SPC with a good 1.5mm plus pad. We carry an 8mm collection, but I've seen 12mm on the market from Coretec. IMO, real wood engineered floor is always a better option than LVPs.

Had to search up these terms lol

If it’s going to be a playroom will you put a rug down? And if you will be putting a rug down, do you need “high end” underneath it? Kids tend to destroy stuff, even good kids. I would pick something that looks good and can stand up to a lot of play. Once they grow up a bit, you can put something nicer down.

@shadewillowfarm this is why we opted for LVP instead of tile. Originally we were going the ceramic tile route but I realized it would be too cold and hard especially in the winter. Then I thought ‘ok, I’ll just get a huge area rug’ but as a kid I remember wanting smooth surfaces for playing with cars, blocks, legos etc. For the LVP, I plan to have a smaller rug for coziness but leave most of the room just LVP. The WPC does sound better for what we need.

There are a ton of products between ceramic tile and lvp.

Like what

@verbo we had tile in my parents basement growing up with radiant floor heating. It was toasty but it was still very hard and not as cozy to play on. My mom even said she was always worried when we were little and played down there. A rug is a good option but a smooth surface is way better for play in my opinion. It was a tough decision to opt out of tile for me. I’m not opting out because of price. I believe tile is the truly better option for homes but at the same time, I need the room to be as inviting as possible for a playroom because I would like the kids to love playing there.

Any opinions on what is the highest end, most authentic looking LVP one can get? In general or WPC I suppose if like the OP one is interested in warmth.

In my personal research for my home Coretec won hands down. I replaced my tile with Coretec and have been very pleased. Since it will be on a basement concrete floor, I still think rugs will still be necessary for comfort. You can get attractive but inexpensive ones on Amazon.

@G E and greenlaker7, It would be interesting to know what you have found out so far.

I have found that people love to gush about how great theirs are but do not share what brand so I don't see a consensus or even good info out there. Thanks to the person here who recommended Coretec- I would look into that if I had a bigger project.

I have never been impressed in person enough to ask someone specifics- they all seem similar to me. The samples I get all seem to give me the "there is only one factory on Earth" vibe as to the quality on top with various types and thicknesses of backings. I think I'm done researching and just going to get cheap stuff in stock at a big box and call it a day- my project is a closet.

We had Flooret Modin installed in a weekend cabin & have been very happy with it: https://www.flooret.com

Adult kids have big dogs so we went with the Signature line, which has a 40 MIL wear layer.

@greenlaker7 we’re actually going with opus floors greenflow series in oak. They’re 100% cork floors that have a wood look. They’re incredible. Warm and durable. From what I hear. Wish me luck lol.