Wood and tile will always be the choice for an upscale to luxury home.

You can't go wrong if you choose site finished or engineered wood floors everywhere, except for tile in bathrooms, laundry, mudroom.

Lots of people are happy with LVP, but we didn't like how it felt/sounded when walked on and didn't like the striped pattern that seems to show up in most of them.

Some scratches on hardwood floors are normal. Some patina is not always a bad thing! Most site finished and engineered wood floors should have the option of refinishing, so you aren't contributing to the filling up of landfills.

Luxury Vinyl Planks is an oxymoron. They are great for basements or rentals, or to cover up existing vinyl sheet goods from decades past. Not for an upscale home on the main level. Go to a reputable flooring store and talk to them about engineered hardwood for the living areas and nice porcelain for the bathrooms.

Thanks for the comments and for validating that hardwood and tile are the way to go. There are so many decisions to make and very much appreciate this community

There is something to be said about the showing of the passing of time, both in a house and ourselves. The scratches and chips can remind us of the resilience and fragility of the natural occurrences of being alive.

I have scars on my body that remind me of playing with by brother as a child, working on a classic sports car, a head-on collision, and a few visits to the hospital (not as an employee).

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” And your house should not be any different.

Adding the word "luxury" to "vinyl flooring" has to be the most genius marketing move of all time.

Another vote for hardwood! It will outlast you and your children. My 90+ year old home has the original hardwood, which has been refinished several times, and still looks beautiful. "Some scratches" in 10 years is something to be proud of!

"Life should not be a journey...." Hunter S. Thompson

The phrase luxury Vinyl flooring used to bother me until I lived with it. It's actually luxurious and a good choice for some on a budget. Picking the right flloor is the key. I was focused on realistic knots and texture until I laid it down and saw all the repeats. Then you realized you are looking for subtley and not just beautiful eye-catching realism.

However, I'm buying engineered flooring for my new place because I'm programmed to put fragile stuff on my floor only to feel the anguish of dropping a knife or pan lid in the future (and it will happen).

@bunty247 thanks for this post. I am contemplating the same question for a top-to-bottom remodel. I eliminated LVP after seeing it and feeling it in someone else's home. It just felt like plastic and looked lifeless to me. But I'm a bit of a nature person. I hope you have friends with LVP so you can do the same. You might feel differently. 

My understanding is that it feels better on aging joints. It can be used in wet places so you can have a single flooring in bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as kitchen/dining/living rooms. So if you have an open-plan house, the floor isn't all broken up. It could make your home feel bigger because it is a single flooring. And maybe you are attracted to the lower maintenance aspect. And if you are aiming for financial security, LVP is cheaper. 

Take a look at more types of flooring than you mentioned, like stone, concrete, and cork. Consider your climate, the size and plan of your home, and your finances. 

I am currently leaning towards wood and stone (nature girl). I have a neo-colonial in the Mid-Atlantic, so I get too hot and too cold. It's under 2,000 sq-ft so I feel like I can afford the luxury of real stone and wood.

I was warned off ceramic tile, because a HOUZZER said when you seal it you can only seal the grout, and you can't get sealer on the tile or will have to be wiped off. With stone, the whole floor gets sealed, so it's less fussy in my view. Though I've never lived with a ceramic tile floor and you have, so you tell me. 

I like how stone floors cool the house in summer. So does real plaster. In winter I want radiant heating. I love the warmth under my bare feet. If I lived in a constantly warm place like Florida or any Southern state, I would want all stone. Stone is even more luxurious than wood, and I think many people have forgotten that. When you see really old buildings, there is as much stone as possible. Marble floors are the epitome of luxury. But other stones are beautiful too and still a notch above wood. Wood was used where you couldn't use stone. 

But I like wood, and too much of a good thing isn't great design either. Wood is beautiful. I want radiant heating under my wood floors too, so that puts me in the engineered-wood-flooring department. My daughter has engineered wood flooring, and it feels sort of like wood to me, much more so than LVP. I can tell the difference, so am struggling with what to do. I'm thinking of solid wood flooring in the bedrooms and engineered wood flooring in my living and dining room which are on a slab with no basement and get bone-chilling cold in winter. I can't decide between stone and engineered wood in the family room. Maybe it will have frequently replaced carpet! Gasp! My floors are all broken up at different levels and there's no open plan.

I look forward to others' responses.

What's key is your lifestyle and habits.

A week after clients celebrated their new home with a party, they called me for a sudden "problem" with their floors: many sudden depressions. My flooring installer inspected and tracked the spoor of the game. All 95 pounds of her in a black sheath and spike heels.

Personally, we never wear shoes inside our home nor allow guests to either.

Still our last build, we chose rough sealed quartzite for the entry hall and slate for the family rooms and kitchen and dining areas.

Once you’ve had hardwood, you can’t go back to plastic (LVP). They can call it luxury if they want, but it’s still plastic.

IMO of course.

There's a huge amount of variation in vinyl plank flooring. I'd encourage you not to write it off before looking into some of the nicer options.

We've installed Cali vinyl 'legends' in several homes. It's wonderful. Feels soft and supportive underfoot, mutes sound, waterproof and can't beat the durability.

" . . . can't beat the durability."

How long has your vinyl been installed in your home?

Engineered hardwood is a choice with a strong design benefit. You can get a wider plank than with solid. 7, 9, 11 inches shows the unique figure of the wood species you chose. European Oak is a currently popular light tone option available from almost everyone.

Unfinished. These are from Monarch Plank.

I had mentioned considering cork in addition to wood. I had forgot about bamboo. I checked and found it doesn't have to look so much like bamboo anymore. Just an option. Your priorities, your choice.

@Mark - over 10 years in hundreds of homes, and it performs wonderfully

It comes down to your lifestyle. For our family, a quality vinyl flooring was a no brainer - it's 100% waterproof (which is key in our house with 6 kids and a pool in the backyard), and we don't have to worry about refinishing it (clearing out the whole house to refinish wood floors is not realistic for our family).

What one person loves another person despises. We're talking relatively subjective qualities anyway, which different people are going to perceive....differently. (Yes I know, I'm brilliant. Ha.)

I have "real wood" floors in one house, LVP in another. I like some things about each of them, dislike some things about each of them and in the end you will never convince me one is better than the other. It all comes down to personal values of what's good - and what things someone can live with vs. what things they can't.

If you love LVP - good for you. If you hate LVP - also good for you. It doesn't change my opinions of my own flooring and what works in various settings for me, etc..

If you want to have a debate about pros and cons, that's fine and can be useful as people evaluate it for their own uses. However I genuinely don't get the need to cast aspersions on someone else's design choices - as if liking LVP somehow makes you an inferior human or something. I just don't get it.

Another vote against LVP, with a different reason. We're dealing with some cupping of hardwood, due to water intrusion. Had a plumber here, and he said we were very lucky we didn't have LVP: we wouldn't have known we had a problem until the place was completely infested with mold.

Wood and engineered wood can be damaged by water. If you go LVP get specs of at least 5mm and waterproof. 5mm or more to prevent scratching through the grain pattern. A solid plank -no knots or streaks- will prevent the pattern repeat and can look gorgeous....just don't get the busy look.

• Adding the word "luxury" to "vinyl flooring" has to be the most genius market move of all time.

Absolutely!!!!!

As someone else mentioned, we also have real hardwood throughout one house (tile in the kitchen and baths) and vinyl plank in another. The LVP has held up well but there are scratches in some areas from moving furniture, its not bulletproof. (We used a quality brand)

This is debatable, but I think a worn wood floor looks better than a worn vinyl floor. Wood floors get repaired, vinyl floors get replaced.

There is also something to be said about the honesty of something looking like what it is instead of mimicking something else, or naming it something that is deceptive. Who knows, someday you may be able to buy Luxury Wood Planks.

And not to mention but all of these plastic products will eventually end up in a landfill and use petroleum products to produce. Wood is at least a sustainably grown material and can be recycled, Not sure about engineered wood, but probably not recyclable.

That is so true about a worn wood floor. A scratch in wood vs worn vinyl...wood please. And sustainability of wood vs landfill is better....good point.

But at end of the day for Real Estate value is always go for real hardwood. LVP in an MLS listing? ...Nope.

One of my teachers in design school had a great comment similar to Mark's--wood wears out, vinyl uglies out.

Another reason to say no to vinyl, is vinyl is made from crude oil.

The primary components of vinyl floor coverings include polyvinyl chloride (or vinyl) resins, plasticizers (high molecular-weight solvents), pigments and trace stabilizers, and a carrier sheet or backing. According to www.whatisvinyl.com, polyvinyl chloride is made from ethylene, which comes from crude oil.

Very good point, cpartist. With all the concern about gasoline, incandescent light bulbs, gas ovens, and cows, I can't understand how these products continue to be manufactured.

Do we have to explain how cows are made??

“You get a lot of return on your value. Just refinishing your hardwood floors, you get 147% back and for new wood flooring, 118% back.”- Dr. Jessica Lautz, NAR Deputy Chief Economist & VP of Research

Not how cows are made, but their "effect" on the environment. According to some of the far left loons, we shouldn't be raising cattle/eating beef anymore because of the methane.

I get it, "hot air".

Do you have some pics for reference?

I like the brown one better.

I do too.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Methane emissions from cows is a real contributor to global warming. The last thing we need right now as we are all starting to feel the real effects of a warming planet is label each other.

Far left loons = scientists

Personally I prefer solid wood floors. We have 3/4" birch in our current home. But would get 3/8" if I did it again. I buy my wood directly from the sawer and can get it cut most anything I want. Also we used different widths. 2-1/2" and 4" wide. But it would be cheaper and It would be more stable if 3/8". You may want to look around and see if you have this opportunity.

The looks of real wood are what sets the standard. And as stated, the wear of time and family will blend right in.

In the new home we are building we are going to try out staining the cement floor in the kitchen,pantry, guest bath/ shower room and utility room. If we don't like it we can always change it but want to give it a try. Our cement f.floors we polished off very nicely. Cost me having the BBQ grill going and moose burgers smelling up the air and a cooler of cold beers to a bunch of hungry guys. They stayed a bit longer

When I look at the floors in our home after 3 years of wear and the look great. We used Bona brand topcoat

Thanks for all the comments and insights.

When deciding on flooring for your new home, it's crucial to balance aesthetics and durability. While your current setup with solid hardwood and ceramic tiles exudes luxury, you've encountered some wear and tear over the years. Luxury vinyl planks (LVP) offer a compelling alternative. They mimic the look of hardwood or tile but are more resilient to scratches and chips. LVP is known for its durability, water resistance, and ease of maintenance.

Considering your preference for a long-term investment, luxury vinyl planks could be an excellent choice. They provide a luxurious appearance without sacrificing durability. To ensure a seamless installation and top-notch service, you might want to explore flooring options with experienced professionals. For instance, Vintage Flooring Company of Chicago, renowned as hardwood flooring contractors Chicago, could provide the expertise needed to transform your vision into reality. Their commitment to quality could be the key to achieving a luxurious yet durable flooring solution for your new home.

@Chloe Sebastian hardwood and ceramic tile have a lot more longevity than LVP. And LVP feels less luxurious than hardwood and tile.

@kl23 - What have they learned about the longevity of LVP? I am not questioning your statement nor trying to be snarky. I always appreciate your comments here.

It seems like hardwood floors have had centuries to prove their value but LVP is pretty new. I know people with kids and dogs that think LVP was sent from heaven but I’m a hardwood lover myself.

I agree the “feel” of LVP is not like real wood but the practicality of it (and the price) seems to make it a huge fan favorite these days.

@Chloe Sebastian: thank you AI for that meaningless drivel.