I absolutely despise “luxury” vinyl flooring
Going on a rant. Why is this crap in every new home and apartment?
More of a knock on people’s taste than the product itself - everyone chooses a cold super-fake grey. It absolutely sucks the life out of a home.
It’s called “luxury” vinyl plank. It’s PVC plastic. How can anyone consider that luxurious?
There are a limited number of prints in each box of planks. A lot of installers don’t bother to shuffle them so you get a weird repeating pattern. Even if you do shuffle, it’s often still noticeable.
The planks have grooves in them. Real hardwood is almost completely smooth. Imagine all the dirt and germs getting trapped in those planks.
I’ve heard people say they need LVP because they “have kids.” I grew up in a house with hardwood floors and my mom just taught me to clean up any spills quickly and it was fine??? Do you let your kids dump a gallon of Kool-Aid on the floor and just leave it sitting there?
It lasts 10-25 years. Real hardwood floors can be refinished and last over a century. People complain about the environmental impact of plastic/microplastics and then go out and buy essentially disposable flooring that off-gasses.
“Some of these LVP products are so good, you can’t tell the difference between them and real hardwood!” Honey, you ain’t fooling anyone.
The only scenario I think LVP is acceptable is if you use it in a basement prone to moisture/flooding and you choose a warm color with a decent number of prints.
Now, I’m thinking of the scene in Blade Runner 2049 where K goes to a pawn shop with a tiny wooden horse and the dealer tells him he’s rich since he has real wood.