Jonathan Francis
There’s little doubt that hardwood floors — whether light or dark, wide plank or herringbone pattern — add a very specific feeling of nostalgia for how we think of home. While a 2017 homeowner survey by the National Wood Flooring Association found that 66 percent of respondents said wood floors would be in their dream home and 79 percent think it would increase the value of their home, it would appear to be more aspirational than reality.
As beautiful as it is, it does not hold up well with moisture and over time can buckle with the natural expansion and contraction of the material.
The nice thing about it is that it is meant to be sanded down and refinished so an old solid hardwood can be made to look like new.” For all its beauty, hardwood is pretty high maintenance, especially if you have a lot of foot traffic, not to mention small kids and pets, who can scratch it up and leave hard-to-clean messes. Today, any homeowner looking to install new floors can get a hardwood look from several very different types of products, including engineered hardwood, laminate, porcelain tiles, luxury vinyl tile, and bamboo.
The choices are a combination of aesthetic preferences and lifestyle, since each has pros and cons based on your household. But if it scratches, it can be buffed out pretty well with the oil the next time it gets touched up, fairly easily.” Porcelain tile planks can resemble wood, even with a textured grain. “They’re the most durable,” said George Larson, sales associate at Rayo Wholesale Floor Covering Supply.
When Pinto was working with a client with young boys on a new construction home, the couple went into the project with a contract for engineered wood flooring. But after realizing that they were going to install a huge three-panel door in the living room that would open to the backyard and its pool, Pinto had a heart-to-heart with them.
If pool parties are in your future, porcelain tile’s water-resistant qualities make it an attractive option. The couple did choose the tile — and Pinto added radiant floor heating along with area rugs in the living room and kitchen to warm up the space.
Pinto said luxury vinyl looks and feels more like real wood than porcelain but has some of the same characteristics of tile in the sense that it is maintenance-free. It won’t stain, it’s moisture-resistant and it’s much softer to walk on than tile, but it could still potentially scratch given the right situation. “If a pet digs at it or a sharp object is dragged against the floor with enough pressure, then the vinyl can scratch, and then at that point that plank will need to be replaced,” she said. Luxury vinyl plank flooring has improved a great deal and is considered a budget-friendly option that looks like real wood and is softer underfoot than tile.
But Pinto did point out some drawbacks, including issues their team has had with installation of the material over time, and with it holding up without warping in extreme temperature fluctuations. Like hardwood, you need to clean up spilled water or liquid since it’s not waterproof and is more susceptible to moisture. A good designer or salesperson, said Larson, should ask you all the right questions about your lifestyle and budget to help guide you to the best decision for your household.
Luxury vinyl plank is their top seller right now, said George Larson of Rayo Wholesale Floor Covering Supply. Also, Pinto prefers a bit of texture on them, not just for the look but because it makes it nicer to walk on the floor and helps prevent slipping. If you install luxury vinyl, be sure to keep the windows covered when the sun is shining into the room to avoid fading and warping.
Also, when selecting a vendor, look at the back of the plank to be sure that the underlayment is already attached, to make installation easier and less expensive. The stone helps make the product more structurally secure, especially when there are temperature fluctuations that could otherwise cause the vinyl to warp or buckle.
