Building this home has been fun and stressful, but also so rewarding! There is so much that goes into the process and with this being our second build I feel like I have learned a thing or two that helped us this time around. One of the biggest things is knowing where to spend your money with your builder. Flooring is definitely an area where you can save a ton by doing it yourself after your home is completed. Even if you’re not a DIYer or the job feels intimidating it’s still worth it to skip this upgrade with the builder. Typically a project like this would be 3 or more times expensive through your builder then if you DIY it or hire a company to install it after your home is finished.
Planning for the project
I knew from the very beginning I wanted my whole home to have LVP (luxury vinyl plank) flooring, not just the main living areas but the bedrooms and closets. The biggest reasons being that LVP is stain and scratch resistant, 100% waterproof, and has the look of real wood! These are super important factors for our family. We have 5 kids and 3 dogs so we need something that is going to stand up to our day to day life. Also, the ability to get a completely clean surface is crucial in our home since me and 3 of my kids have dust allergies and asthma, making life with carpet pretty horrible!
When picking out the LVP for our home I had a few things I was looking for. I wanted a wide plank and a flooring that didn’t “look” like vinyl, but rather looked like real wood. The color I fell in love with was Style Selection (formerly Pro Core Flooring) English Grove Oak. The flooring has good movement in the pattern, giving it a truly realistic light oak look. This is very important to think about when selecting your flooring, since too much movement can be overpowering and too busy for your home. Also, not enough movement can make your flooring fall flat and not enhance your space.
- Tip: order samples of flooring you’re thinking about, then order a box of the couple you narrow it down to so you can see the flooring on a bigger scale. This will help you visualize how it will look in your home much better than a small sample piece.
Installing the LVP flooring
The first step is to prep your sub floor. If the space previously had carpet it’s important to remove all staples, tack strips, and debris before laying your new flooring. This type of LVP has the underlayment attached to the back of each board, so you can eliminate the job of laying down underlayment under your planks. If you have ever installed a flooring that requires a separate underlayment you know what a big deal this is!! The Style Selection flooring is a drop and lock system, meaning you interlock the planks together and drop them down to lock them in place. You want to make sure you have a good seal without any gaps so your flooring doesn’t have problems down the line. You can use a rubber mallet to help lock the planks into place.
Caring for your flooring
LVP is definitely the easiest type of flooring to care for, which is one of the main reasons we chose it. With real wood flooring you have to be extremely careful with the types of cleaners you use on them. Too much water can make wood floor boards warp, and they scratch easily from furniture or pets . Laminate is slightly easier than really wood since it’s less likely to scratch or stain, but you still have to be careful with water. Laminate is still made of wood and too much water can make the boards swell and seperate. LVP on the other hand is the most durable. You don’t have to worry about water on the floor since it’s 100% waterproof and doesn’t contain any wood. Daily vacuuming won’t scratch or wear it out and there’s no risk of cleaners staining the planks. My favorite way to care for my LVP flooring is with a wet/dry vacuum or a spin mop with water and a little bit of dish soap!
Choosing to put LVP flooring in our home was the best choice for our family. I’m excited to enjoy this beautifully flooring in our new home for years to come with little to no maintenance required. That’s a win in my book!
-Grey Birch Designs-
