Carpet, LVP, or hardwood: which is right for my home?

When is carpet the right choice?

Normally, a homeowner is going to know whether they want carpet or a hard surface in an area. Carpet is typically used to soften what you're walking on. It's also a great sound dampener, so if you have an area that's large and spacious, carpet can make it seem quieter and less echoey.

The more relevant question is usually, "Which is better for my space, LVP or hardwood?" Those two are much closer in scope, so let me go through each one.

LVP or hardwood: which is better for my space?

Why people choose LVP. LVP tends to be less expensive than hardwood, and it's less expensive to install. It's far more water resistant than hardwood, so there's no worry about putting it in a kitchen or a bathroom. It's lower maintenance and easier to care for. LVP also tends to be a little more consistent, because at some point there's going to be a repeat in the pattern. Occasionally you'll get boards fairly close to each other where you can see the same pattern.

Why people choose hardwood. Hardwood doesn't have a repeat, so every board is unique and has its own character. In my opinion, it also tends to look more high-end. A brand-new hardwood floor looks very classy and really elevates a space. Hardwood is also one of the few products you can put into a home that will actually increase the value of the home. If you put $10,000 into hardwood, you may be able to get a portion, if not all, of that back out when you go to sell, assuming, of course, that the hardwood is still in good shape. Old, beat-up hardwood is not going to gain you anything.

Truthfully, that variety bothers some people. You'll get one board that has a lot of knots and another that has a lot of color variation. There's just a lot of variability in a real hardwood floor.

Is engineered hardwood "real" hardwood?

Yes. There's an idea out there that it's only real hardwood if it's solid. Years ago, 3/4-inch solid wood was very popular, so a lot of people come in and say, "We want real hardwood." Engineered hardwood flooring is real hardwood. It's done in layers rather than one solid board. Oftentimes, they'll use a mix of hardwoods and softwoods throughout the layers to give it more dimensional stability. The surface layer is always the hardwood that you have selected, such as oak, maple, or walnut.

What those layers give you is much more stability. Stability means expansion and contraction: the less stable something is in flooring, the more it expands and contracts. With a solid floor, you'll have gaps open up over time that you would not have open up in an engineered floor.

The other thing about solid hardwood, for the most part, is that it has to be site-finished. They nail the floor in, then sand it and finish it in your home. The problem is that you can't get anywhere near the quality of finish on a site-finished floor that you can get from a factory-finished floor, where they finish it and put it through ovens that bake the finish on. Engineered hardwood is what we sell here.

How much does engineered hardwood cost?

Engineered hardwood is going to start at about $7.99 a square foot installed and go up from there. Normally it's more like $8.99 or $9.99 a square foot. You have the same pricing issues with engineered flooring that you have with LVP, like baseboards, floor prep, and removing old flooring. There are hardwoods out there that are quite thin and cheap, and you could maybe get down to $6.99 a square foot, but that's quite a drop in quality. (For those extras, see How Much Does LVP Cost Installed?)

Does Utah's dry air affect my floors?

Yes, it can. That comes back to stability. Engineered floors are going to be more stable than a solid floor, and LVP is quite a bit more stable than hardwood, but even LVP, over time, can develop some gapping.

The best thing you can do is have a home humidifier to regulate it and get some moisture in the air in the winter. That is the best thing you can do for wood flooring.

Glue-down or click: which kind do I need?

Both LVP and hardwood come in two main styles. A click floor locks together and "floats" over the floor below it. A glue-down floor is glued to the floor below.

• On concrete, if you're putting wood on a concrete floor, you're probably going to have to glue it down.
• In a basement, you have to look at just how level and even the floor is. Does it slope anywhere? Are there low spots or high spots? A lot of times, concrete basement floors aren't that level. If you put a floating floor over it without spending the time, effort, and money to make it level, you're going to have a bouncy spot, or you'll be able to feel a high spot. In basements, especially in older homes, you might be better off with a glue-down LVP.
• Glue-down still needs a smooth surface. For glue-down, a concrete floor doesn't have to be level, but it has to be smooth so the adhesive has something to adhere to. If there's floor damage or "cottage cheese" issues with the concrete, you're going to need some floor prep to smooth those areas.

What about kitchens, bathrooms, and basements?

In a normal bathroom without a lot of splashing, like an adult bathroom, LVP is a great option, and it's also a great option in the kitchen. Here's what you've got to think about:

• Splashing kids. If you have little kids splashing a lot of water around and it's a click floor, it's still possible to get water under the floor, even though the floor itself is mostly plastic. If you get water under a floor, that could cause problems for you at some point.
• Hidden leaks. If you have a water leak under the floor from a dishwasher or an ice maker line, the subfloor can swell and damage the floor, even though the LVP itself is waterproof. That risk exists for any kind of floor, even tile.
• Basement water. If you've had outside water come in at any time, or that's a potential risk, you're better off with a glue-down LVP, because you can just shop-vac up standing water. Damp concrete is something you can usually tell by looking at it, and most people have an idea. We can also do the testing for that, and it's something that should be done.

For more on glue-down (dry-back) LVP, see What to Look for in LVP.

The bottom line

• Carpet for warmth, softness, and a quieter room.
• LVP for high-traffic areas, kitchens, and most bathrooms, where durability, easy care, and water resistance matter most.
• Hardwood for a unique, high-end look that can add value to your home.

Still deciding? Come see us in Provo or Lehi, and we'll help you figure out what fits your space.