Luxury vinyl plank or engineered hardwood?!

Developer · OAKLAND, CA · Member since 2013 · 29 posts · 10 votes

We’re building a detached 750sqft 2/1 ADU in the Bay Area and it will be a rental initially. I would love opinions on whether to put in luxury vinyl plank flooring or engineered hardwood? I understand many of the pros and cons but am still undecided. It’s a mid to high end rental in a nice neighborhood so looking to do mid level furnishings.

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Jonathan PfluegerPro Member

Ben Lomond, CA · Member since 2016 · 338 posts · 337 votes

@Carrie Maultsby-Lute

I installed luxury vinyl plank in both of my rentals and I love it. Make sure whatever luxury vinyl plank you get is waterproof, that is key. I was also able to install the luxury vinyl plank myself, so if you are a DIY sort of person that is a plus.

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Chris SeveneyBusiness Member
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Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes
8y
@Carrie Maultsby-Lute - Will you allow pets? If so then your question is a no brainer as it is LVT. On the east coast all the new luxury apartment buildings are LVT. I also put it in my rentals and some are upscale. If it was something I was going to sell then I would put in engineered hardwood but for rentals I would go with LVT.
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Investor · Saskatchewan , Saskatchewan · Member since 2017 · 311 posts · 233 votes
8y
Agreed w above. I’m ~90% pet friendly, but even if I wasn’t, anything holding long term is lvp no question
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Jonathan PfluegerPro Member
Ben Lomond, CA · Member since 2016 · 338 posts · 337 votes
8y
@Carrie Maultsby-Lute
I installed luxury vinyl plank in both of my rentals and I love it. Make sure whatever luxury vinyl plank you get is waterproof, that is key. I was also able to install the luxury vinyl plank myself, so if you are a DIY sort of person that is a plus.
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Christine Johnson-Sundby
Rental Property Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2014 · 73 posts · 15 votes
8y
I agree with the group! LVT all the way. I installed it in my home myself and in my rentals. Here's another question...snap together or glue down? I've done both. The glue down is fast but the snap together looks better in my opinion. Thoughts??
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Blair Poelman
Real Estate Broker · Provo, UT · Member since 2013 · 689 posts · 511 votes
8y
I have both LVP and MHW in my personal residence and have used both in rentals as well. LVP is great on a slab because it will follow the curvature of the highs and lows that are inevitable on a concrete slab. Also, many of the LVP products have a glued perimeter and all the inside planks are drop-in, so if a piece gets scratched or takes a dig you can simply pull those pieces out and drop in a new plank.
Both are comparable on price, but LVP is much easier to deal with. I will say that the MHW cleans up better. LVP seems to take a lot of shoe scuffs that you've got to get down and scrub off. The MHW isn't nearly as tacky on your shoe soles.
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Scott TitusPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Lake Ozark, MO · Member since 2017 · 102 posts · 86 votes
8y
I’m 100% sold on LVT. It holds up to everything and if you buy the right one it’s completely waterproof, so no concerns for the planks buckling and you bring stuck with another bill. It’s low maintenance and great for pets...no-brained for me. Good luck!
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Investor · Saskatchewan , Saskatchewan · Member since 2017 · 311 posts · 233 votes
8y
Wrt the snap together vs. friction fit question, I’ve actually had good luck with both but will be doing friction fit going forward for ease of repair if ever needed. The fibreglass reinforced thicker stuff seems to hold the edge better. I’ve got some minor chipping on my thin click stuff but I guess after 5 years in a basement suite with dogs... understandable. One thing I will ALWAYS do on vinyl, stairs. Even in multi family buildings. Such a high % of that cost is labour, do it once and don’t touch it for 20 years sounds good to me!
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Steven Gesis
Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 390 votes
8y
Originally posted by @Carrie Maultsby-Lute:
We’re building a detached 750sqft 2/1 ADU in the Bay Area and it will be a rental initially. I would love opinions on whether to put in luxury vinyl plank flooring or engineered hardwood? I understand many of the pros and cons but am still undecided. It’s a mid to high end rental in a nice neighborhood so looking to do mid level furnishings.
Luxury Vinyl Tile, but it cannot be the super cheap one - the LVT gives you a more resilient covering versus the laminate that may be more sensitive to water, with tenants occupying you want to give yourself the best chances.
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Todd Dexheimer
Rental Property Investor · St. Paul, MN · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
8y
My vote would be LVT - just use the thicker mill stuff
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Clancy Catelli
Real Estate Agent · Sequim, WA · Member since 2017 · 64 posts · 39 votes
8y
just finished up my laminate flooring(waterproof) I like it a bit better then LPV because its a little thicker and you dont feel any imperfections in the subfloor. This is by no means a high end rental, but it looks decent and easy to install. Put 1100 ft in two days
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Alexia Williams
Flipper/Rehabber · Chesapeake, VA · Member since 2018 · 37 posts · 4 votes
8y
I actually renovated my house not too long ago and chose luxury vinyl plank because I didn't want carpet again. I love it and I keep having to remind myself that it isn't wood. It cleans very easily and you can install it in every room in the house which makes for a more cost effective purchase. Many tenants like continuity in a floor and this provides you with that and a nice looking floor throughout.
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Arlen Chou
Investor · Los Altos, CA · Member since 2014 · 942 posts · 1k+ votes
8y
@Carrie Maultsby-Lute 100% vinyl planks. They are easy to install on your own, if you decide to go that route. They don't warp and don't need to be refinished. I have them in 10 different units, 8 residential and 2 commercial office spaces, and I have not had any issues with them. Just make sure you get the good stuff... don't go cheap!
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Alec McCullough
Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 98 posts · 24 votes
8y
I own a flooring store and can say for a rental unit I would absolutely go with LVP I would also do the nicer 8mm thick LVP. Most of the newer products in the 8mm thick have extremely good looks that most people that aren't flooring professionals will have a hard time telling the difference between that and real wood. Furthermore, most of the LVP that we sell carries a lifetime residential warranty, tenants, pets, water, the stuff is really bulletproof. Spend the extra money now on the nice stuff save yourself years and years of headaches and replacement floors.
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Daniel Hartness
Member since 2019 · 3 posts · 2 votes
6y
I'm definitely a huge fan of LVP. This is mainly due to two huge attributes that are available for LVP products: Durability and the Embossed in Register Technique (ER). I also acknowledge that price is one of the biggest benefits as well.
LVP has come such a long way in the durability market because of the inclusion of a compound called aluminum oxide within the finish. This compound is nearly as hard as a diamond and strengthens up the wear layer of each board. This addition makes the boards impervious to scratches and scuff marks, to the point where they're almost never even shown. An example of this is with Shaw's Floorte Pro Series with a finish they call ScuffResist Platinum Finish, which contains aluminum oxide.

Another cool option for LVP is the Embossed in Register" Technique or ER. This makes any rifts or wood knots feel completely real as it fully captures the image of the original register or plank. This innovation allows for more inherent water-resistance as well as a guard against slipperiness because of the added surface area. I hope this helps others looking into LVP and I'll also include a couple links to blogs I found to be the most helpful in my research:
https://www.reallycheapfloors....
https://www.reallycheapfloors....

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John Collins
Investor · Tx, GA · Member since 2019 · 313 posts · 337 votes
6y
To the people who have installed luxury vinyl plank - what have you used to cut it? How about against curved walls? Does the sound it makes when you walk on it (echo-ey) make it sound cheap for a high end residential home? I would be putting it over existing wood and tile.
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