Luxury vinyl plank thickness to install?

Question

Want to install luxury vinyl plank through out house. What is the minimum thickness I should get? How does 4mm thickness hold up in bath & kitchen?

Nathan Gesner · Answer

The thickness you want to pay attention to is the "mil" or "wear layer" thickness, not the actual board thickness. The thicker the wear layer, the longer it will last before it requires replacement. 12 mil is sufficient for most applications. If you're laying it down in a bedroom or something with lower traffic, then you may be safe with as low as 6 mil. 20 mil is better suited for people with kids, animals, or heavy traffic areas. Above 28 mil is typically used in commercial spaces.

Bruce C. · Answer

Agree with Nathan here on the 12 mil. I wouldn’t go lower. We put in something under 8 mil in a bedroom and it didn’t last long. We found some good price 20 mil from HD that was 2.39ish/sqft if you bought over 1000 or 1500 sqft.

Long Tran · Answer

Noted! Thanks for this reply. =o)

Lindsay Paige Leithead · Answer

Nathan G. is dead on!  15 years as a commercial and residential interior designer has hammered a lot of fun facts about durability into my head!  I agree with him 100%!

Donna M. · Answer

Get samples, scratch them, hit with hammer, then drop them to see how they perform. Can you see the scratches easily?  Will heavy furniture leave impressions on the vinyl. Does it chip easily?

Donna M. · Answer

Get samples, scratch them, hit with hammer, then drop them to see how they perform. Can you see the scratches easily?  Will heavy furniture leave impressions on the vinyl. Does it chip easily?

Annchen Knodt · Answer

looks like folks have already covered the importance of the wear layer thickness, so i'll just add that on thing that the total thickness will affect is the level that any imperfections in the subfloor will come through. 4mm is pretty thin so with that you'd probably feel every little bump underneath unless you do very thorough prep work or install a plywood underlayment.

Bud Gaffney · Answer

@Jean Di it’s great !

Taylor L. · Answer

I go with the thickest wear layer I can find. This was the most helpful comparison I was able to find the last time I was shopping for this type of flooring. I think it's worth spending a little bit more to get a better quality product that will look better and last longer.

Luxury vinyl plank thickness to install?

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