I tested 18 Vinyl Planks from a Big Box Store and it AINT PRETTY
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- ONLY 4 were WORTHY and 14 FAILED when I tested 18 samples of Vinyl Plank from a BIG Box Store. There are 3 easy things to look for when buying vinyl plank. Durability of the locking system, wear layer and a Protective coating over the wear layer that prevents scratching.
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Started watching you videos about a year ago. Since then I've done my entire house by myself. Every time I got stuck I found you had a video that helped me figure it out. Thank you and I look forward to your home depot video.
Joe I'm glad the Tarkett Vericore floor passed your tests, we chose that floor in that finish when we did our dining room floor last winter. And might I add with help from watching your videos on vinyl plank installation. Thanks for the great content!
Just the information I was looking for! Thank you for taking the time to help educate your followers.👍😎
A couple of things that I have learned by putting down multiple floors is to make sure that your locking system is clean, and some of them have a little piece on the ends that needs to be knocked off. The cleaning becomes important when cutting the tile. It is a must to ensure the little cut particles are cleaned out of the grooves. I’ll take a small cut piece that still has the locking piece on it, and run it through the channel to ensure that it’s clean. You really need to look closely, and maybe run it through the grooves multiple times to ensure that there is no particles left in the channel. The piece that needs to be knocked off is on the end with the large channel. While looking at the large channel end, holding it upright, to the left side, should be the small locking point. In this upper left corner, you can see where it was cut at the factory, and many times there will be a little sliver that can be raked off with your finger nail. It really makes a difference when connecting the tiles. It took me a while to realize what was causing the problems that I would intermittently run into.
Thanks for the clarity and no-bs of this video series, as echo'd below, can't wait for the HD series coming up.
Time to go to the store with a fork 😉.
Very informative and would have never thought about testing the lock-in like you did. Thanks!
Just found your page as I’m looking to get lvp installed in our basement over concrete floors. I was even more excited listening to your videos when you mention Jesus Christ!! Looove it and God bless you for not being ashamed to mention His name on your platform. I pray that God bless your channel and your family abundantly.
Best video yet! I have watched it 3 times.
Good insight about locking system strength, thanks!
Great tips. Looking forward to the HD tests.
Yep , no Menards near me. just Lowe's - Depot
Appreciate the Menards flooring review. Hard to find many of them. I had been using farmhouse on homes but I think I will start using the twilight. Thanks for showing me what to look at.
Loved this video. Can’t wait for Home Depot and lowes.
I'm looking forward to seeing the review of vinyl flooring sold at Home Depot or Lowe's. We don't have any Menards in my area. Thanks for this video.
Good content Joe. Thanks looking fwd to the HD showdown.
Great vid. Very informative. Thank you 💞
Glad that you are not comparing brand X but the actual brand. Thanks.
Love your work and information
Can’t wait for the Home Depot floor comparison!!!
Thanks for you hard work on this my dood!
Your videos have been very helpful!!!
This is the best video you have ever done
I tried to DIY the Menards EZ click planks with terrible results. Planks would flex and separate; attempts to glue were just as bad. Gave up and returned unopened boxes (over a year later).
In hindsight, I think 80% of the problem was that I was trying to install over a spongy foam underlayment that was thrown in free with the purchase of the flooring. Thanks for the very 'special' promotion, Menards.
If I were ever to try again I would only install without underlayment on concrete or very solid wood subflooring.
Thank you, Joe!
Wish I would have watched this 2 years ago. 🙄 My flooring project was a disaster due to poor locking!
Joe, thanks for the insight!
Real facts from someone that knows what they're talking about. I wish my clients would watch this video before listening to the sales reps selling the flooring.
This was great and very helpful. Subscribed. Please do the same for all the major stores - Floor & Decor, Home Depot, Lowes, LL Flooring. There are so many options now that it's overwhelming even when you know what to look for in a good plank. A summary at the end of the series where you go over the best options you found at each price point would be fantastic.
Will do! Be looking for these over the next couple of weeks.
@@SoThatsHowYouDoThat let us know which store and brand rated best overall for all tested. We are definitely trying to decide.
Okay, so they have this stuff in a jar, filled with water, FOR YEARS. (Shakes it) “See, it water proof!” Okay, but what happens when water gets underneath it? And it might. I would suspect the flanks will float on that water. And that’s why tile is still better, from a practicality standpoint.
Looking forward to your review of sams select surfaces…they have the most amazing colors!
Hey, Joe. You are the best. Simple, straight forward and honest evaluations of vinyl plank flooring. Am looking right now and found a nice Shaw product, but it’s pricey. I will do some more research to find out the thickness, scratch test, etc. thanks for helping to make this so much better.
Thanks for the video, God bless you too!
I used Pergo Outlast + Java scraped oak in my kitchen, dining room, hallways, and my first bedroom (aka, my music room). I absolutely love it! It is very durable, very strong... the locking edges do not deform when I was banging on them (very hard in some cases) getting them into place. It is 10mm thick with a 2mm attached pad. I still put a paper vapor barrier down. I am certainly pleased with the look and the feel so far (I installed back at the end of 2021). In contrast, I recently (a few weeks ago) bought some very cheap, thin (6mm thick, no pad) laminate plank for an accent wall. It does look amazing!!! HOWEVER, if this were needing durability for a floor, I would have taken it all back after the first few planks. Just by tapping it to get it to lock while on the wall, the edges deformed and in some areas the wood below the pattern started to split and pull away from the surface! Luckily, it being installed on a wall, the locking system was not crucial. The Pergo I bought was around $48/ box, while this cheaper stuff was around $21/box.
Your videos are amazing! Will you be doing a review on Coretec flooring soon? (Unless you've done one and I haven't been able to find it yet.)
I just started watching your videos and I'm trying to decide between lifeproof, smartcore, and cali bamboo. Can you do another video of maybe the top 5 planks you recommend
This video has been super informative, thanks. Can padding be added to vinyl planks that are manufactured with padding? I live in an upstairs condo. I’m looking for quiet footing.
God bless you, Joe, and thanks for sharing what to look for. I don’t have a Menards near me so I’m glad the orange store is next.
12:21 I think you're confusing people when you say "the overall thickness on this one is 5 mil (I think you mean *millimeters*; and then you say "but this has a 12 mil wear layer". In this latter instance you're referring to actual "mils" which are thousandths of an inch. One millimeter is equal to 40 mils. So a "12 mil wear layer" is about one third of a millimeter. Maybe add a note to your description, if you're going to use that word when talking about 2 things are are vastly different in thickness. Otherwise though, I did appreciate your testing and comments, thank you.
I'll be watching for your HD sample batch. I did my bathroom with the Lifeproof LPF several years ago. Seems to be holding up very well. I've been considering doing other floors which are on concrete slab but wanted to see how it held up first:) As usual, thanks for your informative videos!
This week!
@@SoThatsHowYouDoThat Great, looking forward to it:)
Thanks Joe.
My wife and I just picked up Floor & Decor’s NuCore Performance LVP that was VERY close in spec’s to the Lifetime we bought a sample box of but didn’t like. NuCor’s color was much nicer “richer”. We’ll see once it’s installed how good it is. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, so far. 👍
Are you me? Same exact story here. Just bought 68 boxes a week ago. How did yours turn out?
Thanks for all the videos I think I have watched them all several times. I still can't decide which brand to go with if money was no object what is your number one choice.and then best bargain for the money?thanks again for all the help
Hey Joe, very informative video. Do you not find that that tongue on SPC flooring is generally weaker than WPC since the “stone” core and tongue are a more brittle material?
I want to put vinyl in my basement however with 30’ foot room length I am concerned with WPC expansion & contraction from temp changes.
By the way, you have wonderful videos so thank you 🙏 Any suggestions on how I get those black streaks off my vinyl plank floor?
Thanks for that,looking to do our floors
Cheers from australia
Thanks Joe - It would be helpful to include a summary chart with the relative ranking of each brand.
Will do!
Great video! I wish you would have done a summary or recap of your findings. It's hard to keep track of each brand and model.
First time I watched your video. It would be great if you can a video comparing click type vs glue down.
Have you done any video reviews on the products available at Lowes or Home Depot? I watched the video from the Menards products. Getting more confused as I go to more stores to look. Planning on doing a small room in the house first to see how it comes out. Never done this before. I find your videos very informative. Thank you!
I recently installed some Malibu Wide Plank flooring from HD. It will be a while before I know how well it holds up, but I had to reorder multiple times because I only got about 1 piece of usable flooring for every 3 that got delivered. It wasted literally 6 hours of my time opening boxes, checking pieces, repackaging, and returning it to HD. Even if the stuff that got installed is still perfect in 10 years I'll never use it again.
Love your channel! On some of your recommended floorings in this video, it has an attached pad or attached ‘acoustic pad’. Does this mean it doesn’t mean an underlayment pad similar to Lifeproof not needing one ?
Tank you for your vidéo, you are a very smart men .
Excellent
God bless you! Awesome videos, keep it up!
Thanks, you too!
I've installed flooring my entire life, I'm now 50. Hands down, "Home Legends, syncorex" is the best, hands down lvp I've ever installed. It is a 6mm water proof floor with a 1.5mm attached pad. Forget the gentle fork test, I can slide couches and tables across these floors without a scratch. This floor locks together and won't separate.
The only obstacles to installing this floor, is finding someone that carries it.
Check it out, I highly recommend
I tested a couple samples for seam water resistance. Plain water beads up and doesn't soak into the seams. Add a bit of detergent, and it flows right through the joints. I'll stick with sheet flooring, for no seams.
13:06 This is the flooring I chose to install on my main level. Despite a perfectly level floor and letting each individual plank to acclimate for OVER a week, there is one SERIOUIS flaw with this product. The short end of the plank has a terribly flimsy "locking" system. It's more like a lapping system. The result is floor separation at the ends. I'd be huffing 11% off super glue to think Johnny Menard would even entertain a credit or refund for their frequent product failures.
I would like to see a summary of the best ones that passed both scratch and fragility tests.
Will do.
Hi joe
Been watching you for a long time now buddy, great content 👍
I own a flooring company here in the Uk and we are sick of pulling up garbage quality LVT flooring,
Do you know any manufacturers that would ship to the Uk?
We are looking to get our own brand LVT into the retail sector
Hi! Which budget brand of vinyl floor panels would you recommend? I have kids and a big 150lbs dog that scratches and dents my hardwood floors downstairs. I’ve decided that it’s time to get rid of carpets upstairs. Durability is important to me plus seeing you dealing with all kind of panel brands, I would assume that your knowledge in this subject is greater than anyone out there. Plus I’m a huge fan of your videos.
I just ordered Stainmaster vinyl plank flooring from Lowes … i went with the 7mm thickness… hopefully I made the correct choice !!?
I feel like the surface layer texture has a big impact on the scratch test. the great lakes looked very smooth, so more prone to scratching compared to the tarkett which seemed very textured.
I’ve got the floor @ 10:28 for about 2 yrs it’s holding up but under light use. My only issue is the end locks like to separate.
I'm so glad I came across your video! I'm planning on ripping up my carpet and switching to vinyl plank. I have collected quite a few samples and I'm pretty set on Lowe's Style Selection line in the shade Ashen Oak. Will you by chance be doing a review of Lowes? Could you grab this sample? It seems pretty good, especially after watching your tips. Seems to pass with flying colors. Curious to hear your opinion. 😊
Glad it was helpful! I am going to give a review of Lowes LVP Next week.
Please do a video on the issue of water getting underneath.
Looking forward to your h*me depot flooring video Joe. That's where I found the floor I'm leaning towards buying. I'd love to see if it fails and scared too if it does. I haven't found anything else I like as much.
Hey Joe, what do you recommend for an RV? Peel and stick or click together? What about thickness?
I got some Cali Vinyl Pro I'm going to be installing soon. Hope it stands up.
Cali’s products seems extremely high quality by comparison to other brands I’ve looked at and tested. I picked up some of their longboards and I’m extremely impressed.
Another important point, there are a bunch out there marketed as vinyl but they are really full of press board and are definitely not waterproof.
How do you aproach an install job with one of those bad planks? Ive done some lvp thats allmost indestructible and others where the locking system will break just by taking it out of the box.
any advice for a bathroom floor that is really slick after a shower?
Great vid! Got LVP installed 1.5 years ago and its starting to fail. Lots of areas where the its separating. Installer came back and fixed some spots but more are failing. In your opinion, should the installer be on the hook to repair/replace or is it out their own good will? Also should i just ask for something completely different?
Please clarify -- you said the wear layer protects the pattern, and the scratch-resistant coating is on top of the wear layer. I understand the various types of coating (diamonds, beads, polyurethane, etc.) but what is the wear layer made of?
Also, I am about to order Ambient rigid-core bamboo planks (SPC core, strand bamboo surface) and am thinking about signing up for Laminate U. Would you be able to help with that sort of flooring?
Thanks and I greatly appreciate your videos.
I have never done flooring but I do have some trade background work.
I ripped up 500sq foot last Sunday of old hardwood and I just finished laying all the plank last night.
I just have to do some detail work but your videos definitely helped me understand a lot more before I laid the floors in.
Appreciate your hard work and giving trade info for the people 🙏🫡
Edit: my floors look like a pro laid them in. So happy so is the wife
That is great news!
Can't wait till you do lowes.
What about the life proof planks from Home Depot what you think about them?
God bless you
Looking forward to a review of Lifeproof from HD.
This week!
Can you/have you tested the costco planks? Mohawk brand I believe?
how do you feel about American heritage laminate planks?. I got 600 sq ft used it in my open kitchen/ eat in/ livingroom. Cost was roughly .89sq ft. it's all I could afford at the time.
I got "Floor Score" from home depot. I don't know if it is me or the locking system but it does click off and hard to know if it is in place properly. I have had installed 2 edges just peal off. Truth is since the color is darker, I actually like that it looks like something that would happen to wood. Anybody familiar with this? I wish I had know back then.
Wish I watched this before buying my LVP. I’m guilty of buying ones with weak locking system from Floor & Decor NuCore brand 😔
My contractor highly recommended Great Lakes vinyl plank for my new living room and dining room.
How you like ???
Thanks.
Thank you so much!!
I'm installing desert land spc flooring and I tried to snap the lip of the locking system and it would appear that my fingers will break before the plank
In my experience I try to avoid the pvc core floors as much as possible and stick to the rigid core products!!
Hello I recently started renting. I try my best to keep the vinyl lank floor , I thought the BLACK MARKS were on the floor because of it was a high traffic area … no, I have black streaks on the floor in a closet I never use, I don’t know why it feels like PARTICLE BOARD. I’m trying to be understanding, I don’t own this place. I get it , I can’t stand to walk barefooted on this floor AND IT COMES FROM CHINA, they don’t have standards to make anything over there
Have you ever used FirmFit? If so what are your thoughts about it?
what is the best SPC flooring line? In your opinion??
Would you recommend putting vinyl planking right over linoleum
I've been doing flooring for over 30 years as a general contractor, I saw laminate born and die, LVP get introduced, It all depends on the room it gets installed. I use Lumber Liquidators stuff; You want to use a 6MM minimum with incorporated pad and, make sure the wall gaps are right; and you won't have a problem I've had only one call back...375 lb dude on a janky floor, Opened up a couple...I told him "use a rug"...
Do you have any experience with Flooret?
i only trust the cove base and some adhesives from the big box stores.
You use mils and Millimeter interchangeable. 6.5mm is not the same as 6.5 mils. 20 mil is 20 thousandths of an inch (or approximately half a millimeter), it's much thinner than 6.5mm.
in practice the lock tabs will never bend 45 degrees. How easy does it break with compression and no bending. thin is like a willow tree it can give and flex back.
Ok I am remodeling my kitchen with new cabinets and vinyl plank flooring....do I put the flooring down first or put the cabinets in first and tile around them?
I would install cabinets first if possible.
I went shopping for floor covering and I found the vinyl coverings were to brittle - they don't bend - they break brand new. I bought wood composite flooring which was a much better system .
Yo man! So, I’ve been going down the LVP flooring rabbit hole for 2 weeks now and I really like your honesty so I’d like to know your professional opinion of NuCore Waterproof LVP 6.5 mm with 22mil wear layer. Thanks in advance for your time and response man, digging your page and vids.
I'm looking at Bruce LifeSeal vinyl plank. Have you installed this and how is the locking system? I've struggled in the past getting some laminates to stay locked together and don't want to get into a bad situation as I'm laying a LOT of this
That one I do not know.
Yeah I have the thin planks, honestly once it's down, it's not going to break. Scratch resistance is really the thing to worry about
Have you ever heard of Nextfloor?
Smartcore from LOWES is outstanding finish locking and quietness and waterproof best for uneven floor walking on it is like walking on clouds!