Anyone installed wood look tile in their home or know anyone who did? Pros, cons, unforeseen issues? Any reviews on Rigid Core luxury vinyl plank?

Wife and I are interested in replacing a large amount of flooring. 50 pound dog keeps hardwood/engineered hardwood floors at bay. Have looked seriously at rigid core LVP, but I'm concerned about the life of the product multiple years on down the road. Whats your strong opinion, Texags?

Thanks in advance.

We are in the same boat with a new build. Our current house has all wood floors and we wont ever have them again. We have 3 dogs and it gets scratched too easy. We are going with the rigid core LVP in this house. We thought about the tile, but decided on the LVP because it is a floating floor, water proof, and scratch resistant. If we ever wanted to change the floor it would be easy. It is also MUCH cheaper to install vs tile. I would go with a minimum of 12mm wear layer. We are going with a 20mm wear layer with a lifetime warranty for residential and a 15 year for commercial. Take a look at Global Gem Flooring (Coastal or Farmstead edition). They have some really nice floors and have excellent warranty and wear layer.

My house in AZ was all tile. Great for cleaning, not so great on your back and legs after a while. I personally would not have it anywhere except bathroom and kitchen, wood floors have even a small amount of flex and rebound and it makes a difference over time.

Aggiehunter34 said:

---

We are in the same boat with a new build. Our current house has all wood floors and we wont ever have them again. We have 3 dogs and it gets scratched too easy. We are going with the rigid core LVP in this house. We thought about the tile, but decided on the LVP because it is a floating floor, water proof, and scratch resistant. If we ever wanted to change the floor it would be easy. It is also MUCH cheaper to install vs tile. I would go with a minimum of 12mm wear layer. We are going with a 20mm wear layer with a lifetime warranty for residential and a 15 year for commercial. Take a look at Global Gem Flooring (Coastal or Farmstead edition). They have some really nice floors and have excellent warranty and wear layer.

---

Thanks for all reply. I assume you mean .012" wear layer. 12mm wear layer would be nearly a half inch of coating.

Also, have you asked manufacturer's and installers about the sunlight issue? Vinyl has a high coefficient of thermal expansion. There are a lot of issues with direct sunlight warping and buckling boards. Even on floating floors with rigid core and click lock installs.

I was dead set on LVP rigid core for all the reasons you've said, but once I started seeing manufacturers dance around the sunlight issue (they'll recommend no direct sunlight on any floors), it was hard to see myself buying a product that has a high chance of failing in 5 years. Some installers will recommend gluing down the click down tiles in high sunlight areas, while others will just say use some drapes.

If you've got a manufacturer that's got a good answer to that, I'll jump right back on board with LVP rigid core.

Good to know. I have seen some issues with the sunlight, but I am going to call the Global Gem company to get their take on it. It is a 12 mil and 20 mil wear layer...sorry for the confusion. LOL

We had the wood ceramic tile put in our house after Harvey. We really like it. Installation was a little difficult as they had to level room to room but they did a good job. I've never noticed back or knee pain from walking around on it nor had cold feet from standing on it. Then again, we do have rugs under the beds and couches. And if it is cold, I put socks on.

Ours is 3" by 36".

tmas said:

---

We had the wood ceramic tile put in our house after Harvey. We really like it. Installation was a little difficult as they had to level room to room but they did a good job. I've never noticed back or knee pain from walking around on it nor had cold feet from standing on it. Then again, we do have rugs under the beds and couches. And if it is cold, I put socks on.

Ours is 3" by 36".

---

Is that something required for the larger plank tiles in general or just for your particular house?

How flat is flat enough? Our slab is pretty flat (no noticeable dips with our current laminate flooring) with the exception on one small spot that you can tell there is a small dip in.

javajaws said:

---

tmas said:

---

We had the wood ceramic tile put in our house after Harvey. We really like it. Installation was a little difficult as they had to level room to room but they did a good job. I've never noticed back or knee pain from walking around on it nor had cold feet from standing on it. Then again, we do have rugs under the beds and couches. And if it is cold, I put socks on.

Ours is 3" by 36".

---

Is that something required for the larger plank tiles in general or just for your particular house?

How flat is flat enough? Our slab is pretty flat (no noticeable dips with our current laminate flooring) with the exception on one small spot that you can tell there is a small dip in.

---

It'd be best to skim coat some leveling cement in the obvious dips before putting the new floor down.

we did a whole house wood look tile. We were going to do solid wood floors, but had foundation moisture issues and did not want any future issues with the wood, so we went with tile.

It is tile and is a very hard surface, vs carpet or wood. Cold, etc. However, we have been very happy with it.

You do need to have it installed properly, so that it is level. The best look, is the tile with the right angle edges and thin grout (1/4in?). If it is not level, those right angle with kill your feet or catch your shoes as you walk.

with the way it looks, I am not sure I would ever go back to wood floors.