Luxury Vinyl Planks in Salt Lake City, UT

Luxury Vinyl Plank: A Full Breakdown of America's Most Popular Floor

Luxury Vinyl Plank has become one of the top choices for flooring in the past decade. Almost every new home build comes with it pre-installed. So what is it anyways? Why is it used so often? Is it the right floor for your home? I’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about Luxury Vinyl Plank, aka LVP, to help you make the right choice on your project.

What is a luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)?

Luxury Vinyl Plank is a great hard-surface floor option for your needs. LVP is made to look like wood, in its many species and colors. It is waterproof and easy to maintain and clean. Should there be scratches they are able to be easily fixed. LVP has become a sort of catch-all phrase for many different types of products. There are a few different categories, so I’ll try to break them down into their simplest forms. The main being…

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Stone polymer Core

A mix of Limestone dust and Polymer Plastic. The most widely available form of LVP, generally priced as an affordable alternative to hardwood floors. They’re waterproof, difficult to scratch, and generally a thin product ~ 5 – 6 mm thickness.

Wood Polymer Core

Typically a mix of wood byproduct in the form of saw dust and polymer plastic. Wood Polymer Core LVPs are often sold as fully waterproof, but I’m not sure I’d trust that claim. More on that later. The top layer of the floor is similar to SPC, and the thickness is typically identical.

Engineered LVP

Think of these as a hybrid between engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl plank. The core of the floor is SPC, limestone and polymer plastic, but the top is engineered hardwood. It is a newer product and typically much more expensive than the other options listed above. They can also be in the 5 – 6 mm range, all the way up to 12 mm.

Luxury Vinyl Plank FAQs

  • Engineered LVP – SPC and WPC are going to be far cheaper than an Engineered LVP. That being said, SPC and WPC won’t feel quite like wood under your feet. The Engineered LVP has a more natural feel because it’s really wood! But that also means its subject to all the pitfalls of real wood, i.e. water damage, UV damage, scratching. 

 

  • Wood Polymer Core – WPC has a bit more give under your feet ‘given’ that the core is technically about 50% wood byproduct. It gives the floor some bounce. However the top of the floor is still just a picture of wood covered by a wear layer. Also, manufacturers sell WPC flooring as a waterproof alternative to traditional floors. Now I haven’t seen any issues in my career of flooring installation, but it seems to me that a product that is 50% wood byproduct will still be susceptible to water damage. And I’ll note here, I’ve never seen this happen on a jobsite that we’ve installed WPC, it just logically seems like a possibility.

 

  •  Stone Polymer Core – SPC LVP is the most widely available and therefore has the widest price range. I can’t say it is the cheapest because there are some very high end SPC floors out there, but you can definitely find a great product at an affordable price. SPC also has the least wood-like feel under the feet given the limestone/polymer plastic corer.

 While most LVP options are going to be a one-and-done floor, some Engineered LVP floors can actually be sanded and refinished. Just look for a 4mm+ wear layer. As for SPC and WPC, the color you choose will be set for the life of the floors.

This is ‘where’ the manufacturers make it extra difficult (my theory being they are trying to trick people). You’ll often see the wear layer of the floor listed right on top in the first paragraph. The standard wear layers are 12 mil, 20 mil, and 22 mil. Now what they don’t tell you is what a “mil” is. The average well meaning, inquisitive individual would probably assume mil is short for millimeter. But no, manufacturers couldn’t make it that simple. Mil is instead short for… Well, nothing. A mil is a mil. And a mil converts to 0.0254 millimeters. So the wear layer on your floor is actually just a fraction of a millimeter.

All that you really need to know is that 12 mil is the base standard. It will work just fine in most situations. 20 and 22 mil are heavier duty, great if you’re worried about dogs scratching the floors, cooks dropping knives in the kitchen, or teething children gnawing on whatever they can get a tooth to.

There is one more aspect of the wear layer that often goes over looked. The optional Aluminum Oxide Coating. It’s a big and somewhat frightening word on its face, but really it just adds another layer of scratch resistance to your floors. You’ll often find aluminum oxide coating on prefinished hardwoods and engineered hardwoods.

If you’ve ever hired a contractor before, you know it can be stressful, overwhelming and downright painful sometimes. I created Moose Flooring with a focus on making things as smooth as possible for the customer. I’m also obsessed with getting 5 star reviews online. And there’s only one way to get 5 star reviews: Do an amazing job. So that’s what we’re doing here in Salt Lake City. If you want a professional flooring contractor to do an amazing job on your next LVP project, give me a call!

LVP Floor Jobsite Photos

Our Customer Reviews

Erica Hsu
Erica Hsu
On Google Maps
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Jakob and his team just finished up an LVP project for my home. They were really communicative and professional throughout the whole process and overall did a great job given the home was built in 1948 and had some things come up here and there. It’s scary to trust someone to work on such a big project for your house but I felt comfortable each step of the way!
Keith Harrison
Keith Harrison
On Google Maps
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What can I say!! Omg! “Big J” (Jacob) saved lives with this job. Needed flooring done because sellers of home were being a**. I needed it done within’ 4-5 days and when I tell you “Big J” set our plan in motion, he did just that, got his guys together. Eli n company is what we can call em, they finished 1500 sq ft home in 3.5 days!!! So pleased with my guy and his squad, they did so awesome!
Andy Rasdal
Andy Rasdal
On Google Maps
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Moose Flooring did a great job at our home and were both professional and personable. They had to repair the poor work from another contractor and make a very difficult stain match - and did so perfectly and without a complaint of any kind. They were on time, finished when scheduled and on-budget. Moose will be out first call from now on and I highly recommend them.
mahala olson
mahala olson
On Google Maps
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My boyfriend and I recently bought a house, and on top of our to-do list was refinishing the hard wood floors we discovered under the preexisting carpet. The owner, Jakob, was quick to come up with an estimate and a date to come out. Christian refinished our floors and did a beautiful job. He was professional and answered any questions we had about the process. Both Jacok and Christian made our satisfaction with the finish their highest priority. I'll be contacting them for any future flooring projects!
Samantha Gallagher
Samantha Gallagher
On Google Maps
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Jakob was so great to work with - he made time the same day I called for an estimate and was responsive and professional throughout the entire process. He kept us updated with progress pictures and always made sure to confirm every detail before moving forward. He even put down samples of different finishes so we could see what each one looked like on our floor specifically. It really felt like he went above and beyond every step of the way and I can't recommend him enough!
Shannon Rae
Shannon Rae
On Google Maps
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Highly recommend!! Jakob made the whole process fast & easy from start to finish, and his team did a beautiful job. Jakob went out of his way to meet me at my work, and the installers were so friendly and considerate- I was even able to leave them working at the house alone without feeling worried at all. Beyond impressed!
Adam Toutoungi
Adam Toutoungi
On Google Maps
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I'm new to Utah and was looking for a local flooring contractor. I found Jake and the team in sugar house and had them come out for a quote. Their price was less than Lowe's and Empire so I gave them a try. Really glad I did because they did an amazing job. Kept me in the loop, installed the hardwoods on time, and kept my house nice and clean. It's nice to support a local business (especially when they were less than the big corps haha), so thanks guys.
Risa Suzuki
Risa Suzuki
On Google Maps
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I had luxury vinyl plank installed a few weeks ago. The whole process was great, from the initial appointment to the installers coming out to put in the new floor. I was kept in loop throughout the entire process. Very happy with the new floors and the price was great. Thanks!
Appletrader1
Appletrader1
On Google Maps
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We needed our 80+ year old hardwood floors refinished and moose flooring did it right. The floors were in rough shape and I honestly wasn't sure that they could be saved. We're so happy with the outcome and the new floors look great!
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Our Process

01.

Give us a call

A Moose Flooring expert will come out to your home and address your individual needs.  Rest assured, we will never be pushy or try to force a sale. We want you to be comfortable!

02.

Schedule

Schedule a time for us to come out. We’re a flooring company based in Salt Lake City, but  will happily make the trip to Ogden, Draper, Orem, West Jordan, Park City and more!

03.

In Home Samples

Get a chance to see your new floors in your own home before you make a decision. Make sure you love your floors the first time.

04.

Free Quote

After measuring your home and showing you our samples, you will receive a quote the same day including all relevant information to help you make an informed decision.

We Serve Most Locations in the Greater Salt Lake City Area!

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