Luxury vinyl plank and tile
Typically $5–$11 per square foot installed · 10–25 years · excellent against water
What it is
Luxury vinyl is a printed photograph of wood or stone under a clear wear layer, on a core that is either rigid (SPC, a stone-plastic composite; WPC, a wood-plastic composite) or flexible and glued down. It is waterproof through and through, it goes over almost anything flat, and it is the most-installed floor in American homes today for exactly those reasons. What you pay for is the wear layer, measured in mils, and the core.
| Type | Installed | Water | Durability | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury Vinyl Plank — SPC (Rigid Core)Stone-composite core: 100% waterproof and dimensionally rock-steady. | $6–$9.50 / sq ft | Excellent | Good | 15–25 yrs |
| Luxury Vinyl Plank — WPC (Wood-Plastic Core)Foamed core: warmer, quieter and softer than SPC — and thicker. | $7–$11 / sq ft | Excellent | Fair | 15–25 yrs |
| Luxury Vinyl Plank — Flexible (Glue-Down)The original LVP: thin, glued down, repairable, and unforgiving of a bad subfloor. | $5–$7.50 / sq ft | Excellent | Fair | 10–20 yrs |
| Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)The tile-shaped sibling of SPC plank — same core, glued or floating. | $7.50–$11 / sq ft | Excellent | Good | 15–25 yrs |
Cost
Typically $5–$11 per square foot installed at national averages, materials and labor together; the full range runs $3.50–$13. Typical installed cost is the middle half of the national range, materials and labor at average rates. Builder-grade product with the cheapest crew runs under it; premium product with a specialist runs over. Vinyl Plank Flooring Cost covers what moves it, and the calculator adds removal, prep, stairs and trim for your square feet.
Installation
Rigid planks click together and float over a flat subfloor, a slab or an existing hard floor. Flexible planks and tiles are glued. Neither needs a nailer or a wet saw. Flatness matters: rigid core telegraphs every bump and lip.
Durability
The wear layer decides it. Six mils is builder grade and shows scuffs within a couple of years; twelve is a home; twenty is a busy home or a commercial space. Rigid SPC dents less than WPC under chair legs and dropped pans.
Water resistance
Waterproof. A flooded bathroom is mopped up, not replaced. The subfloor under it still has to dry.
Maintenance
Sweep and damp-mop. No sealing, no refinishing, no special cleaners. It cannot be refinished, so a deep gouge is a replaced plank.
Pros
- Waterproof, in every room including basements and bathrooms
- Floats over a slab, an old floor, a slightly imperfect subfloor
- The most realistic DIY floor for a whole house
- Wide price range, most of it under $7 a square foot installed
Cons
- A photograph of wood, and the pattern repeats
- Cannot be refinished; damage means replacement
- Thin wear layers look tired quickly
- Adds nothing to resale beyond being new and clean
Best rooms
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Basements
- Mudrooms and laundry rooms
- Rentals
Worst rooms
- A room where a real material is the point
Pets
The default answer for dogs. Waterproof for accidents, scratch-resistant at 12 mils and up, and enough texture for grip.
Kids
Spills wipe up, toys bounce off a rigid core, and it is warmer than tile. The best kids floor for the money.
DIY
Yes. Click planks, a flat floor, a utility knife and a tapping block. Undercutting door jambs is the hardest part.
Lifespan
Ten to twenty-five years. The wear layer, not the core, sets it.
Alternatives
Laminate, Tile, Engineered hardwood. Hardwood vs Luxury Vinyl Plank · Luxury Vinyl Plank vs Laminate · Tile vs Luxury Vinyl · Carpet vs Hard-Surface Flooring
Who should buy it
- Water, pets or kids are in the picture
- The floor is on a slab or in a basement
- You want one floor through the whole house without seams at every doorway
Who should not
- You want the real material and will pay for it
- The subfloor is far from flat and you will not fix it
- You are buying the cheapest plank on the shelf: it will not last
Where it ranks
A top-three pick for: for dogs, for cats, for kids, for a basement, over a concrete slab, for a condo, for a rental, for high traffic, The lowest-maintenance flooring, for allergies and asthma, for a quiet home, to install yourself, for bathrooms, laundry rooms and mudrooms, for a humid climate, over radiant heat.
Getting it quoted
What a good vinyl plank quote includes, and the three questions to ask every contractor before you compare prices.
The failure modes, the care schedule and the buying guide for luxury vinyl are on FlooringFAQ. This page is the decision; that one is the education.
Don’t start with the flooring. Start with your home.
Eight questions about the rooms, the household, the subfloor and the budget. A ranked shortlist with the reasons, the watch-outs and a project estimate.
8 questions · about 2 minutes · no obligation
Ready for luxury vinyl quotes?
The vinyl plank quote to worry about is the one that does not name the wear layer. The product line, the mil thickness and the core type should be on the paper, along with whether the old floor comes up or stays, and what the flatness plan is; rigid core telegraphs every bump underneath it.
No obligation. You choose whether to contact the professionals who respond.