Our very first encounter with LVT. Here's what I learned! (Home Decorators Collection brand)

On review are the Home Decorators Collection Vinyl Plank Flooring in Antique Brushed Hickory. We installed these floors 5-6 months ago and are so pleases with the durability.
Vinyl planks are an affordable way to update your space without breaking the bank. If you install yourself, here are some tips: 1) glue the perimeter, 2)use a special saw to cut a small portion of your door trim to fit the planks underneath, 3) make sure you tilt the planks to get complete locking, 4) finish with trim for a finished look, 5) steam mops work great to clean this product.
Things I like about them: 1) they are affordable, 2) durable to pets, chairs, and spills, 3) if for some reason you have a leak, you can pull them up, dry them off and re-install! 4) look amazing.
Things to warn you about: 1) if you do not lock them together properly and do not glue perimeter, they will leak between, 2) if you dont do the prep you need around doorways, you will have to work extra hard to trim out.
I am pleased with this product. We used it to replace roll out vinyl and are happy with the result, especially for the money spent. Just to give you a ballpark price, we installed in 4 bathrooms, kitchen and eat-in area, hall/entry, and large dining room and the cost was around $1500. That is MUCH cheaper than hardwood, yet I feel the durability is better than laminate.
If you try it out, let me know how you like it in your own home!
Blessings!

[@616morgan]

DO NOT USE GLUE TO ADHERE. IT TAKES A FEW ROWS, AND PROPER INTERLOCKING AND IT WON'T WALK. IMPROPER INSTALLATION CAUSED GAPPING AND WALKING...

[@gjmed713]

Glad I stopped by. Thanks so much for the review. I was just about to lay down this floor in my kitchen and will definitely use the glue tip before doing so.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

gjmed713 I am so glad I saved you the extra time!! I hope you love your new floors!!

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Have you laid your new flooring? how does it look? I would love for you to subscribe to my channel!

[@myhousebeautiful6892]

Great Tip!!!!! this works!

[@DarlJohnstonbaugh]

Glue? Negatory ghost rider. This system of flooring is to float for a few reasons. One being to expand and contract a little bit. The other for maintenance, as in when a plank goes bad and you want to take it out. A rib spreader tool is used to remove the plank(s) that are bad. When you glue it guess what happens? To each their own though. IF you need to stabilize the floor for install, a simple screw placed along the baseboard into the plank works. Put a couple screws in each plank. Then, when ready to install trim /quarter round, simply remove them. Just be sure to put the screw where the hole will later be covered with trim. Tighten the screw just enough to get a bite into the subfloor. My mother in law is about to have me do 1,200 sq. ft. of this material in Coastal Oak and the one thing I will not have in my tool bag is glue. That, and it likely voids any warranty if one does use glue.

[@GetfitEvie]

Thank you for sharing your tip, We are currently looking into vinyl for those exact reasons. I didn’t realize how many options like”grains” and textures there are. It’s pretty cool to have that option available of a wood look without the cons of wood flooring.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Getfit Evie- Glad it helped you out!

[@brosonet2014]

We installed ours back in November and we are having the same problem of separating bc we didn’t put glue. We are going to have to pull everything back up and fix it. We are going to get glue this time. What kind did you used to keep your floors together? We don’t want ours to separate again so we want the right products

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Brittney Waltenbaugh- Good question! We used the Roberts 2310 Superior Resilient Flooring Adhesive from Home Depot. It is designed for the Luxury Vinyl Tiles. When you take it up, start at one corner and just go plank by plank, retapping into proper fit. It doesn't take that long and by not removing it all first, you will have no waste. Gluing the perimeter only has worked well for us. I have heard of some people gluing each plank, but I don't see the need for it. We have had no shifting between the planks since the perimeter is in tact. Let me know how it works for you!

[@brosonet2014]

BethE Home Product Reviewer thank you! And will do

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

I would love if you would subscribe to my channel!

[@enzfilms3701]

So glue is the key!? who would've thought!

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Yep!! Made all the difference in a large, open space

[@paul9114]

How timely, as we are looking at this exact lvt(deciding among many, but this is our favorite). It looks wonderful. Your comment on the chairs and dog not scratching it is one of my concerns. Also, thanks for the tip of gluing the edges. All the negative reviews seemed to primarily be about the separating seams. So, thanks to your review, we are going to go forth and install this. Thank you.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

paul davis - I am so glad it helped you decide! Enjoy!

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Would love if you subscribe to my channel!

[@stevetaurman3673]

Hey Beth E, we are getting ready to purchase this flooring for 1600 ft.² house and I just wanted to know if your flooring has with stood the test of Time how does it look now?

[@waynefalcone3601]

I am a carpenter for over 40 years & I purchased the flooring for my basement room, the interlocking would not draw tight no matter how hard I tried to tap them in . I would install a piece & when I installed the next piece the previous joint would pop out. The most difficult floor to get all the joints tight. If you are thinking of buying this floor have it installed by the company, that way you will be able to complain to the installer when it doesn't look perfect. Worst flooring I ever had to install.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Thanks for your input, Wayne. This particular brand was a very difficult one to interlock. We placed a vinyl plank by Mohawk in our current home and didn't have that problem with it. I'm thinking because the Home Decorators brand is a lower price point that the rubber seams aren't made as quality.

[@KIMO365]

Hi when u say glue the perimeter do u mean just the planks on the edges? For example from the side u start on to the side u end on?

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

KIMO Therapy We put glue on the back of the planks around the perimeter of the room to adhere them to our subfloor, which was a roll out vinyl over plywood. The glue has held all the planks in place and now we dont have trouble shifting between them. By gluing just the row of planks along the walls, it is enough to keep the planks from lifting and shifting with use. Does that help?

[@rexhavoc2982]

Yes as you push the planks together the whole mess moves and things get out of line. Skip the pad.

[@KIMO365]

Also do you mean glue them to the next plank or to the floor

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

KIMO Therapy Good question! I didnt make that super clear. You glue it down to the subfloor, or floor you are covering. In our case, we went over existing roll out vinyl flooring, so I put glue on the backs of the planks along the perimeter before laying down.

[@KIMO365]

BethE E perfect did u just glue down the edges or all for sides of perimeter

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

KIMO Therapy We only glued down the planks that lay against a wall.

[@Bella-lr3dd]

Have you add any issues with the ends of the planks lifting? And now that you have add if for awhile do you still like its performance? Thanks

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

BELLA the only time we had trouble with the planks shifting were before we glued the perimeter. Once we glued the perimeter and re-tapped it all down , there has been no shifting. If you encounter trouble getting the joints to fit, try putting in a new plank, and also try cleaning the mitered edges out. While we were installing, there were a few times we had to try a new piece to get the right fit. Trust me, it is worth the extra effort to do it right the first time. Once the product is in place correctly, you will love it! I hope that helps!

[@Bella-lr3dd]

BethE Home Product Reviewer thanks, did you put anything under your floor like quietwalk to help cut the echoing down? If not do you seem to get a lot of echo? Hope to install my in a few weeks

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

BELLA We did not, since we installed directly over glued down roll out vinyl. Our floors are very quiet and once installed with every joint correctly into the next, they shouldn't creak or be noisy.

[@ronkrill1]

you get some water on it and it sits for a while it will bubble the edges up like mine when i had a little puddle of water from a roof leak..dont put this in a basement

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

We actually have not had this problem on any lvp we have used. We have it in 2 bathrooms currently, one is a children's bathroom, and gets lots of water sitting on it

[@normjacques6853]

Hi BethE.....After laying down the vinyl plank flooring, did you use any kind of sealer, wax, polish, or other product, to put that 'sheen' on your floor? We are in the process of doing three rooms (Laundry room, bathroom, and kitchen) in Java Hickory. The flooring installs real easily, looks great, but has a dead flat finish...which I'd like to put some sort of sheen to. Not like a 'mirror' finish or anything...just something to give it some 'life,' like satin or 'semi-gloss' if you know what I mean. Yours looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing your review...which makes us feel better about our decision to use it! :-)

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Norm Jacques , Ours also has a flat/satin finish. Using a steam mop is one of the best ways I have found to clean it. When I used spray cleaners, they left a tacky feeling film on the vinyl. As far as how you could improve the sheen, I wonder how a satin poly would do on the planks? It might be worth trying on a sample board to see. But, by putting a layer on top the vinyl, you may end up showing marks in the top finish that otherwise wouldnt show up. If you dont mind, would you update this forum with what you decide to use? I know there are a lot of people switching to these planks that would benefit from that! Best of luck on your flooring!!

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

I would love if you would subscribe to my channel :)

[@coleydance]

Do you continue to lay down the rest of the planks while the glue is still wet? Thank you!

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Hi! Yes, I applied the glue to the planks around the perimeter of the room. I applied the glue as I installed the flooring in the room and didn't encounter any trouble with shifting. If it did shift, from the glue being wet, then we just slid back into place. I hope that helps!

[@coleydance]

@@BethEHomeAndGarden Thank you!

[@angmc5252]

May I ask where you ordered? Not sold in our stores anymore and we are trying to match...

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Ang Mc We purchased from our Home Depot store in Ohio in July of 2017. They can ship to the store, to avoid freight fees, if they still sell online! Have you checked online?

[@angmc5252]

BethE E ok well we purchased Jan. 2017 and right now Home Depot doesn't sell anymore:( we decided to continue the floor to a hallway. We may be out of luck. They gave us a second number that I will try tomorrow.

[@loridacosta8805]

how long did it take you to put it down in the kitchen? and how many people?

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Lori DaCosta We had 2 adults laying it down through the hall and kitchen. We worked at opposite ends of the room to save pressure on our knees. It took 1 day. Hope that helps!

[@rexhavoc2982]

2 people and a chop saw.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Lori, I would love if you would subscribe to my channel!

[@rexhavoc2982]

The locking tabs are so small they pop loose do not use a foam underlayment. if it flexes it will come apart.The flooring is tough as nails, you cant break it. HD video shows the ends lay down in place with out sliding into position. And HD said no tapping block. I think the flooring is tough enough you wont need the wareetee.Glueing could cause it to buckle.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Actually, the glue, when only applied on the perimeter kept it from shifting, and allowed for beautiful seams!

[@gotzmoney]

How is it now at the 1.5 year mark?

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Hey Joshua, we ended up moving from that house to another state. But we lived there for a year of use with 4 kids, 1 dog, 2 parents and MANY visitors. It withstood all the changes in seasons and temps, and also sliding of dining chairs over it, many baths, etc... We just installed the same type of flooring by Mohawk in our current house's bathrooms. I am a big believer in vinyl plank!

[@wendymaria1971]

Going to lay this flooring next week in our basement. A lot of videos that I have seen state the importance of leaving 1/8-1/4 inch between flooring and wall so it is considered a “floating floor”...doesn’t gluing these planks down defeat this purpose? Just asking...I want to do this right the first time ugh

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Good question! For us, the expansion was not an issue and gluing the perimeter was the only way the planks didnt walk apart over time. Good luck! You will love this product.

[@adv1207]

You need to advertise for these mothers, nowhere on the box did it say to glue the sucker and my floors are moving like their alive

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

I am so sorry!!!! Yes we did not want that to happen. I am a firm believer in practicality of a product. If something I do discredits the warranty, but helps the product to function as I expect it, than I don't worry about it. It is a tough product and shouldn't need a warranty once installed well.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Would you please like and subscribe? :)

[@jeepin1985]

What kind of glue did you use. My wife and I are putting this Down this weekend and are one the fence about using glue.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Jordan Reimschussel We used Roberts brand 2310 Resilient Flooring Adhesive. You can buy this type at Home Depot

[@mikereamer6277]

I'm a installer for over 15 years. This by far the worse flooring of all time. If you glue it down it will void all warranty. Dont waste your time with this floor.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Mike Reamer Hey Mike! Thanks for your input. We have remodeled multiple homes and after living in them and trying out many options, I stand behind this product 100%. When done right, this product is superior to roll out vinyl flooring and cost much less than laminate and hardwood. So, for the buyer who is unable to afford the higher tier product, this flooring is a great choice.

[@mikereamer6277]

How could you stand behind this floor when it had all come apart like that. I believe its like 1.49 a foot for a few more cents a foot you could get floor that does not need any added procedure to have the floor preform as it should. I like that it was done yourself but truly the one of the worse ever.

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Mike Reamer Thanks for stopping by, but I have already stated why I love this floor. Have a great day!

[@DetailEnthusiast]

I'm glad Mike is an "installer" and not an English teacher. 😂😂😂

[@likaboss6100]

scratches easy

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

Oh definitely not ours! It is the most durable floor ever! Did you use this exact product or another?

[@DetailEnthusiast]

Then don't scratch it. Problem fixed.

[@likaboss6100]

dont buy it it wont click together properly went through hell with it

[@BethEHomeAndGarden]

So sorry you had trouble! I found that to fix the pieces that didnt click well, all I had to do was use another piece and they went together without issue! Always make sure you buy 10% more when purchasing flooring so you have extra pieces to use when trouble arises.

[@rexhavoc2982]

The grip edge is so small they pop out while installing, if you glue the first run let it dry overnight.