Vinyl plank flooring

[Storygirl]

Last week I posted about choosing flooring for my dad's condo. Thanks to everyone who gave input. We are going with a vinyl plank, and I hope to help him pick it out this weekend. I don't live in his town, but he has visited the flooring store and looked at samples. He picked something that he liked but then said he needed to learn more about it, because there are so many different options. I've done a little online research, in order to know what to talk about with the sales people, but I still have questions. I thought it might help to ask here, instead of relying on what the store says.

Dad is 84 and has mobility issues. He walks with a cane and has foot drop and neuropathy in his lower legs. I expect that eventually he may need a walker.

So, today's question is whether there is a benefit to a glued down floor versus a floating floor. Is one better than the other for mobility? And are there other differences in the products that we should keep in mind? I'm guessing a floating floor should be easier to install and, therefore, perhaps less expensive???We will have to pay for installation and won't DIY.  But if a floating floor has more give, a glued down floor might be better, given Dad's stability issues.

Any thoughts?

[Sneezyone]

6 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

Last week I posted about choosing flooring for my dad's condo. Thanks to everyone who gave input. We are going with a vinyl plank, and I hope to help him pick it out this weekend. I don't live in his town, but he has visited the flooring store and looked at samples. He picked something that he liked but then said he needed to learn more about it, because there are so many different options. I've done a little online research, in order to know what to talk about with the sales people, but I still have questions. I thought it might help to ask here, instead of relying on what the store says.

Dad is 84 and has mobility issues. He walks with a cane and has foot drop and neuropathy in his lower legs. I expect that eventually he may need a walker.

So, today's question is whether there is a benefit to a glued down floor versus a floating floor. Is one better than the other for mobility? And are there other differences in the products that we should keep in mind? I'm guessing a floating floor should be easier to install and, therefore, perhaps less expensive???We will have to pay for installation and won't DIY.  But if a floating floor has more give, a glued down floor might be better, given Dad's stability issues.

Any thoughts?

 

As far as I know, there is no difference. A floating floor *may* be easier to install or it may not. Some of the vinyl planks come with a built-in underlayment (cheaper install) Some of them don't (more expensive install because the underlayment/cushion is separate). Most of them are good for mobility issues but some have a more textured surface than others. You may want less texture or more (for grip). I'd take a tour of home depot to see the differences for yourself. You don't have to buy there but the products they carry are comparable to other store lines. We put vinyl planks (replacing tile floors) in our bathroom remodel because they're impervious to water and warmer on the feet. You almost can't go wrong with these unless you choose a crazy color or subpar product.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Sneezyone

[BlsdMama]

28 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

Last week I posted about choosing flooring for my dad's condo. Thanks to everyone who gave input. We are going with a vinyl plank, and I hope to help him pick it out this weekend. I don't live in his town, but he has visited the flooring store and looked at samples. He picked something that he liked but then said he needed to learn more about it, because there are so many different options. I've done a little online research, in order to know what to talk about with the sales people, but I still have questions. I thought it might help to ask here, instead of relying on what the store says.

Dad is 84 and has mobility issues. He walks with a cane and has foot drop and neuropathy in his lower legs. I expect that eventually he may need a walker.

So, today's question is whether there is a benefit to a glued down floor versus a floating floor. Is one better than the other for mobility? And are there other differences in the products that we should keep in mind? I'm guessing a floating floor should be easier to install and, therefore, perhaps less expensive???We will have to pay for installation and won't DIY.  But if a floating floor has more give, a glued down floor might be better, given Dad's stability issues.

Any thoughts?

Me! Pick me! I can help!

We have vinyl plank and it's the floating floor.

I LOVE it.  I have more than just a bad foot drop - I also have neurological muscle spasticity - so not only does my foot drag, but the leg drags (weighs down) and I'm not aware of when it opts to not pick up!

I LOVE my vinyl plank flooring.  We did make sure the floor went onto a very level surface.  We glued down (I think it was balsa) wood before putting on the plank. It lays perfectly flat.  We've had it for about 2 years and it's still perfect.

The reason it works so well is because my foot (in socks) can glide along it.  Carpet is a nightmare.  Cold affects me so cold tile is not an attractive choice when compared with vinyl.  

I hope this helps!

ETA: We did not put down the balsa everywhere.  In the dining room, the previous linoleum was very rough to remove so we placed new balsa where we pulled up.  It made a new and perfect surface to lay over. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by BlsdMama

[Storygirl]

Thank you! That's very helpful!

Right now there is carpet mostly, and it's definitely a poor choice for him.

I want to put the same flooring throughout, so that there will be no transitions from room to room, but I'm not sure we will change it all.

Bedrooms -- Dad says he wants to wait and not spend the money now, but I am voting for doing it while the rooms are empty.

Bathrooms -- Currently tile. No real reason to change them, except for getting rid of the transitions. Dad would say no need, but I'm wondering.

Small kitchen and entry -- Currently hardwood. There would not be much to pull up. I hate to get rid of wood flooring, but I think it would look better for the floor to be the same, rather than having wood abutting vinyl. And, of course, the transition issue.

Dad is not worried about thresholds, but I am. Also, we are likely helping with the cost, so I may just have to say, "This is what we are paying for; pick your color." He may feel grumpy if we don't listen to him, but I feel safety is important.

It's a good idea to go to a store here to look. I hadn't thought of that.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Storygirl

[GailV]

One argument you could use for doing the bedrooms now is that you don't want to pay someone to move the furniture out and back in.

Our floating floor doesn't really feel that "floaty". Unless you have some sort of weird uneven spots in the floor you're putting it over -- I guess then it could "float" more -- it pretty much feels similar to glue-down to me.

Dh doesn't want tile in the bathroom because he's afraid he might fall on it, and it hurts more to fall on tile than on vinyl.

[Storygirl]

DH and I tried to go to Home Depot and Lowes last night to peek at flooring, so that I know more about what I'm talking about with Dad. We thought they were open until 10, but it was really 9:00, so we only had 10 minutes in one of the stores. Just long enough to see that there are a lot of options before they shooed us out and shut the doors.

I talked to my brother yesterday, and he said Dad was talking more about just waiting until he moves in before making any decisions. Picking wall colors and flooring and and just the overall stress of all of the decisions is proving hard for Dad, and brother said that if I try to help Dad make decisions quickly, he's likely to shut down and not be able to do it.

I really hate the idea of moving furniture in and then redoing the floors, but it may happen in that order.

We're also having stress over some things related to closing the deal on selling his old house. And if the deal closes on time, buyers are meant to have possession by 12/3. However, Dad has just now consulted with the moving company (only one company in their town, which I find hard to believe). He's going to get a quote on Tuesday but has been told they are scheduling moves now for the first week of December. ARGH!!!!

I told him last week to contact movers, but he said he wasn't planning to move until the deal on his current house is done, and so he wasn't in a hurry. And that "moving will be easy." My brother got him to call the movers yesterday.

I don't even know if the flooring company can install within just a couple of weeks. It may not be an option. I'm planning to go to my hometown this weekend and perhaps even today, but I have to figure out how to get things moving along without stressing Dad out.

And in the meantime, I am super stressed myself, and DH is kind of cracking and just keeps putting his face in his hands and shaking his head. For various reasons, we own Dad's current house and now his new condo (closed on that yesterday), and he rents from us, so all of these contract negotiations fall on us. Yet Dad has opinions that don't really match our own ("just say no, and we'll wait for another buyer" ARGH -- in his market, it could take months, and it has even taken him years to sell a previous home).

Sorry. Just had to vent!!!

All that to say that I'm hoping I can help him pick floors this weekend and get on the installation schedule, but it might all go south. And I haven't told him that that is my intention, because I don't want to freak him out. I have to figure out a way to make it as easy and stress free for him as possible, which actually increases my stress, because I have to tread so carefully.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Storygirl

[City Mouse]

Would it help him if you narrow down the choices in advance so he doesn't feel as overwhelmed with all the choices? If you have already decided on vinyl planks then have just a few colors for him To pick from. maybe even go to,the store and pick the samples up and take them to Dad. - same thing with paint colors. Or you pick a nice neutral color to paint before he moves in and tell him he can have it repainted when he has decided on colors.

[Storygirl]

Yes, I think having too many options is a problem. He's opinionated, though, so he doesn't want to cede the decision making.

Just got off the phone with him. He agreed that it would help to have me go the flooring store to sort through options and that he's available today, so I will head off this afternoon.

He wants to pick flooring before wall color, so if we can get a handle on the flooring, I think it will help the rest. And I'll be able to ask someone at the store all of my questions about installation and time frame.

DH and I want to paint this weekend, because it is a better weekend for our own time schedule, but we may not be able to. I did suggest that if Dad picks the neutral color, he can pick the blue later (he wants the kitchen/dining room to be blue, like his current home). I have suggested just using the colors he has in his current house. I have suggested getting little samples and putting swatches on the walls. I have suggested a couple of alternate blues he could consider, because he likes the ones in my house. I have given him a stack of paint chips to look at.

These suggestions were all mild and over the last week or so, not all at once. What I really want to say is, "Just pick something!! The exact shade of beige is not really that important!" But instead I'm saying, "I'm happy to give you my opinion if you want it."

Because DH and I plan to do the physical part of the painting, we'd like to fit it in our schedule this weekend, but it may not happen.

I told Dad that we can help with the cost of the flooring. Didn't want to say that we are going to pay for it all until we get more information. But DH and I have discussed paying for it all and just telling him to pick the color. Dad is proud and is already accepting financial help from us and replies with comments about just doing part of it for now. Or waiting. Or putting it on his credit card. Because he will have more money after tax season (he is an accountant and, yes, still works at his own business at age 84, though my CPA brother manages the office).

Anyway, I planted some ideas for him to think about while we are on the phone, and I will gently try to help him make decisions while I'm there.

[Storygirl]

Oh, and he's pretty convinced that he is leaving the carpet in the two bedrooms at the condo. And he thinks he will have the movers just put all of the furniture in the bedrooms until the flooring is done.

First, all of the furniture is not fitting in those bedrooms. And if it is crammed in, how does he plan to sleep, and where would he sit?

Secondly, I think the carpet in the bedrooms needs to be replaced with the vinyl.

Thirdly, he is 84, so who does he think is going to move all of furniture around for him? He's not thinking through that his plan either will add to the cost of labor or will create labor for the rest of the family.

So even once we pick the flooring, there are other factors to sort out.

Hopefully by the end of the weekend, we can be past this hurdle and on to the next one. I'm glad we can help him, and he is a nice person and not obnoxious, and I understand being paralyzed in decision-making, because i get that way myself.

But understanding those things doesn't make this less stressful.

[Storygirl]

As long as I am venting, I will add that we are also having to delicately get him working on cleaning things out of his old house. We're making progress, but it is requiring diplomacy and multiple trips to his house (two hours from my home) to help him.

But again, he is not feeling any time pressure, because "moving is easy."

Even though the contractual closing date is 10 days from now. And there are still inspection repairs to negotiate with the buyers (which DH and I are taking care of, but Dad wants to be included).

[Storygirl]

Guess I needed to vent about things other than flooring!!! ?

[kbutton]

On 11/8/2018 at 2:15 PM, BlsdMama said:

I LOVE my vinyl plank flooring.  We did make sure the floor went onto a very level surface.  We glued down (I think it was balsa) wood before putting on the plank. It lays perfectly flat.  We've had it for about 2 years and it's still perfect.

Regarding the floating part, it really just means that you aren't nailing or glueing it. It expands and contracts slightly, so you can't nail through it, but it's not really a floor that moves in a detectable way. If little corners pop up at some point, you can glue the locks here and there. 

On the balsa/underlayment--you need to be sure if you use a product like this, it's compatible with the flooring going on top of it. The wrong kind can discolor your floors. One brand that tells up front what it works with and that comes with a guarantee (that depends on competent installation), is SurePly, but there are other brands. Even with SurePly, you want to be sure it works with your flooring. We actually used it under sheet vinyl, not LVP. The underlayment can be glued or stapled to the subfloor depending on the brand and specifications. 

With a floating floor that locks, one advantage to not gluing anything is that if you have to fix something, or you do small remodels that mess with flooring, you can take it out (carefully) and reinstall it. We have a room that has a fireplace that we're not planning to fix, but it had to have new flooring. When we finally tear it down, we can pull out and reinstall the flooring around the void--we bought extra planks to use there.

On 11/8/2018 at 3:49 PM, Storygirl said:

Bathrooms -- Currently tile. No real reason to change them, except for getting rid of the transitions. Dad would say no need, but I'm wondering.

Small kitchen and entry -- Currently hardwood. There would not be much to pull up. I hate to get rid of wood flooring, but I think it would look better for the floor to be the same, rather than having wood abutting vinyl. And, of course, the transition issue.

Dad is not worried about thresholds, but I am. Also, we are likely helping with the cost, so I may just have to say, "This is what we are paying for; pick your color." He may feel grumpy if we don't listen to him, but I feel safety is important.

I think if the kitchen stays wood, and the tile is in good shape in the bathrooms, I'd leave it be.

If you pull up the wood in the kitchen to make it transition-less, then I would take out the tile too. 

If transition-less is super important, it's super important. You might be able to have the wood pulled out in a way that you can donate it to a Habitat ReStore or other store that takes used building materials.

I think the wood abutting vinyl will not be as big of a shock as you think. It will depend a lot on whether you try to make it look alike or just embrace the contrast. I would personally use something significantly different in color and texture so as not to have it look like you tried to match, and it just fell flat. But with the newer products, I really don't think you'll find it terribly odd looking.

7 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I talked to my brother yesterday, and he said Dad was talking more about just waiting until he moves in before making any decisions. Picking wall colors and flooring and and just the overall stress of all of the decisions is proving hard for Dad, and brother said that if I try to help Dad make decisions quickly, he's likely to shut down and not be able to do it.

I really hate the idea of moving furniture in and then redoing the floors, but it may happen in that order.

I don't even know if the flooring company can install within just a couple of weeks. It may not be an option. I'm planning to go to my hometown this weekend and perhaps even today, but I have to figure out how to get things moving along without stressing Dad out.

And in the meantime, I am super stressed myself, and DH is kind of cracking and just keeps putting his face in his hands and shaking his head. For various reasons, we own Dad's current house and now his new condo (closed on that yesterday), and he rents from us, so all of these contract negotiations fall on us. Yet Dad has opinions that don't really match our own ("just say no, and we'll wait for another buyer" ARGH -- in his market, it could take months, and it has even taken him years to sell a previous home).

Sorry. Just had to vent!!!

All that to say that I'm hoping I can help him pick floors this weekend and get on the installation schedule, but it might all go south. And I haven't told him that that is my intention, because I don't want to freak him out. I have to figure out a way to make it as easy and stress free for him as possible, which actually increases my stress, because I have to tread so carefully.

I think that before you worry about timing, it might help to find out the installation schedule--really good flooring places here have months of waiting for all types of flooring. I think tile was at a year's wait!

6 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Guess I needed to vent about things other than flooring!!! ?

I would too! I live with someone that shuts down with choices. Sigh.

[Storygirl]

I think we made a bit of progress today. No significant decisions, but I'm happy with baby steps.

His flooring store says they should be able to install about two weeks after placing the order, as long as the product is in stock. Of course, they don't have enough stock for his amount of square footage and would have to order. But they usually get orders within a week. So it's likely possible to get the floors in before he moves. But it means deciding and ordering quickly.

We found three styles he liked that are actually on sale, so we are taking them to his condo in the morning to see how they look. He has already taken a bunch of samples up there and rejected most, so he may not be able to pick one of these, but I'm feeling hopeful.

The sales person asked if the rooms are empty and pointed out that if furniture has to be moved around, there is an extra charge, so at least there is someone besides me saying that to him.

We arranged for someone to come and measure the condo on Tuesday. She asked what rooms we wanted to measure, and Dad said, "Just measure it all," so I'm hoping that he's considering replacing the carpet in the bedrooms now. I did tell him before we went in the store that DH and I are expecting to pay for it, and he objected, of course, but the fact that he said to measure the whole apartment suggests he might take us up on it.

We shall see how tomorrow goes. Hopefully he will like one of the choices, and we can keep moving forward.

[kiwik]

I vote for the same thing all the way though to prevent tripping on the joints.  Tell him it will improve the resale value and will reduce your stress level.  And do it and the painting if possible before he moves in.

[PrincessMommy]

we just finished putting in Lowe's SmartcorePro LVP brand (made by Shaw Floorings).  We are very happy with it.   It has limited style choices but, for our needs, it works.  For us we needed something in our sunroom that isn't heated 24/7... and the Pro level goes from  -25* to 155*  and 100% waterproof.  

I struggled with figuring out whether to glue or not glue.  I dont' like that hollow sound that the old Pergo style has and I was worried it would have that.  But, now if you get one that has some kind of backing then it won't have that hollow sound.  Also, you should look at the mil level (not the thickness).  It should be mil 8 or above (12 or 20 is best).  This is what makes it more resistant to scratches.  Since your dad will probably have a walker, this may become an issue.   Also, the extra backing has made the flooring easy on my feet and knees.  I'm so pleased with it.  

The only thing about gluing it down is that it keeps it more stable.  So, if you think your dad may end up in a wheelchair, then you may want to talk with someone about gluing it down.   Gluing is recommended for homes with people in a wheelchair.

I put it in myself.   Once we set the first row, the click-n-lock style of planks are super easy to install yourself.   There's just a lot of up and down on my knees... so I paced myself.