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What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business!

What’s the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}

In residential homes and commercial offices, vinyl planks have become all the rage, and this trend isn’t going anywhere soon. So what’s the deal with vinyl planks? Let’s get down to the final decisions!

In case you missed it, the first part in our series What’s the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 1 {the basics} gives you a great overview on vinyl planks–the types, installation, uses, etc., and What’s the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 2 {on quality} gives a deeper look into how to determine quality, and finding the right quality level for your needs.

So by now you’ve got a handle on this vinyl thing. You know your options, you know how to find quality planks, you have a pretty good idea of whether vinyl planks are the right flooring option for your home, and it’s probably time to make some decisions. We’ll break things down by quality, look and budget to help you determine the best vinyl planks for your needs.

Choosing Vinyl Plank Quality

What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business! What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business!

If you’re anything like me, your first thought is “OMG!! Must have the best of the best! Here’s the log in to my bank account–TAKE IT ALL!” Okay that’s kind of a lie.

While I want the best quality products (who doesn’t?), I am also what nice people would call frugal and less nice people…well let’s not go there. Anyway, my point is that you can have your cake and eat it too! You can get quality vinyl planks (hello…there are about a zillion options), and still be budget-conscious.

If you want an in-depth look at quality, make sure you read this post on vinyl plank quality. If you want the short version, it is that wear layer is most important, and as far as wear layer and the plank itself –> thicker = better.

Related content >> Vinyl Flooring Trends

Typical wear layer options include:

  1. 6MIL
  2. 8MIL
  3. 12MIL
  4. 20MIL
  5. 22 MIL

Typical plank thickness options include:

  1. 2mm 
  2. 2.5mm
  3. 3mm
  4. 3.2mm
  5. 4mm
  6. 5mm
  7. 5.5mm
  8. 8mm+

So I know what you’re thinking… “Sign me up for the 8mm planks with the 22 MIL wear layer! #BestFloorsEvaaaa!” Yes, in my brain, you talk like a teenager on Instagram.

Here’s the deal: you will hardly find any vinyl planks that meet that description because you just don’t need it. And if you do find them? Please don’t spend the extra money. I know, I know…I’m supposed to be telling you to buy all of the things, but we’re keeping it real and you do not need to spend your life savings in order to get a beautiful, quality vinyl floor.

At this point, you understand quality, and hopefully, you have an idea of your budget for this project. The trick is marrying budget, quality and visual appeal. Vinyl planks have an extremely wide range of prices from < $1 / square foot and up, truly making it a flooring option for everyone.

Related content >> What is WPC Vinyl Flooring?

Choosing Vinyl Planks on a Budget

What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business! What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business!

Okay, so maybe funds are tight. Let’s be real…probably funds are tight. I don’t know very many people with a surplus of money that they just want to spend freely. If you do, then hook me up and tell them to be my friend because I could use a new running skirt.

Anyway, 99% of us are always looking to get the best bang for our buck. The thing you really need to consider is how much traffic will there be on my vinyl planks?

If the answer is very little, like you’re putting it in a closet or you just want a temporary thing to cover up the hideous floor you can’t stand staring at anymore in your rental, then you can really get away with a thin, inexpensive plank. Of course, you still have to find a look that you love, but there really are some beautiful and crazy affordable vinyl planks on the market.

If you’re looking to floor your entire home, you’re going to need to amp things up just a notch. A 3.2-4mm plank with a 6-12mm wear layer will do the trick, but don’t narrow your sights so fast – we offer plenty of vinyl planks with thicker wear layers that are still incredibly budget-friendly, so it really depends which looks and colors you prefer.

Now, if you have a commercial place that will be getting ALL OF THE TRAFFIC because, let’s face it, your business is the cat’s pajamas, then you’re looking at a 5mm+ plank with a 20mm+ wear layer. Yes, these will run you a little more, but a little-known secret is that if you have a great wear layer, a little bit thinner of a plank won’t be the end of the world, which means you can away with super affordable vinyl planks including our Classic Woods Vinyl Planks and Aged Woods Vinyl Planks.

Related content >> Laminate vs Vinyl Flooring

Choosing Vinyl Planks Based on Prettiness

What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business!

Okay, don’t deny it, you are 90% concerned with how your floors will look and 10% concerned with how well they hold up. I caught you. Maybe not 90/10, but let’s get real – we’re all concerned with looks.

Choosing the hottest vinyl plank is kinda like choosing the right running shoes. If you don’t pick a shoe that fits your foot, your running style and has the durability to hold up to 100s of miles pounded into the pavement, you’re going to end up spending more money, disappointed, injured or, more likely, all 3!

Same goes for choosing for vinyl floor planks. You need to first focus on the needs of your home and what feels good to walk on because you will be doing an awful lot of that. So…once I’ve found the shoe(s) that are right for me, then I look at all of the colors available and, if I have to, ask them to order the color I like best (it’s okay to ask for what you want!).

I recommend you do the same with your vinyl floor. Go back up, decide what the necessities are for your flooring application, then lay ’em all out and say, “Okay, which colors/patterns do I just LOVE” and order samples of those.

Once you have your samples, do the same thing – lay them all out, take them around to different rooms, pair them with other things like your granite, countertops, etc. and make your decision.

What's the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}: In our 3rd edition of our series on vinyl plank flooring, we are teaching you the best way to make decisions to fit your budget, desired look and necessary durability. A must read for anyone considering purchasing vinyl floors for their home or business!

 

About Ari Ziskin

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Ari Ziskin is our resident expert in all things fitness, dance and flooring trends. After five years of blogging at Ari’s Menu, where she was featured on sites like The Huffington Post and Buzzfeed, Ari decided to pursue writing full-time. Nothing makes her happier than sharing her knowledge to help people create their gyms and begin their fitness journey.

4 Comments on “What’s the Deal with Vinyl Planks Part 3 {decisions, decisions}

  1. hello, thanks for those ideas you save my life, I am in dilemma now one of the vinyl 12 mil wear layer and 8mm thickness but I do not like the colors, on the other side I found one which has 12 mil wear layer + 5 mm thickness(most seller and getting high rate ) my husband on the first and I am the second choice ! what I should do? and also the second one will match more with my other hard floor!! what I should do ?the trick is both are the same price???

  2. I am handicapped and basically live in an electric wheelchair which is heavy so I am concerned about the planks coming apart from the weight and the friction when turning around for instance . What would u recommend ?

    • Hi Steve!

      Thanks for your question. Ceramic tiles would work best. Residential click vinyl isn’t recommended for wheelchairs since click vinyl is not glued to the floor which may cause issues when moving around/turning. Also, the wear layer may get damaged over time and need to be replaced eventually. Commercial grade vinyl planks may work since they’d be glued down to the floor. I’d recommend checking with the manufacturer to see if they cover wheelchair use under warranty.

      I hope this helps! Please reach out if you have any other questions.

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