A flooring sample has an easy job.
It sits pretty under the bright store lights, untouched by muddy dog paws or dragged dining-room chairs, and it never has to look pretty in an Arizona summer along a west-facing window.
The floor you actually purchase has a much more difficult assignment.
As a result, selecting a flooring material by choosing one color swatch over another is actually starting from the wrong place in the decision-making process.
For a family home, start instead by defining the challenges the room will present to the floor covering, then use the specifications to begin narrowing the field.
Climate is a consideration in these challenges, too.
The desert climate of Phoenix, for example, has limited rainfall and lower-than-average relative humidity much of the year, followed by the summer monsoon, which increases atmospheric moisture.
Wood is particularly sensitive to changes in humidity, and excessive sunlight exposure may also factor into the choice of finish.
But before making that decision about light oak versus dark oak, you need to subject the contenders to the family-floor test.
1. What Will This Room Actually Do to the Floor?
Avoid vague terms such as heavy traffic, and think about the traffic rather than the traffic’s effects. Consider a hallway near the garage as an example. It may be a daily battleground where dirt is tracked in on shoes, stuck to the fur of pets, or tucked under the bottom of a stroller or bags. A kitchen is likely to have spills and the traffic of chairs being pulled out and pushed back in throughout the day. Bare feet are more common in the bedroom, and small toys are likely to be dropped around the playroom with potentially damaging impact.
These traffic factors differ, however, and the wear-layer thickness is one specification that can help you separate the contenders.
Measurements are taken in mils (thousandths of an inch), not millimeters, and a typical luxury vinyl plank (LVP) product will have a 6- or 12- or 20-mil wear layer.
The 12-mil product is adequate for most areas in the house, while a 20-mil product may be considered for highly trafficked, more challenging areas such as garage-connected mudrooms or pet-friendly rooms.
It is not the only factor, but it helps narrow the field and is more useful than a marketing-generated description such as pet-friendly.
The specifications for laminate are not as straight forward.
You may see terms such as AC1 or higher describing the abrasion resistance of the flooring, but resist believing that a higher AC rating means a more durable floor overall.
AC ratings do not consider water resistance, fading, staining, or swelling, so it is important to identify which failure modes are of greater concern in the application and focus on the claims specific to those needs.
If abrasion is a concern, for example, it may relate to a need to prevent scratches and/or dents from dropped objects and high-traffic areas where furniture may be moved regularly.
It has less to do with whether a bowl of soup is likely to be knocked over and more to do with furniture traffic.
2. How Much Maintenance Will Your Family Actually Do?
Many manufacturers’ specifications are predicated on a household that can react immediately to a spill, pet accident, or dropped object.
Nail polish is cleaned up right away, the dog is taken to a designated toileting area, and the rogue juice box is wiped up before it can soak into the floor.
But the reality of most families’ schedules can be less responsive, and the floor covering should reflect that.
Ask about maintenance recommendations, approved cleaners, steam cleaning, response to standing water, and replacement options for damaged planks or boards.
The same applies to grout, which often gets overlooked in comparisons between tile varieties.
Even if the tile is easy to clean, the grout is an additional surface that must be cleaned and may require periodic resealing, especially in homes with hard water.
Ask about stains, too, and what might cause them based on the product’s composition or installation location.
Avoid products with one-size-fits-all claims about maintenance or resistance to scratches, moisture, and water.
You are more likely to find value in a specification sheet than in a room visualizer, because you will spend much more time cleaning the floor than enjoying its appearance.
3. Are You Comparing Construction – or Just Comparing Pictures?
Photography has done wonders for making different flooring products appear similar.
It can also obscure fundamental differences in the construction and performance characteristics of the products.
While hardwood delivers on the authenticity of real wood, each species has differing levels of hardness, porosity, movement, and response to finishes, and other factors such as installation method and acclimation can influence results.
As a reference, the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has a list of recommended hardness values for different species of wood.
Northern red oak falls around Janka 1,290, white oak around Janka 1,360, hard maple around Janka 1,450, and hickory/pecan around Janka 1,820.
These are helpful comparisons, but they should not be considered an absolute guide – a species with a higher Janka rating (and therefore harder wood) is not necessarily impossible to scratch.
It is important to also consider finishes, furniture, pets, and other factors that could impact the wood’s surface.
The construction of an LVP also determines its overall performance.
Beyond mils in the wear layer, consider the core construction and thickness, the type and strength of the locking system, whether a professional installation is required, and the specific language around waterproof claims and warranty.
Laminate construction has evolved dramatically in recent years, and the claims about the floor’s performance can vary just as much.
The key is to review the specifications in detail and not rely on one number or descriptor.
The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) has specific guidance about the limitations of AC abrasion ratings.
This is appropriate because the limitations apply to other ratings as well – abrasion resistance is only one factor that contributes to durability.
Janka hardness is another attribute that is frequently used, but it is important to understand the context of the claims.
Hickory, for example, has a higher Janka rating (around 1,820) than red oak (around 1,290), but that does not necessarily mean that hickory is a better option for your floor.
If you prefer the appearance of red oak, have climate control in your home, and protect the floor with appropriate furnishings, you would be making an unusual decision to choose hickory strictly on the basis of a higher Janka rating.
Use specifications as a filter, rather than a trophy.
The most relevant numbers will be determined by the needs of the space and the challenges it presents to the floor covering.
Comparing specifications can help, but it cannot substitute for actually seeing the samples in the light of the room they will occupy.
In the Phoenix area, a store such as Manufacturers Floor Covering Outlet can help you compare materials, ask questions about specifications, and review options for installation, preparation, maintenance, and regional considerations before the purchase.
After narrowing the field, the next step is to bring the contenders home.
Place the samples side by side in the context of the room, and not just on the kitchen counter.
View them in different lighting, run your hand over the embossed surfaces, place a chair on them, and, if you have a shedding dog, you can test how easily hair will cling to the surface.
It will be a much more useful evaluation than looking at a picture of another home.
4. What Is Happening Underneath the Finished Floor?
Much of what happens to a finished floor takes place out of sight.
The image in your head or on the website cannot tell you whether the installation was done correctly or what steps had to be taken to make the floor perform as described.
A qualified installer knows this and can explain what took place during the installation, but some of it is also relevant to your expectations for the floor. A wood floor, for example, will respond to changes in humidity and is therefore susceptible to issues that may arise from improper acclimation.
The National Wood Flooring Association has specific installation guidelines that relate to moisture, and those guidelines factor in the conditions at the installation site.
“As a result,” the NWFA says in the guidelines, “proper job site evaluation and moisture testing prior to installation is recommended.”
Acclimation is a consideration for other types of floating floors as well, and it should be discussed in the context of the entire installation.
It may be necessary to take action to ensure subfloor flatness if the manufacturer’s specifications do not allow for significant variations.
A locking floor installed over dips and bumps in the subfloor can twist at the seams, creating gaps that become visible between the planks. Ask questions before signing an installation contract, such as these:
• What are you looking for before installing this floor?
• What happens if the existing slab or subfloor does not meet your requirements?
• What installation costs are included or excluded from this estimate?
A conversation about expectations can be much more valuable than one about costs, especially if it takes place before half of the existing floor has been removed.
5. Which Durability Number Actually Matters?
Durability numbers can help separate floor coverings, but it may take some effort to identify the numbers that matter most.
A 20-mil wear layer on an LVP, for example, tells you something about the thickness of the floor surface, but the numbers say little about your preferences for the locking system, subfloor preparation, and other considerations.
An AC5 laminate has more abrasion resistance than an AC3, but even the NALFA guidance on AC ratings acknowledges that abrasion resistance is only one part of a larger picture of durability.
Use the numbers as filters to narrow the field, but recognize that other attributes such as impact resistance, water resistance, and installation requirements also play a role.
The same consideration applies to the Janka hardness in hardwood flooring.
There is value in knowing that hickory (around Janka 1,820) is harder than red oak (around Janka 1,290), but it does not mean that hickory is always the best choice for your floor.
If you prefer the appearance of red oak, own a shedding dog, and have climate control in your home, you would be making an unusual choice to buy hickory strictly on the basis of its higher Janka rating.
It is important to recognize the context of the claims, and it can be much easier to do so when you see the contenders side by side in the context of the room.
The comparison tool makes it simple to sort and view specifications, but some numbers are much more useful than others.
The most relevant numbers will be determined by the needs of the space and the challenges it presents to the floor covering.
6. What Will Void the Warranty?
A 25-year warranty is impressive, but it is also important to understand what it actually covers.
Review the warranty before you buy the product, and understand the differences in coverage.
A warranty may make a distinction between manufacturing defects, surface wear, water damage, installation damage, scratching, and improper maintenance, and those categories will dictate what will and will not be covered.
The terms may also vary by manufacturer, which is why the headline language about the length of the warranty is only part of the story.
Look at subfloor and moisture requirements, approved cleaning solutions, and other factors that could influence the warranty.
Ask who handles the claim, as the manufacturer, retailer, and installer may have different obligations.
The goal is to retain the information contained in the warranty, rather than relying on memory alone.
Keep the product documentation, including receipts, installation instructions, and the warranty itself.
The least interesting papers in the packet can turn out to be the most important ones years later.
7. What Will the Whole Floor Cost Once It Is Finished?
The cost of the material is usually not the largest component of a flooring project, but it is the easiest one to overlook when budgeting.
The final price is likely to include removal and disposal of the existing flooring, plus any preparation and repairs to the subfloor necessary for the installation of the new floor.
Additional costs could include underlayment, adhesives, transitions, and/or stairs.
Furniture removal and/or installation, room finishing, and/or delivery may also be necessary.
Once the old floor has gone, however, a project that seemed to have everything under control may encounter new costs.
The subfloor may need preparation, there may be old adhesives that must be removed, or there may be height differences between adjacent rooms that require additional transition work.
The damage to the existing floor may also be revealed during removal, especially if it was previously covered by another type of flooring.
Ask for an itemized estimate and compare notes, because a contractor who charges significantly less may have a much shorter list of work to be done.
Ask about the sequencing as well.
It can be useful to install the finished flooring early in a larger project so that it is not competing with other activities for time and space.
It should also not be installed too late, however, because cabinets, finishing, and furniture installations can also interfere.
A small amount of contingency can be helpful, since it is unlikely that your home will follow the budget as closely as it follows the floor plan.
Put the Sample Down and Test the Decision
The family-floor test may not generate one perfect material that is best suited to every need, but it will help you separate vague warranties and marketing-generated claims from specific specifications and details that can actually help narrow the field.
It focuses on the factors that matter most – the challenges the floor will face rather than the benefits it will deliver – and it encourages exploration of the details and expectations.
Once you can put a number to the need, the choice of color is much easier to make – and that is as it should be.
A flooring sample looks good for a very short time.
The real floor has to look good for a very long time.
