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Why We Chose Vinyl Plank Flooring for Our New Build Home

Here are some of the reasons why we chose vinyl plank flooring for our new house!

If the word vinyl still brings you flashbacks of your grandmother’s linoleum floors then today’s post is for you! Vinyl has come a lo00000000ng way since the early days of flooring products. It’s now difficult to tell the difference between good quality vinyl plank and laminate or even some hardwood flooring, but vinyl plank comes with a multitude of advantages.

The Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is durable, resilient, low-maintenance, easy to install, and affordable. It also boasts the huge advantage of being able to go in areas that are regularly exposed to water.  When the time came for us to choose the flooring type to use throughout our new build home, vinyl plank was clearly the most practical and best choice for us. Having just installed Golden Select vinyl plank in our basement renovation prior to selling our Forest House, we felt totally confident that it would be the best thing to use for our new build house.

Collage image showing a kitchen and bathroom featuring vinyl plank floors

Why we chose luxury vinyl plank flooring for our new build home…

I really wanted wood style flooring throughout the majority of our home, which left me with the choice between natural hardwood, laminate, or vinyl plank flooring. While beautiful, hardwood floors are expensive, more difficult to install, less durable, and higher maintenance than either of the other plank style options. And, they really aren’t recommended for wet areas such as kitchens or bathrooms which was the main reason that I didn’t consider real or engineered hardwood for our new house.

White kitchen with vinyl plank floors.

Laminate flooring is similar to vinyl in ease of installation and pricing, but is less durable in several areas of your home. Most laminate flooring is not completely waterproof, though many of the laminate choices available through Golden Select offer 24 hours of waterproofing.  But… I really wanted to use a plank style flooring in not just the kitchen and laundry room, but the ensuite bathroom as well. AND…with that level of waterproofing required, I decided the most practical choice was to opt for vinyl plank in order to be able to achieve the consistency of flooring that I really wanted throughout our new home.

There is a grey and white kitchen island and wood stools.

Vinyl plank flooring is also extremely easy to clean and really requires little to no maintenance. Golden Select vinyl plank flooring has a fully water-resistant rigid core. It is also very durable, and the rigid core of the slats allows for increased resistance to scratches and dents. It is always a good idea to research the exact brand of vinyl plank that you are looking at, as all brands may not offer this same level of waterproofing and durability as we found with Golden Select.

Ensuite bathroom with walk-in shower and vinyl plank floors

It was also really important to me that our flooring look and feel as close to natural wood as possible. The micro-beveled edges of the planks that we used gives our floors a super realistic wood planked appearance. It has an embossed texture that is truly reminiscent of hand-scraped wood floors. We chose a colour from Golden Select called Saddlewood. I love the variety of light neutral tones and pattern within this colourway, and truly couldn’t be happier with how our floors came out.

Golden Select vinyl plank flooring also has a pre-attached 1mm underlay, making it comfortable and more soundproof than many floor varieties and brands. We laid the same planks upstairs as we did on the main floor, and I’ve been thoroughly impressed by how quiet the floors are. No thundering footsteps from above, which is really saying something considering that the upstairs is “boy zone” for our 10 and 13 year olds and their friends.

A wide entry foyer with vinyl plank flooring.

We ordered our Golden Select Saddlewood Vinyl Plank flooring through Costco, and it includes a 35 year residential warranty. It is also surprisingly easy to install, as we discovered when we renovated the basement in our previous house. You can read all about that installation here and in this post (for installing it over tile). I’m also planning to share another post very soon detailing my tips for installing vinyl plank throughout a large area of your home (since we did the majority of the installation along with our builder friend).

A vaulted great room with vinyl plank flooring.

Now to answer some of the key questions that might come to your mind if you are trying to decide whether you should use vinyl plank floors in your next home renovation or new home build…

Why use vinyl plank flooring?

The number one reason that we decided to go with vinyl plank for nearly our entire new build home? Durability! Vinyl plank is super resilient, and most are waterproof as well. This makes it the ideal choice for people with children, pets, and a busy and active household full of foot traffic. It also makes it a great choice for almost any room in your home.  Vinyl plank flooring also has a great combination of firmness and give. That means that it feels softer and more comfortable underfoot (and on your back!) than tile or even many hardwood floors. It’s also affordable, easy to install, and simple to maintain.

A fresh modern bathroom with a separate tub and shower and vinyl plank floors

Does vinyl plank flooring scratch easily?

Vinyl plank floors tend to be much more durable than laminate flooring when it comes to standing up to pets and kids. They generally won’t chip or get dinged up as easily, especially by something like your dog racing across the floor, which was always a huge stress for us when we had hardwood and laminate flooring.

A kitchen island with an X style edge and light and bright vinyl plank kitchen flooring

What are the advantages of luxury vinyl plank flooring?

Although not indestructible (what is?), the durability of vinyl plank is like that of stone or tile, without the issue of grout lines to content with. The durability and waterproof nature of many vinyl plank floors, when combined with how attractive and realistic vinyl plank has become, makes it a leading contender in the flooring market. In fact, vinyl plank flooring has become one of the most popular types of flooring around, even for new build homes.

White kitchen with a farmhouse sink and vinyl plank flooring

Want to remember this? Then PIN it for later!

Key advantage of vinyl plank flooring is it can be used in bathrooms.

 

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6 Comments

  1. Hello! Thank you for sharing your story. I am wondering if you’ve been frustrated at all by mid or dirt getting lodged in the beveled edge grooves. My flooring installer encouraged me against the floors I had picked because of this reason. Has it been a problem for you? I really
    Love the beveled look so I’d like to go with it, but now I’m nervous.
    Thanks!

  2. Beautiful floors! I can’t believe they are not wood!! I’m building a house and Santa Fe around the $1 million range and have decided to use luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout. I am a little nervous about it, but I figure I can always change it in 10 years time if it becomes outdated. It seems everything tends to become outdated within 10 to 15 years anyway. I’m looking forward to the low maintenance, no worry lifestyle. Your floors look so real, I know I’ve made the right decision. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Thank you for explaining that vinyl plank can be great for people with children and pets. My daughter is trying to plan out what kind of materials would be best to use in her home that will look good and last with her kids and her new puppy. I’ll be sure to pass this on to her since it seems like it could be an ideal option for her current lifestyle.

  4. Vinyl plank floors are a strong contender in the flooring market because of their durability and waterproof nature, as well as how attractive and realistic they have grown. Even for new construction homes, vinyl plank flooring has become one of the most preferred forms of flooring. Thank you so much!

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