lifeproof rigid core luxury vinyl flooring

[DogwoodTales]

So we're considering installing the "lifeproof rigid core luxury vinyl flooring" sold at the box store. It seems like a decent product. The question I have, for those who have installed it, is how flat does the floor have to be?
How well will it follow peaks and valleys in the floor?
I will be installing over a new subfloor.
Thanks for your shared experience.

[Snipe Hunter]

I put it in upstairs. 3 bedrooms, hallway, closets. Approx 45 boxes installed.

There's things I like about it and things I don't. We installed the Lifeproof "Seasoned Wood". The wife was looking for a "beachy look". Fortunately we are basically gutting the entire home so all door frames and molding was removed already. Makes for a nice clean job. We ordered 10% extra and didn't come close to scrapping 10%. Still have about 5 boxes left.

Likes:
* Installation was pretty easy and quite a bit faster than laminate. You can score it with a utility knife and a framing square and snap it whereas laminate destroys carbide miter saw blades...
* It's more flexible than laminate so it tends to lay better than laminate on less than perfectly flat floors. You get less of that bounce and it feels less like a mobile home floor than laminate.
* It doesn't have that "laminate shine" so it looks less like plastic.
* not quite as slippery as laminate so the dogs don't mind walking on it. One of our dogs (older dog) won't walk on laminate.
* No foam underlayment needed. It will actually void the warranty. 

Dislikes:
* It's not as durable as laminate so be careful moving furniture on it. Not horrible, just not as hard of a surface.
* The borgs don't carry stair nosing so it has to be special ordered.
*It isn't as nice looking as I thought once installed but that might be due to the pattern/color we chose.
* We needed almost 50 boxes and none of the stores had that many in stock and I didn't want to mix and match dye lots so we special ordered it all and it took about 15 days. For whatever reason, Home Depot's ordering system doesn't expedite orders on items already in stock.
* There are nicer looking vinyl plank floors available at flooring stores for about 30 cents more per foot. I kinda wished we shopped around a little more but the wife really likes it and that's very important to me. I'm a bit more snooty than here when it comes to flooring. I like wood and tile.. period.
* It's almost just as noisy as laminate when walking on it.
* This particular color "Seasoned Wood" has dark and light planks. Some boxes were loaded with dark and others with light so it made it a little difficult to shuffle colors without opening a lot of boxes all at once. I wish we had bought a color with a more consistent color throughout. You really notice it towards the end of the installation when there aren't so many boxes to pick from.

notes: It expands and contracts more than laminate so make sure you leave the gap at the edges recommended in the directions. Make sure you pick up an installation tapping block and black a rubber mallet or your seams won't be tight. The planks are "floppy" so make sure everything is aligned and in the groove before tapping or the soft edge can get damaged. Once damaged, even slightly they won't lock tight. Throw the damaged piece away. Read the directions as to how to lay a pattern so it doesn't repeat and look obvious.

[Cooler]

My only comment is that big dogs have an easier time on luxury vinyl than on laminate.  It is less slippery.  If you have a large dog, that may be a consideration.

Many flooring companies recommend vinyl for beach-side summer homes.  I don't know if it is because of the water or the sand, however.

[Roly]

My only comment is that big dogs have an easier time on luxury vinyl than on laminate.  It is less slippery.  If you have a large dog, that may be a consideration.

Many flooring companies recommend vinyl for beach-side summer homes.  I don't know if it is because of the water or the sand, however.

I had the vinyl planks that wore through the color coat.   It is not slippery for large dogs but I got a laminate floor that is not slippery for the dog either.(surface texture)   Suggest get a bunch of samples and do wear testing with various objects such as a awl and sandpaper and see the results.   Also soak the laminates in water.     The samples will vary quite a bit with the various tests.     Roly

[Cooler]

I had the vinyl planks that wore through the color coat.   It is not slippery for large dogs but I got a laminate floor that is not slippery for the dog either.(surface texture)   Suggest get a bunch of samples and do wear testing with various objects such as a awl and sandpaper and see the results.   Also soak the laminates in water.     The samples will vary quite a bit with the various tests.     Roly

I think that both vinyl plank and laminates have improved greatly over the last few years.  The wear coats are thicker.  The images and textures are more convincing.  And Pergo has come out with a version using water resistant MDF backing.  

I suspect the improvement process will continue for a while.  

I've been told that vinyl plank over tile will require a backer board or the grout lines will telegraph through over time.  

In any event if you have a big dog, do some traction tests.  A slippery floor is a disaster for big dogs.

[Woodamaker]

So we're considering installing the "lifeproof rigid core luxury vinyl flooring" sold at the box store. It seems like a decent product. The question I have, for those who have installed it, is how flat does the floor have to be?
How well will it follow peaks and valleys in the floor?
I will be installing over a new subfloor.
Thanks for your shared experience.

I just finished removing old carpet and laying 25 boxes of the "seasoned wood" lifeproof flooring in my basement.  It comes out of each box in 3 different widths.  Had no issues with uneven spots in the concrete
Would think that you should not have issues with new subfloor. However, if you have some really bad spots you could pretest with scraps before you lock the new floor in.
Worked a section at a time and used scooter pads made for hardwood floors to move furniture. 
Also installed sterling oak in a bedroom that went down nicely.  Sterling oak is all one width.
I do have some laminate flooring.  Laminate definitely slicker, my little dogs "spin their wheels on a quick burn out  
 

[DogwoodTales]

This would go into my small kitchen, so the wear issue one of you mentioned is a concern as all the wear will go onto all of the floor in the small space.
How long ago was that floor installed?

The unevenness may be more of an issue now that I think about it more. This is a 60 yo cape cod style house and nothing about it is square or level. Even with a new subfloor there's only so much I can do on top of the same floor joists.

[Roly]

This would go into my small kitchen, so the wear issue one of you mentioned is a concern as all the wear will go onto all of the floor in the small space.
How long ago was that floor installed?

The unevenness may be more of an issue now that I think about it more. This is a 60 yo cape cod style house  and nothing about it is square or level. Even with a new subfloor there's only so much I can do on top of the same floor joists.

 The flooring that had a wear problem was about 6 years old and was Alure vinyl plank (home depot)  The name brands may do better.  Suggest getting samples  try sandpaper on surface, try to do all the samples the same.  I would think the vinyl would conform to a slightly uneven floor  better than laminate that can be very rigid.   Roly

[Roly]

This would go into my small kitchen, so the wear issue one of you mentioned is a concern as all the wear will go onto all of the floor in the small space.
How long ago was that floor installed?

The unevenness may be more of an issue now that I think about it more. This is a 60 yo cape cod style house  and nothing about it is square or level. Even with a new subfloor there's only so much I can do on top of the same floor joists.

 The flooring that had a wear problem was about 6 years old and was Alure vinyl plank (home depot)  The name brands may do better.  Suggest getting samples  try sandpaper on surface, try to do all the samples the same.  I would think the vinyl would conform to a slightly uneven floor  better than laminate that can be very rigid.   Roly  (there were felt pads on all the chairs)

[Snipe Hunter]

I don't think I'd worry about wear on the LifeProof floor. The laminate is pretty thick. I don't regret putting it in my house. I just don't necessarily like the color we chose but the wife likes it so I'm happy. We have a few spots where the subfloor isn't perfect. I filled the real bad spots but didn't worry too much about the imperfect seams in the subfloor. No issues.