LVP vs Hardwood Flooring in Philadelphia Homes

LVP or Hardwood? Ask a Different Question First

Most flooring articles start by comparing luxury vinyl plank to hardwood. We're going to start somewhere else, because for a lot of the homes we walk into, the first question isn't which floor to buy.

It's what's already under the one you have.

Before you shop: find out what's down there

Carpet, sheet vinyl, and laminate frequently sit on top of original hardwood — oak or pine — that was never removed, just covered. We find it regularly.

This matters because refinishing an existing hardwood floor is usually less expensive than installing anything new, and it preserves something that can't be bought back once it's gone.

Two things to check before you spend money on new flooring:

Is there wood under there? Pull up a corner in a closet or at a vent register. Ten minutes of work can change your entire budget.

Is there enough wood left to refinish? This is the part people skip. Hardwood can only be sanded so many times before the tongue-and-groove is compromised — and in an older home that's already been refinished once or twice, you may be at the limit. The thickness above the tongue is what determines it, and it can be checked at a floor register or a doorway threshold.

If the answer is yes and yes, refinishing is very often the best value on the table. We coordinate refinishing through flooring specialists we work with regularly — it's a trade with its own equipment and expertise, and we'd rather bring in someone who does it every day than pretend otherwise.

If the answer is no, then the LVP-versus-hardwood conversation begins.

"Waterproof" needs an asterisk

You'll see LVP marketed as waterproof. The plank is. The installation isn't.

Water sitting on a floating LVP floor finds the seams, gets underneath, and stays there — on top of your subfloor, where you can't see it. On a plywood or plank subfloor, that's how you get rot developing quietly under a floor that still looks perfect from above.

This isn't an argument against LVP. It's an argument against relying on the word "waterproof" instead of on proper installation, transitions, and sealing at the perimeter and around fixtures. In a bathroom or a laundry room especially, ask your contractor how the floor is being protected at those points. If the answer is just "the product is waterproof," that's not an answer.

The variable nobody quotes you on: how flat is the floor?

This is where flooring budgets actually go wrong.

Older homes settle. Floors slope, joists sag, and previous work leaves high and low spots. Click-lock LVP is unforgiving about this — install it over an uneven subfloor and you get hollow spots underfoot, seams that separate over time, and locking edges that eventually break. The floor doesn't fail on day one. It fails in year two, and it fails as a full replacement, not a repair.

Engineered and solid hardwood have their own flatness tolerances, and large-format tile is stricter still.

So here's the practical advice: when you compare flooring quotes, look for subfloor preparation as its own line item. Leveling compound, plywood underlayment, or joist work should be priced and visible.

A quote that shows only material and installation isn't cheaper than one that shows preparation. It's just a quote where the preparation is either hidden inside the number, or hasn't been accounted for at all — and the second one becomes a change order after demolition, when you have no leverage.

Basements deserve their own paragraph

Below-grade concrete slabs release moisture upward, often without any visible sign. Installing any floor over a slab without knowing its moisture condition is a gamble, and the failure shows up as cupping, adhesive breakdown, or odor months later.

The test is inexpensive and takes very little time. Any contractor recommending a basement floor without one is guessing with your money.

So which one?

With all of the above accounted for, the general shape of it:

Hardwood — solid or engineered — holds value, reads as a premium finish to buyers and appraisers, and can be refinished rather than replaced when it wears. It doesn't tolerate standing water or high humidity well. Best in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and hallways.

LVP handles moisture and heavy use far better, costs less, and installs faster. It cannot be refinished — when it's worn or damaged, it's replaced. Best in basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mudrooms, and kitchens in busy households.

Many of our clients end up with hardwood in the main living areas and LVP where water and traffic are a concern. That's a reasonable split, and it's not a compromise — it's matching the material to the actual demands of the room.

But that decision comes after you know what's under the existing floor and how flat the subfloor is. Do it in that order and you'll spend less.

Want to know what's under your floor?

We'll take a look and tell you what you're working with — including when the best move is refinishing what you already have.

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RF Home Remodeling — Philadelphia, South Jersey, Cherry Hill & Pennington