In most situations, a hard surface will be your best option, though there are cases where certain soft-surfaces could be effective. Check out our blog post here for more information on when carpet can work in high traffic areas.

As for hard surface, if going the LVP route, we highly recommend having at least a 20 mil wear layer—12 mil is a suitable residential grade for light traffic, whereas 20 mil and higher will perform beautifully.

If going the wood route, we recommend going with a traditional sand and finish. Prefinished or engineered options are more prone to scratches, whereas commercial-grade finishes can provide highly durable options that can even outperform high wear layer LVP planks.

Carpet has the potential to be a good option, but depending on your lifestyle, not always. Any soft surface material should be vacuumed at minimum once a week, but in most cases, carpet should be vacuumed closer to 2-3 times a week, sometimes daily depending on foot traffic. Furthermore, the quality of your vacuum and even HVAC filters can heavily impact the amount of allergens or irritants carpet can gather.

As such, it all comes down to maintenance and whether or not you or another member of your household can vacuum frequently.

We offer a large selection of LVP and tile, which are two of the largest waterproofing options on the market. Other options, like hardwood and engineered wood, can also be somewhat water resistant, but any spills should be taken care of as soon as possible to prevent water damage to the wood.

Modern laminate is also fairly waterproof, but we do not recommend the product if water protection is one of the features you are looking for in your new floor.

There is a single water-resistant carpet on the market that we highly recommend, if you are looking for a soft surface option as a broadloom or rug.

This discussion becomes a little bit more difficult, as tile can come in more formats and material types compared to LVP. However, in a general sense, it depends on where you are planning to put the material. Inside of a shower? Tile, as tile will have better waterproofing protections than LVP on its own. Bathroom floor? LVP because it is easier to clean and harder to accidentally shatter.

Wood is going to last longer and be able to take certain types of wear better than LVP, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be the best option for everyone. LVP is going to have better water-proofing and will be more budget friendly, as wood is going to want to absorb water and tends to be around $15-20 per foot, including installation. In all reality, it comes down to budget and if you need more niche features that one can provide over the other.

In a Utah climate, traditional sand and finish hardwood is going to outperform engineered wood in nearly every category. Solid wood is harder to scratch and indent, and the material is going to handle the drier Utah climate better than engineered wood.

Engineered wood, on the other hand, is made of multiple layers of plywood glued together with a veneer on top. Because of the different layers going on, the surface area of wood is going to be extremely different than that of a solid piece, which means each layer of plywood is going to take or release humidity at a different rate than solid wood; since Utah’s air is dry, each layer is going to compete for what moisture is in the air, and the planks are highly prone to shrinkage. That’s why engineered wood does better in humid climates, like Florida.

Yes. Planked flooring, especially any flooring material including any amount of wood (including the Wood-Plastic composite LVP!), is prone to environmental changes, which includes temperature and relative humidity. All planked floors, regardless of what the material is made out of, usually must be in 65-80°F at all times and must be somewhere between 30-50% relative humidity. Most homes in Utah fall outside of that humidity range for most of the year, meaning a humidifier (in most cases) is required for labor and material warranties.

Without one, the planks will change size, cause problems with the wall and baseboards, and even start to splinter. For more information about humidity, check out our blog post on humidifiers here.

We have in-depth guides on flooring maintenance on our blog post, and you can find all of the information you need there. If you need clarification or have more questions, contact us here.

We offer all species of hardwood, with a majority we sell coming from ethical local lumber mills. All glue, stain, and finish are extremely bio-friendly and are safe to handle, even without personal VOC protection—rather insane for a wood stain and finish!

Our LVP selection is highly rated for its lower ecological impact, with some companies leading in safer practices for the environment. In fact, these companies are what we personally recommend and promote, for their quality is unmatched, thanks to their attention to sustainability.

All of our wool carpet is sourced through ethical means, coming from sheep who live healthy lives in the hands of shepherds located in the United States, Ireland, England, and New Zealand. Other carpet fibers, like polyester and nylon, are often manufactured using recycled fibers of the same material, lowering the overall carbon footprint of the carpet roll.