New House Flooring - Is solid wood still best?

Chat@beehaw.org – 4 points – 1 years ago

Looking at flooring options for entire 1st floor, which includes kitchen, dining, family, and den. I feel like solid hardwood is the 'default' and what realtors would say is best for resale - but what about alternatives?

Luxury Vinyl Plank - LVP has come a long way on style, and offers the best water protection. But it might feel obviously not-solid, and I hear it scratches easily.

Laminate - And here I mean the fancy stuff, commercial rated coating and water resistant. Feels pretty solid, very resistant to scratches. "Dreamhome" line from LL Flooring, or similar.

Solid hardwood - not only the most expensive by a decent margin, but water resistant is limited, and I know it scratches. Plus sides are you can sand/refinish, and resale value. But I'm not too keen on making a choice just because selling it later.

Thoughts? Experience? Are there other major properties to consider?

Edit: I should have mentioned we have 4 kids, as far as wear & tear. Currently dog-free after both passed, but we'll eventually get small/medium-sized dogs again.

Instead of replying 'thanks' to every single post like a maniac, I'll just self-reply.

Thanks to all the responses! It definitely sounds like a decision with many factors to weigh. I think it feels more of a Solid Wood vs LVP, and while I see positives for both, one way of "summarizing" is that there aren't regrets on solid wood. ugh - maybe the price difference will help me decide!

thanks again all. this has been a very pleasant experience posting on Lemmy/Beehaw!

I know most people don't think about this, but you may give some consideration to how much and how long the material you choose will off-gas. Off-gassing depends on the type and age of the material and even stuff like the adhesives.