Your Biggest Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Questions, Answered By A Real Estate Expert

Luxury vinyl plank flooring is an extremely popular selection for homeowners. It's lightweight and easy to install. You don't need grout or other finishing materials. Vinyl plank flooring is right for many spaces, thanks to its great look and ability to withstand moisture and heat. It's also a great choice for durability. Vinyl flooring can even help with the resale value when selling your home. To gain these benefits, though, you need to be certain you are using the right quality of flooring. To answer questions about vinyl plank floors that you may be asking yourself, we reached out to Eric Bramlett, realtor and owner of Bramlett Residential.

When you're asking yourself which products to install, Bramlett says sticking with well-known brands — such as COREtec, Mohawk, and Shaw Floors — carries significant benefits. "These names are recognizable and may hold a higher resale value, especially if you're looking to sell your home," he told House Digest in an exclusive interview. "COREtec for example, [is a] brand is often known as being a highly durable flooring option, which is a big plus when it comes to resale value. Similarly, some product lines from Shaw Floors and Mohawk offer waterproof and scratch resistant planks, making [each] an appealing family-friendly choice." Bramlett says you should certainly pay attention to the color and style of flooring you want and the budget you have for the flooring project. But you should take every effort to find a style and price point within the top three brands that you can use.

If you are choosing vinyl plank flooring with an eye on helping your home's resale value, Bramlett says you should read online product reviews for the manufacturers and brands. Potential home buyers may check these same reviews to feel confident that the vinyl plank flooring you installed will last. "If the reviews are positive and hold no red flags, then this can give you a level of confidence that you're going to purchase a suitable product for your home," Bramlett explained in an exclusive interview with House Digest. "I would always advise people to purchase vinyl plank flooring that is waterproof or holds water-resistant features that combat any spillages that may occur in your home. Durability, scratch, and stain resistance are also key, along with ensuring that you're purchasing a product that comes with a long warranty included."

He says design is another key consideration when looking for vinyl plank flooring. You certainly need to take your personal preferences into account when selecting a design and color, but try to balance your desires with designs that will appeal to potential home buyers in the future. "My advice is to look at options that have a realistic and naturally colored design, so it mimics traditional [wood] flooring," Bramlett says. "Neutral color options are also more likely to appeal to a broader audience and could make your flooring a unique selling point if you're planning to sell your home."

In his exclusive interview with House Digest, Bramlett noted that simply choosing the right brand of vinyl plank flooring isn't going to guarantee you a certain amount in resale value, and other renovation ideas can increase your home's value more than flooring. Things like the home's price point and the buyers' preferences can affect the exact amount of increased value you receive from installing vinyl plank flooring, too. Still, the right brands and quality in vinyl plank floors can make a noticeable difference when selling a home. "A home with a well-maintained and recently installed vinyl plank floor is certainly more appealing to a potential buyer," Bramlett says. "They can see this as 'move-in ready,' meaning that they're not going to need to invest in new flooring for the property."

Bramlett notes that you probably aren't going to see the same boost to your home's selling price when you install vinyl plank flooring compared to installing high-end natural wood flooring. He estimates you'll receive a 50% to 75% return on investment with vinyl planks. Your results will be at the higher end of the range when you stick with high-quality vinyl flooring brands. However, vinyl has advantages that appeal to some buyers more than wood floors. "One major appeal of vinyl plank flooring really comes down to it being far easier to maintain in comparison to traditional wooden flooring, which can be prone to aesthetic damage such as scratching and color deterioration," he says.