Luxury vinyl plank
Wood looks built for the rooms where water and traffic live: kitchens, mudrooms, basements. Waterproof, comfortable underfoot, and installed by the crew that does our hardwood.
See the full range on the showroom rack in Southbury
Where luxury vinyl wins
Basements and slabs
Installs over concrete and below grade, where wood floors should not go at all.
Kitchens and mudrooms
Spills, boots, dog bowls, snow: the rooms where water shows up daily and never apologizes.
Busy households
A thick wear layer takes the traffic that would scratch a finish, and it never needs refinishing.
Whole-floor continuity
Paired with hardwood elsewhere in the house, a matched vinyl plank keeps the look consistent where the wood stops.
Vinyl plank or laminate?
Both are photo-layer floors, and both look great now. The difference is the core: vinyl plank is waterproof through and through, while laminate is a fiberboard core with a water-resistant surface. A wet mess sits safely on either one, but a wet mess that seeps a seam is only forgiven by vinyl.
So the honest split: laminate for the budget-conscious dry rooms, vinyl plank anywhere water might win. If you are deciding between them for one room, tell us the room; it usually decides itself. Laminate, in detail →
And where hardwood still wins
We are a hardwood shop, and we'll say it plainly: in the main rooms, real wood still earns its keep. It refinishes instead of replacing, it holds the character of the house, and it's the floor buyers in this area look for.
The good news is you don't have to choose one for the whole house. Wood where it shines, vinyl where water lives. We install both, so the recommendation is about your rooms, not our inventory. Hardwood flooring →
Luxury vinyl questions
Is luxury vinyl plank actually waterproof?
The plank is: the core and the wear layer don’t absorb water the way wood does. Seams and edges are the realistic caveat, which is why installation quality matters as much as the product. For basements, mudrooms, and kitchens, this is the floor we recommend when water is the main enemy.
How thick should the wear layer be?
The wear layer is the clear top coat, measured in mils, and it is what takes the traffic. For a busy household, more is simply better. We’ll walk you through the wear layers on the rack, because the difference between a floor that lasts 5 years and one that lasts 20 is exactly this number.
Can vinyl plank go over a basement slab?
Yes, and that is one of its best uses. It installs over concrete and below grade, where solid hardwood should never go and even engineered needs a careful check.
Does it look fake?
The photo layer has gotten very good: embossed grain, beveled edges, matte finishes. Come to the showroom and put your hand on the rack; the good planks read as wood from standing height. The cheap ones don’t, and we don’t stock those.
Ready for a free in-home estimate?
Accurate, professional, and at your house. Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM.