Hardwood vs Vinyl plank flooring (Sudbury: wood floors, how much, house)

[Parsec]

I have carpet in the bedrooms and vinyl tile in my finished basement that I'd like to replace. I'm going with floating vinyl plank that looks like hardwood in the basement due to moisture concerns. For the bedrooms I'm still debating between real hardwoods and the vinyl plank. Will vinyl plank flooring in bedrooms negatively affect resale value?

This is an average (~$750k) house in Sudbury. At this price point, I've seen all types of flooring options - hardwoods, vinyl plank, laminate and carpet. I was wondering what others think. The price difference isn't that large between the 2 options, but there is more labor/skill involved with the installation of hardwood so I'll probably contract that work out if I decide to use real hardwood.

Also any recommendations on where to buy materials would be appreciated, thanks.

[johnrex62]

I dont know what the local perspective is, but I would look less positively on vinyl vs wood when assigning a dollar value. Practically it might be a better fit, but wood seems more upscale than vinyl.

[gf2020]

I would do real, pre-finished wood in the bedrooms.

[mmyk72]

Definitely real wood for bedrooms. For that price of a house, I shouldn't get the fake stuff. Using vinyl in the basement is understandable due to the moisture issue. But if used elsewhere, it looks as if someone is trying to be cheap.

[Parsec]

I was originally going with real hardwood for the bedrooms, but when I realized how easy it is to install vinyl plank flooring I considered doing the bedrooms myself. How much would hardwoods cost installed, assuming $3/sf for the material? I did a search and found some varying opinions. One member said $10-15/sf installed and more recently MikePRU said $6/sf. I'll start getting quotes myself, but want to make sure my contractors are within the right ballpark.

[Bob Lanata]

Real wood all around. Last longer and can take a beating. May I recommend on the first coat of finish, use a high gloss where it has more solids, then followed by two coats of your desired finish. Check on the quality of the vinyl as many cannot take a washing or a water spill.

Vajentic flooring is one company that is time tested

[Shrewsburried]

I'm no flooring expert, but I suspect engineered wood flooring (essentially a thick wood veneer laminated to a substrate) would be better for a basement which might see greater changes in humidity. It is more stable, i.e., does not expand/contract as much as solid wood flooring does.

[SpringMom3]

I would go with real in the bedrooms, but I would love an update on how the floating vinyl planks go in the basement. We also wanted to do those in the basement but then went with tile. I am very curious how easy vinyl planks actually are and how happy you end up with them.

[in_newengland]

I don't know about the costs but I like the real wood for the bedrooms. It feels warmer beneath the feet if someone gets out of bed, it is more resiliant to walk on, it looks better, and so on. Fake wood is better for the basement but you want the real thing for the house.

[Bob Lanata]

For the basement, there are newer under floors that the bottom of them are plastic and are knobbed and that allows air to move and breath underneath. They come in 2' x 2' sections and fit together tongue and groove. Then most floors can go right on top of it. It comes with its price, but is well worth it in the long run. With a proper installation, breathing under the floor can take place. I am not a big fan of the fit together PERGO type floors. Although the higher end PERGO that can be glued together can take a beating and moisture. That also comes with a cost.

In adding to my above entry, for oak flooring, White oak is a tougher oak than red. I am very partial to wood flooring as it was my first job as a kid outside snow shoveling. Installing wood floors for my neighbor. Still love the smell of the cut oak.