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Originally Posted by houseshopper
I'm buying a house and intend to install a new floor throughout (I like one unified floor). I like porcelain tile. A friend told me to install vinyl plank because it is warmer on bare feet. I would like to hear other people's opinions, especially about which floor is best for resale (I'm not a house flipper, but I want to make a good financial decision). Thank you in advance for any comments.
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Since we're in Florida, I'm not sure "warmer on the feet" is as much a problem as it is up north. Most people just want something warm/soft when they step out of bed and that is what rugs are for. The other thing about tile and LVP is people should really be wearing some type of footwear. Walking around barefoot on either type of flooring every day/all day is not good for your feet, especially as we age. Both are hypoallergenic and much better than carpet, especially for people who have pets (which practically every everyone in The villages does). Both are basically waterproof.
As for resale value, flooring is a tricky thing. Tile is going to probably have a slightly higher resale value but flooring is one of the more common things people immediately swap out when they buy a house. Trends change. Like paint colors, one minute one color/style is popular and the next minute something else is. I wouldn't let resale value dictate what flooring you put in but I would definitely try to keep it somewhat neutral.
They both have their pros/cons.
LVP is easier and cheaper to install. I'm doing it myself right now. It is slightly more forgiving on the feet. It's very easy to clean and maintain. I have a tineco wet vac from Costco and it's a breeze to use. LVP can scratch and dent though, if you're not careful. If you do dent or scratch it, you can't just replace individual pieces without pulling up the Flooring because they interlock. All your furniture should have slide pads. if you do go with LVP, go with a high-quality one like Shaw flooring. I would stay away from homes and decor, they have a F rating on BBB with a ton of complaints, many of them on their nucore LVP.
You also want to make sure you hire a good installer. A crappy LVP installation could make you regret installing it.
Tile is super durable but is more expensive. You also might have to deal with cleaning grout but I don't know if anyone actually does that. It is slightly harder on the feet, but again people should be wearing some type of footwear. It can crack if you drop something really heavy on it. A neighbor has tile and he's got a few crack pieces. You can replace individual tiles (unlike LVP) but I don't know how easy it is to match the grout.
Real hardwood flooring is probably the most expensive and has the highest resale value but it can dent and scratch too. I've never had real hardwood floors so I can't tell you about caring for them.
In the end, I would just do what you want. You really can't go wrong with tile, LVP, or real hardwood. It just depends on your budget and preferences. Again, probably the most important thing is to keep it neutral so people can swap out paint colors on the walls.