Yes, both, across San Diego County, and often in the same house. We install engineered hardwood only — not solid — and we don't sand, refinish or repair existing hardwood floors.

LVP vs Engineered Hardwood | Which to Pick

Q: Does engineered hardwood work on a concrete slab?

Yes, and that is exactly what it is for. Solid hardwood moves with humidity and will cup or gap over a slab; engineered hardwood's cross-laminated core is built to stay flat on one. It is the reason we install engineered and not solid, in a county where most homes sit on slab.

Q: Can you tell the difference between LVP and real wood?

Up close, usually yes — the repeat in the print and the feel underfoot both give it away. Across a room, good LVP is genuinely convincing. The honest test is to look at samples on your own floor in your own light, which is what we bring to the quote visit.

Q: Which one adds more to the value of the house?

Real wood is still what buyers and appraisers respond to in living spaces, so engineered hardwood generally does more there. In a kitchen or a basement that argument mostly disappears, and a waterproof floor that has survived five years looks better than a wood one that hasn't.

Compare

The short answer: waterproof plank wherever the room gets wet, real wood wherever you sit down. We install both across San Diego County, so we have no stake in which one you land on — and the room usually decides before we do.

Side by side

Nine rows, including the ones that don't flatter the more expensive floor.

Luxury vinyl plank compared with engineered hardwood across nine attributes
What we’re comparing	Luxury vinyl plank	Engineered hardwood
What it actually is	A printed wood-look wear layer over a rigid waterproof core. It is not wood and does not pretend to be under close inspection.	A genuine hardwood wear layer bonded over a cross-laminated core. The surface is real wood, because it is real wood.
Best for	Kitchens, basements, entries, laundries, bathrooms — anywhere that gets wet, and anywhere a dog lives.	Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms. The rooms you sit in rather than the rooms you clean.
Water and spills	100% waterproof plank and core. A spill left overnight, a wet mop, a leaking dishwasher — none of it is a problem.	Wipe spills promptly. It is wood, and standing water will eventually mark it however good the finish is.
On a concrete slab	Fine directly over a prepared slab, which is what most San Diego homes are built on.	Also fine, and that is the point of engineered over solid: the cross-laminated core is what stops a wood floor cupping on a slab.
How long it takes	Most single rooms are installed in a day and walkable the same afternoon.	The boards acclimate in your home for 3–7 days first, then 1–2 days to install. It is the one floor we won't rush.
Underfoot	Firmer and slightly quieter with an attached pad. Closer to a tile floor than to a wood one.	Warmer and with a bit more give. This is the difference people notice barefoot and the reason hardwood still wins bedrooms.
Scratches and dents	The wear layer resists scratching well. Deep gouges cannot be sanded out — a damaged plank is replaced instead.	Marks more easily than LVP, and a lot of owners consider that patina rather than damage. Depth of the wear layer decides what is possible later.
Refinishing later	Not refinishable. When it is worn out it comes up and a new floor goes down.	Depends entirely on the thickness of the wear layer, and it is a question to ask before you buy rather than after. We install engineered hardwood and do not sand or refinish floors.
What it costs	Usually the more affordable way to put a hard floor through a whole house.	The more expensive of the two, and the only one of them that is real wood.

Full detail on each: LVP installation and engineered hardwood.

The short version

Wood-look luxury vinyl plank flooring running through a living room.

Pick LVP if

The room gets wet, or the room gets hammered.

Kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, basements, entries, and any house with dogs or small children in it. The waterproof core means a spill is a wipe rather than an incident, and most single rooms are down and walkable the same day.

See LVP options

Warm mid-tone engineered oak flooring in a living room.

Pick hardwood if

You want real wood, and the room stays dry.

Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms. It is warmer underfoot, it is the floor buyers respond to, and the engineered core is what lets it sit on a San Diego slab without cupping. Budget the acclimation week — 3 to 7 days before we install.

See hardwood

Floor visualizer

Put both in the room and look.

Every plank finish we install, laid at its true size in your own room or one of eight sample rooms. Switch between the vinyl and the wood in the same light and the choice usually makes itself.

Open the visualizer18 finishes · 8 rooms

Kitchen

Questions

Is LVP or engineered hardwood better for a San Diego home?

For kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and anywhere on a slab that gets wet, LVP — the waterproof core removes the only real risk. For living rooms and bedrooms, engineered hardwood, because it is real wood underfoot and it holds its value. Most of the houses we floor end up with both, split by room, and we'll say which is which standing in each one.

Does engineered hardwood work on a concrete slab?

Can you tell the difference between LVP and real wood?

Which one adds more to the value of the house?

Do you install both?

What either one costs, and what moves the number: what it costs.

Get started

Get a quote on either floor

Tell us about the space and we’ll call within one business day to book your free in-home visit. No charge, no obligation to book.

Call (619) 514-3107 Text usCall or text, 24 hours a day

(619) 514-3107Call or text, 24 hours a dayinfo@conceptfloorandepoxy.comServing San Diego County

Prefer to type? Send the details instead.

Luxury vinyl plank

Engineered hardwood

What it actually is

A printed wood-look wear layer over a rigid waterproof core. It is not wood and does not pretend to be under close inspection.

A genuine hardwood wear layer bonded over a cross-laminated core. The surface is real wood, because it is real wood.

Best for

Kitchens, basements, entries, laundries, bathrooms — anywhere that gets wet, and anywhere a dog lives.

Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms. The rooms you sit in rather than the rooms you clean.

Water and spills

100% waterproof plank and core. A spill left overnight, a wet mop, a leaking dishwasher — none of it is a problem.

Wipe spills promptly. It is wood, and standing water will eventually mark it however good the finish is.

On a concrete slab

Fine directly over a prepared slab, which is what most San Diego homes are built on.

Also fine, and that is the point of engineered over solid: the cross-laminated core is what stops a wood floor cupping on a slab.

How long it takes

Most single rooms are installed in a day and walkable the same afternoon.

The boards acclimate in your home for 3–7 days first, then 1–2 days to install. It is the one floor we won't rush.

Underfoot

Firmer and slightly quieter with an attached pad. Closer to a tile floor than to a wood one.

Warmer and with a bit more give. This is the difference people notice barefoot and the reason hardwood still wins bedrooms.

Scratches and dents

The wear layer resists scratching well. Deep gouges cannot be sanded out — a damaged plank is replaced instead.

Marks more easily than LVP, and a lot of owners consider that patina rather than damage. Depth of the wear layer decides what is possible later.

Refinishing later

Not refinishable. When it is worn out it comes up and a new floor goes down.

Depends entirely on the thickness of the wear layer, and it is a question to ask before you buy rather than after. We install engineered hardwood and do not sand or refinish floors.

What it costs

Usually the more affordable way to put a hard floor through a whole house.

The more expensive of the two, and the only one of them that is real wood.

LVP or engineered hardwood?

The honest comparison.

Which one should you pick?

The room gets wet, or the room gets hammered.

You want real wood, and the room stays dry.

Put both in the room and look.

LVP vs hardwood FAQ

Get a quote on either floor

LVP or engineered hardwood?

The honest comparison.

Which one should you pick?

The room gets wet, or the room gets hammered.

You want real wood, and the room stays dry.

Put both in the room and look.

LVP vs hardwood FAQ

Get a quote on either floor