Compare
LVP or engineered hardwood?
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
The honest comparison.
Nine rows, including the ones that don't flatter the more expensive floor.
| 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, so 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
Which one should you pick?
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
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
Questions
LVP vs hardwood FAQ
Is LVP or engineered hardwood better for a San Diego home?
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
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