New Flooring FAQ: Answers About Installation, Care and Warranty

We’re working on a full post about our completed renovation (we last wrote about it on the blog), but I wanted to jump in and answer the many questions about the new flooring we installed across our entire first floor (the bathrooms kept tile). The floors were one of the most-asked-about parts of the project on Instagram while Sherry shared progress in Stories. Below I’ll cover what we chose, why we chose it, how we installed it, and what we think after living with it for a few months.

We love saving and refinishing original hardwoods—it’s something we’ve done in multiple homes and usually been thrilled with—but the downstairs pine in this house didn’t hold up the way we expected. After six years of living with the refinished yellow pine from the 1990s, we realized this renovation was the moment to make a permanent change instead of trying to patch and match flooring where we’d moved walls or added square footage.

Why Did You Replace Your Floors?

Short answer: the original downstairs floors were softer yellow pine from the 1990s, not the dense heart pine we have upstairs. Regular yellow pine dents, scratches, and gaps easily, especially in a busy house by the beach with sand, water, and pets. Over time the refinished boards showed wear, cracks, and areas that had been patched poorly.

We also reconfigured the lower level—moving walls and adding a room—so there were many places that needed patching or where new flooring was required. While repairing and blending old hardwood can work well in many houses (we’ve successfully patched floors before), the combination of the pine’s softness, previous installation problems, and the scope of the renovation pushed us toward replacing the whole floor for a seamless, durable result.

Another factor was the original refinish quality. Some areas were sanded, filled, or sealed poorly and later started to separate or splinter. The previous crew had been hired in early 2020 and, in hindsight, they used general handymen rather than hardwood specialists. The pandemic complicated things too, so we didn’t get eyes on the floors until move-in and missed early warning signs.

We spent years fixing gaps, filling cracks, screwing down squeaky spots, and covering bad areas with rugs. Small impacts—like a dropped apple or an occasional high heel—left visible dents. Eventually it became clear that patching wasn’t a long-term solution and that a full replacement was the right call.

What Flooring Did You Use?

We installed luxury vinyl plank (LVP) across the entire first floor. We know some readers will be surprised—after years of being hardwood purists, LVP wasn’t our first instinct—but the product has advanced significantly. The specific product we used is V-Evo XL in the color “Biscotti.” We sourced it through our contractor and a local distributor.

This was our first time using LVP, so we spent time learning about modern options and comparing them to traditional hardwood. Ultimately, LVP offered the look we wanted with practical benefits that fit our beach-house lifestyle.

Why Did You Choose LVP?

Two main advantages sold us: installation speed and long-term durability in our environment. Floating LVP planks install quickly and let us keep living in the house while the contractor worked through sections, so we didn’t have to move everything out of the downstairs at once. The entire installation, including demo, took about three days for one person, and the floor was ready to walk on immediately.

LVP is also waterproof and highly resistant to scratches and dents compared with soft pine. That performance is ideal for a house where people come in wet and sandy from the beach and pool. Modern LVP can convincingly mimic wood grain and texture; the product we chose felt solid underfoot and produced a satisfying sound when walked on in heels—closer to hardwood than older floating laminates.

Cost was a factor too: LVP gave us the aesthetic upgrade we wanted at a lower price per square foot than new hardwood would have required, which made it a practical choice among the other benefits.

How’d You Pick This Color and Size?

We first saw the exact plank installed in a model home our contractor was building. Seeing it installed, walking on it, and inspecting it in person made the decision easy. We liked the wide-plank scale and the Biscotti color for our house—wide planks help rooms feel larger and suit the building era and beachy vibe of our home. Because we loved how it looked in that finished space, we didn’t feel the need to shop dozens of alternatives.

If you can, try to see a sample installed or visit a finished space. It’s one of the best ways to know how a floor will look and feel in real life.

Do We Like Our LVP Floors?

Yes. The new floors are one of the renovation’s biggest wins. They feel even, quiet, and solid—no more splinters or annoying gaps—and they bring a polished, updated look that fits the house. The color and wide plank scale work well in our layout, and the overall texture and grain read as natural and inviting.

There are a few differences from hardwood to be aware of. Barefoot, LVP doesn’t feel exactly like solid wood—your feet can sense a denser material and slightly different slickness—but with socks or shoes it’s indistinguishable. Initially the surface texture felt a bit coarse underfoot for a few days, but that softened with normal use. Also, while LVP is very durable, it isn’t refinishable: deep dents or damage can’t be sanded out like wood, so we kept extra planks on hand for any future repairs.

Overall, the balance of durability, appearance, and installation speed made LVP the right choice for this house and our lifestyle. We’re glad we made the switch.

What About Your Upstairs Floors?

We left the upstairs alone. Those are the original heart pine planks we refinished in 2020, and they’ve held up much better than the downstairs yellow pine. The two floors don’t touch directly—the painted stairs with a sisal runner separate them—so the mismatch isn’t an issue. For now we’re happy to keep the original hardwood upstairs and the resilient, low-maintenance LVP downstairs.

That covers our flooring decision and experience. We’ll return soon with the full renovation post—including the new bathroom, lounge area, and other updates—but the flooring alone changed the way the whole downstairs feels. After living in the house for years, taking the time to understand what really needed to change made this update feel intentional and successful.

If you’re researching floors, consider durability for your lifestyle, see samples or installed examples when possible, and think through installation logistics—floating LVP can be a fast, homeowner-friendly option compared with site-finished hardwoods.