NuCore Luxury Vinyl Plank LVP Flooring Dents/Issues
NuCore Luxury Vinyl Plank LVP Flooring Dents/Issues
We self-installed Ombre Grey waterproof, cork-backed, luxury vinyl plank from NuCore (sold exclusively thru Floor & Decor) about a month ago. Finally getting around to doing a video about the issues we’ve got with it.
One of the reasons we chose the NuCore was that it said you could install over existing flooring and instead of the time effort and cost of pulling up the badly scratched/marked engineered hardwood and the tile we had, we went with this product.
In the areas over tile, we’ve got creaky joints. Frustrated by this, but assuming perhaps it’s due to the ceramic tiles that were installed when we bought the house, might not be 100% level. We don’t have those creaky issues over the engineering hardwood.
The worse part is the denting though. We’ve got pads on the couch, but you’ll see how bad the product has dented.
Should have read the instructions, they say to use wider pads on heavy furniture. Don’t blame the floors.. I had them in my old house and just installed them in my new, we have a pot belly pig, two baby goats and dogs..
I got to say on wood or vinyl floors no matter what brand . You need furniture pads always under furniture. The direction say no cabinets . I love the video but I got to say nicely . It’s your fault not the manufacturer. Always use furniture pads
I was sold on getting LVP Flooring in my living room and dining area. I thought maybe this is better than engineered wood. Evidently they all have their issues. It looks good, but I don’t want to spend money and be dissatisfied. I still like carpeting. Maybe carpet the living and dining and put LVP in kitchen and den area only. Not in my bedroom, that’s for sure. After this segment, I am afraid to try it. Any recommendations for a nice Engineered wood.
That’s what you get shopping at Floor & Decor. There is a reason why their "crap" is so cheap. $ Besides their products containing lots of nasty chemicals for those that are sensitive to it.
I thought they were slip resistant ? So it’s slippery?
I bought the same type a flooring by Nucor and paid $2.69 sq foot. I’ve installed plank flooring before but this new core was difficult to get the stay together. These so-called tongue-and-groove were very flimsy and Minnie broke off especially on the end pieces which are supposed to have the most secure connection. I am personally very displeased with the product, and regret having bought it. As far as I can tell Floor And Decor does not allow product reviews online. I can see now why that so. The product has a nice look to it, but I have no confidence and its structural integrity or durability. 😡
i did this in one of my room and thinking of going to do the whole upstairs but now im still waiting for someone to post video using nucore on stairs😿
I have a NuCore sample product at home from Floor Decor. ($3.69 a sq ft.) I was considering their flooring for the entire upstairs.. After seeing this vid., I’m scared to use their product. Thanks for the info!
This is happening at my dining table. I found your video searching for a fix.
i see yours was 6.5mm thick also, just re watched the video! but is it easy for a non pro to install? around door jams etc? how time consuming is it to install? I have 960sq foot to do with lots of angles and doors etc… Laminate 12mm was a nightmare!
I’m dealing with a similar problem. We installed a similar floor, different brand. I had to move my fridge to check the water line and when I pushed it back in there is a crease in the floor from the roller on the fridge. Im livid. These floors were supposed to be I destructible…
A 100 lb woman on stiletto heels exerts over 1000 psi of pressure on a floor! Your problem is caused by the plastic inserts on the bottom of the couch legs being too small. Remove them and be sure no metal nails or staples remain, then add custom cut felt pads to the legs. Having half of the couch on a rug and half off will reduce the surface area of the legs and increase the pressure on the flooring as well. Build spacer blocks to accommodate for this or you will still have problems. All flooring has a weak point, lvp is one of the most problem free products in entire trade.
i don’t know any hard flooring that won’t either get scratched or dented from the weight of a sofa on such a small point, including hardwood flooring. Furniture pads or bust.
Thanks for sharing. I’m thinking about using this for the next 50 jobs or not.
This seems like umbre tan not gray. Are you sure of the color?
Looks like you didn’t put a proper pad on the sofa
Thanks for the video, but I agree with Lot of the responses. Proper install, padding is needed on heavy furniture, and slippery due to texture chosen, love the dogs and didn’t notice any scratches from those big paws. This product also has a 120 mil protection film highest on the market from what I have seen so far
Underlayment is a big contributing factor to comfort, some give, noise, etc. Pads under furniture legs is crucial, we did the same for our hardwood floors as well.
We put NuCore LV Oaken Ash 3 years ago with zero issues. We had to replace it due to a water issue. Now we put the same flooring down because we didn’t have any issues ( this is 3 years later). A lot can change in that time according to flooring and locking systems. Now it doesn’t stay locked. We are in a claim now to see what Floor and Decor is going to do. This is beyond upsetting. We have been dealing with this since January it’s now mid April.
The only video I can find that has negative reviews and for some reason the damn video won’t play…. conspiracy?
even real wood floors are slippery .I have laminate and it is slippery .I even slipped on my sons stone tile floors .I had 2 150 lb dogs on my laminate floors and they never scratched ,but they did slip when the ran .My house in NJ had all oak floors and they were worse .Hubby fell down the steps 2 times The tell you with all floors now to put sliders under the legs of your chairs and furniture
I put Nucor down in a 2000 square foot house. I put pads under all my furniture. So it won’t put dents in material . It looks great
What did the manufacturer say about the fix for those dimples?
Wish I would have seen this video before I bought and installed 1100 sq ft in our place. We are having the same issues and will not buy this product again.
We just installed luxury vinyl flooring on living room and kitchen , I love the color we got I like how it looks but….. I suppose the cement it’s not 100% labeled , in some areas it sound bad when we are walking . I saw a lot of videos and I didn’t see any video talking about the sound and how annoying this is , the vinyl box says it had sound reducing underpayment , so we didn’t any underlayment .I hated just because of the sound and on top of that I had been noticing scratches in the kitchen when we move the chairs and it’s supposed to be scratch resistance, please do your research before you buy it , over all I don’t recommend it
I’m literally returning this as I write this, the tongue and groove do not lock and float apart during install and the male locking edge breaks of you look at it. Very brittle. Also scratches 2x as easy with a "22 mil" wear layer as the 6 mil lifeproof sample i got.
Knowing the difference in the WPC and SPC core can help you with your vinyl questions. Check out this blog that might help you in your vinyl questions https://www.reallycheapfloors.com/blog/what-is-luxury-vinyl-plank-flooring/
Thanks. Did you ever get the dents resolved with Floor and Decor?
Wood is vastly more fragile as far as scratches and it is also more slippery. I have Nucore and it isn’t slippery at all in my house.
It fades badly after about 3 or 4 years. Not durable at all
Thanks for posting. I think I’ll go with porcelain tile instead 😊
I guess we need to prep the grout of tile properly before installing LVP floors
There are videos on how to fix it by apply light head and smoothening it out
I’ve done flooring for a job for about 2 decades with my old man. We’ve seen floors come and go. 1 st thing I’ve never heard or seen this floor Ever. 2 nd. Never never buy a Pergo floor. 3. LIFEPROOF flooring is by far the most amazing thing to come out in the flooring industry besides just a regular 3/4 hardwood.
Was your floor leveled?
I have two Dobermans that drive me insane with their toenails clicking across my laminate floor. Thinking about luxury vinyl planks.
How does the sound of the dogs walking compare?
210lbs is average weight? holy shit, our country is fat. Use felt pads on your furniture. That’s basic knowledge.
Is it really 22 mil? Was thinking LifeProof or the Lowe’s brand smart whatever
I am looking right now to buy NewCore Flooring from Floor and Decor! I think they were 6.5mm thick w wide plank, how thick were these? how difficult or easy to install?? I just returned the laminate as it was sooo hard to click together and install under jams etc! nightmare!!! is this easy for a non professional to install????
I have installed many sqft of Nucore and our customers have never had issues. As installers we add an extra pad under that helps a lot since that cork bottom is too think and poor quality and never had issues installing it either. The dents are probably because plastic caps were left under the couch legs, with felt pads the floor never should of indented like that.
I found the issue with new core it is not the solid core of vinyl and that may be what is causing your problems .Also the cork backing .I have a sample of nucore and it has the yellow color core and it dents with my desk chair .I have several samples of other vinyl flooring and they have the have different cores and different backings and found the ones with the solid core vinyl and the rubber backing do not dent but the ones with that yellow color core do .Not sure what they call that core but it does not hold up to my desk chair or my kitchen chairs .I have 30 + samples as I am trying to find hat would best for my 250 sq. ft. kitchen as the laminate got destroyed by a bad fridge install for the water line .It would have lasted had it not been for that .I have noticed a couple of the samples with the cork backing have issues also ,but the rubber backed ones have not .So it could be a combo of those 2 things .
Can anyone tell me how you would prevent this??
I have the same issues but another product.. Had Floor & Decor come out and they did all their tests and said nothing they could do about the dents. They offered a good will payment which would only cover a few boxes of the product. Has anyone contacted a lawyer concerning these issues?
No LVP should go over wood ! WHY ? Am I being over exaggerated ? NO I’m not … why ?? Well in Florida BTW I’ve lived in Tampa , in Florida like I was saying it’s wet rite and concrete slab on any house is porous . Concrete is always porous no matter what and being that it sits on the ground like any foundation it has moisture seeping through during different seasons . This means that wood floors expand and contract and when you lay LVP on top of wood instead of removing the wood it leads to almost a steaming effect/ condensation layer that gets between the bottom pad/ water proof layer on the LVP and the top of the wood . Still not exaggerating , incase you think I’m just dumb and don’t know anything about LVP and where you can lay it . This leads to a possibility of rotting out your wood floors over several years underneath your LVP . Also when you buy wood core VS stone core LVP they have different pounds per square inch they can withstand before they dent . Cheaper LVP has wood core and although more flexible is susceptible to denting . Some LVP goes up to 2000lb per SQ inch and some has as little as 300 lb per SQ inch . Meaning couches with people on them will definitely be something that can possibly leave dents as well as refrigerators when being dragged and other heavy appliances.
Is LVP perfect ? No . Does it have qualities other floors don’t offer ? Yes . Some LVP is textured by embossing some is shiny and looks like cheap fake wood some has a Matt finish and is great for non slip plus more realistic looking . In the end it’s all about the application and use . Kids dogs and busy families might want to make sure they get stone core Matt finish 20 mil ware layer 8mm thick and full removal of sub floors to ensure longevity . Old couples with a vacation home they rarely visit but need something that looks good and is cost efficient then obviously a lower cost LVP over existing floors would suffice .
Why would removing sub floors be better for longevity? Am I again exaggerating? No .
Removing the sub floors even though it’s more work and money along with leveling the sub floors ensures the product is actually at max performance. For one thing the joints will be more solid because there is no possibility that they may flex and snap because of un level flooring . Dent will be harder to create even with lower PSI floors because when it’s flat on the sub floors there is not as much bounce or rebound . Tile has grout which creates small un level mini pockets this could flex a joint and either pop it out or snap it all together wood has rebound and movement to be clear . Just like anything that’s reinforced it’s gains strength. Yes installing over existing floors is cheap and easier for self install but the question is will it last as long ? Yeah yeah sounds dumb but so does having to replace floors more than once every so often .
Those are big sofa dents. You need to divorce her before she takes your subfloor clean out.
My nucore is making a rice crispy crunchy noise when walking on you. Are you getting that?
Awful feet
People need to understand pounds per square inch and how that weight can be distributed to reduce pressure on a single point. Think of snow shoes that distribute your weight so you don’t sink in snow. As you can see in the video, the couch in addition to body weight was all placed on that 1/2 inch spot on the floor. Thats a lot of weight for such a small spot. To fix this, use larger pads under the feet of furniture. You may have to pry off some of the small plastic pieces tacked or glued on to the feet to attach larger felt pads. Another option is to put plastic furniture moving pads under the feet and leave them there. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. The dark colors keep them hidden. They protect yours floors because they are lined with felt underneath which allows you to slide the furniture around without scratches or damage to the floor. The best part is the only thing that gets dinged is the plastic in the moving pads themselves. As for the other issue with creaking or sound under the floor, you need to make sure your subfloor is leveled or clean as small debris can create sound as the board flexes up and down. Regardless of everything here, these floors look great and the minimal dings and dents add character. The 22 mil layer on Nucore is hard to beat since it’s probably as close as you can get to commercial for residential use at this great price range. Lifeproof has a 6 mil wear layer and you can’t even find that on the box. Wonder why?? I believe industry recommendation is 8-12 mil minimum. Hope this helps.
Those dents are from you not using any pads. A couple packs of felt pads from lowes attached to the furniture after removing the small plastic buttons that come attached to the legs would of prevented the dents. Also, some self leveler mixture prior to installing the lvp might have alleviated the unevenness in the kitchen.
I’m about to purchase 8mm Crescent XL Plank with Cork Back
What do you recommend d to prevent those dents?
I have Engineered hardwood glued down and I hate it.. dents, scratches, buckling after it got wet by a spilled drink… I can roll an appliance dolly with a fridge on it across the floor and I can see wheel tracks.. there are no perfect floor material…. all types have their flaws.. tile cracks and stains, wood scratches, and so on… just have to adjust your care of it.. remove the plastic pads under furniture and apply felt pads…