LVT/SPC Assistance

[Craddock01]

I am remodeling a basement at a vacation home in the Midwest & I need some advice. I initially started looking at LVT/LVP. This is a concrete slab (small bathroom & rec room) that already has 9" x 9" self adhesive vinyl imitation brick tiles. I then started looking at SPC since it is a bit more rigid. I have a pool table in the rec room and thought about putting larger pads under the "feet" of the table to spread load. I heard where LVT/WPC will dent.

Here are my concerns;

The house is NOT temperature controlled all year. In the winter, I close up the house, drain all piping, turn off all heat and reopen in the spring. In the summer I only cool when someone is there. Since it's a basement the temp is somewhat stable but it may get to 80F in the summer and as low as 30F in winter. For that reason, I have some SPC mfgs telling me they won't warrant their product in an uncontrolled area. I realize this material expands/contracts and I'll need to leave 1/4" gap at all walls/door openings but if this will not work in an uncontrolled environment, what are my options? I don't want tile, carpet or linoleum. The only other option I was thinking about was staining the concrete.

If you think SPC would work, my next question is could I lay directly on top of the existing vinyl tiles or would I need to scrape them up. Then, would I need to install a vapor barrier before installing the SPC? Lots of questions. I have never installed LVP/LVT/SPC/WPC so any assistance anyone could offer is GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks in advance to any/all.

 

[Commercial Floor Rep]

Mannington Adura Rigid is rated for areas such as this. You use a 5/8" expansion gap, where a lot of products only call for 1/4" but it will tolerate temperature changes down to -20 F. I've attached the Installation guide which states these parameters. This product has been used for this for some time and I don't ever remember seeing a claim regarding this particular situation and we see a lot of it used for lake homes for this very reason.

 

[Tile Tom]

shaw Floorte pro is another one we use a lot here in northern NY for cottages/seasonal homes. The temps here can get as low as negative 30 in the winter. Haven't had any call backs ever about anything with it.

As long as your existing floor is flat within manufacturers guidelines you are good to go.

As for the pool table I would expect it to probably leave a mark if it's a legit pool table (slate 3 piece). I refuse to move them so if the customer doesn't want to deal with it themselves I only offer to go around the legs. Most of the time it's all good. If they have square legs I just treat them like a wall and leave my gap. Then trim with quarter round. Round legs get calked. Ornate legs.....? Haven't run into that yet. But with some scribing I don't see why I couldnt do the same as the round legs.