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Home flooring receives more than its fair share of abuse. Over time, wear and tear—along with evolving style preferences—bring about change. When the time comes to replace worn or outdated floor coverings, two of the most popular, durable, and attractive types include luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and engineered hardwood flooring. Both of these DIY-friendly flooring options offer outstanding durability and endless design choices.
I recently installed both LVP and engineered hardwood floors in my home, replacing 15-year-old laminate that had seen better days. I went with Flooret’s “Modin” LVP and “Silvan” engineered hardwood lines. Flooret is a direct-to-consumer flooring company based in San Diego, California, offering an alternative to manufacturer showrooms and big-box retailers. I had an excellent experience from the time I placed my order through project completion. My new floors went in easily (for the most part), and they look better than the laminate ever did. In this Flooret flooring review, I will share my observations from installing, maintaining, and living with these new floors.
Flooret Flooring: At a Glance
Rating: 4.7/5
SPECS
- Type: Flooret Soho Signature Modin LVP
- Installation: Angle-tap click
- Plank dimensions: 72 inches long by 9 inches wide by 7 millimeters thick
- Wear layer: 1 millimeter
- Coverage per box: 22.46 square feet
- Type: Flooret Balboa 7-Inch Silvan Hardwood
- Installation: Drop-click, glue-down, or wall
- Plank dimensions: 78.7 inches long by 7.1 inches wide by 9.2 millimeters thick
- Wear layer: 0.6 millimeters
- Silvan Hardwood coverage per box: 27.13 square feet
PROS
- DIY-friendly
- Premium quality flooring
- Sustainably sourced materials
- Designer-curated color and style choices
- Easy online order and home delivery; samples available
CONS
- More expensive than shopping at a flooring dealer’s location
Get the Modin LVP and Silvan Hardwood at Flooret, starting at $2.95 per square foot.
What is Flooret?
Founded in 2015, Flooret is a San Diego–based direct-to-consumer flooring company. Instead of driving across town and sorting through a limited supply of samples at a showroom, customers can browse Flooret’s complete catalog online. It further distinguishes itself from traditional flooring companies by selling high-quality products at competitive prices.
Flooret’s current lineup includes an extensive selection of its 100 percent waterproof LVP line (branded as Modin Rigid) and its topically waterproof engineered hardwood line (branded as Silvan Resilient). Using Flooret’s room studio tool, shoppers can see how their choices will look in their homes before buying. Samples are also available.
The Modin LVP line features a 1-millimeter-thick (40 mils) commercial-grade wear layer made of clear virgin PVC and a scratch-resistant aluminum-oxide coating. For a natural look and feel, the planks feature embossed-in-register texture, four-sided beveling, and a low sheen. The rigid core is constructed of stone plastic composite (SPC) material. The Modin LVP line is fully waterproof, making it an outstanding choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and other high-moisture areas. Modin is independently FloorScore certified for low emissions.
The Silvan engineered hardwood line is topped with a 0.6-millimeter-thick wear layer made of real hardwood. This flooring includes natural color and texture variations that make each plank unique. The wood is sustainably harvested from European forests and is Forest Stewardship Council certified. An ultraviolet-cured acrylic coating makes the surface three times harder than normal hardwood, boosting impact resistance and making it topically waterproof. The natural hardwood texture, micro-beveled edges, and subtle sheen look great, and the easy drop-click mechanisms lock the flooring tightly to prevent water from seeping between planks. Silvan flooring is Greenguard Gold certified and California Air Resources Board compliant.
Preparing for Installation
I installed 150 square feet of Soho LVP from the Modin collection in my kitchen, pantry, and foyer. I also installed 600 square feet of Balboa engineered hardwood from the Silvan collection in my living room, dining room, and hallway. In the process, I maneuvered around my kitchen’s cabinetry, three exterior doors, and a total of 11 interior doors and room-to-room transitions. Preparing the floor and installing the Modin and Silvan planks were similar to the process I’ve used for laminate flooring in the past, but the core materials, locking mechanisms, and dimensions of the Flooret products helped the work move along quickly.
I started by removing the old baseboard and flooring. It is possible that some projects may not require the removal of the baseboard, but mine was 50 years old, so it looked pretty rough. Also, I didn’t want to close the edge gaps on the new floor with a quarter round. After removing the flooring, I inspected the subfloor to make sure it was sound and level, both within the rooms and in the transitions between rooms. (Loose subfloors and height discrepancies greater than 1/16 inch will cause problems during installation and may lead to squeaky floors.) After removing the old flooring, I undercut the door jambs and casing to accommodate the thickness of the new flooring, both of which were a few millimeters thicker than the flooring that I removed.
My project was installed on a wood subfloor over a climate-controlled basement, so I didn’t need to install a vapor barrier directly beneath the flooring. Both Modin and Silvan require a vapor barrier when installed on a slab, or if the space below is not already protected with a vapor barrier. Otherwise, the hardwood could warp, or the waterproof LVP could cause moisture buildup that will damage the home. Underlayment is recommended for Silvan in floating floor applications, but it isn’t necessary for Modin, which includes built-in underlayment.
Installing the Floors
As noted above, installing Flooret’s Modin and Silvan flooring was a very similar process to installing laminate flooring. Start in a left corner and orient the first board with the tongue facing away from the wall. Next, connect planks end-to-end in one row that runs the full length of the room before starting the second row. The planks fit together with a locking tongue-and-groove system to form a floating floor. Silvan Hardwood is also compatible with glue-down installation or as a wall covering, but I only installed it as a floating floor. Once installed, the planks formed nice tight joints that held securely but were also easy to uninstall without damage when necessary.
The LVP differed from the hardwood in a few ways that affected installation. Modin’s Signature planks were wider, shorter, and more flexible than the Silvan 7-inch hardwood planks. This made little difference at the end connections, but the long edges of the Modin planks were sometimes a little tougher to align. To be fair, this could also be due to the tighter spaces and numerous cutouts where I installed the Modin planks compared to the wide-open rooms where I installed the Silvan planks.
The only cutting tools I used on this project were a jigsaw, table saw, and ¼-inch chisel. The jigsaw worked perfectly for end cuts and detailed cutouts around cabinets and corners. I used the table saw for long rip cuts, but I could have used the jigsaw for that as well. When it came down to installing the final planks, I used the chisel to remove the locking ridges, placed a thin bead of glue along the tongues, and slid the pieces together. I only needed to resharpen the chisel once. When the project was complete, the blade in my jigsaw was ready to be replaced.
Maintaining Flooret Flooring
After installing the floors, my only other consideration was cleaning. Both floors have durable finishes that are very easy to clean and maintain, starting with regular sweeping. But there are differences between the Modin and Silvan lines.
Because Modin LVP floors are 100 percent waterproof and the joints are watertight, they can be wet mopped as frequently as necessary. Any wax-free vinyl floor cleaner is acceptable. Steam cleaning is not recommended because repeated exposure to high heat can damage the vinyl over time. If the floor gets scratched, the thick wear layer accommodates buffing or repair with scratch concealer. For deeper gouges, you may have to replace the plank.
Silvan floors should be maintained primarily with dry methods: microfiber mopping, dust mopping, or vacuuming. Any floor cleaner that is safe for use on ultraviolet acrylic wear layer hardwood floors may be used. While cleaning with a liquid solution, the solution should be absorbed/dried within 1 minute.
Is Flooret flooring worth the money?
Comparing Flooret’s specs, samples, and services to other flooring manufacturers, the cost appears to be very competitive. The Modin Soho Signature LVP floors cost $101.07 per box, which covers 22.46 square feet ($4.50 per square foot). The Silvan Balboa 7-inch engineered hardwood floors cost $149.22 per box, covering 27.13 square feet ($5.50 per square foot).
On average, LVP flooring ranges in price from about $2 to $10 per square foot, while engineered hardwood flooring typically goes for $6 to $20 per square foot. So, on price alone, Flooret lies somewhere between midrange and bargain priced. But the quality of materials and construction of the planks make them strong value options.
In addition to checking out the specs before installation, I wanted to physically test the durability of these flooring planks. To test for impact and puncture resistance, I dropped various tools onto scrap pieces from a height of 4 feet. I also checked out the topically waterproof hardwood surface by allowing puddles of water to slowly evaporate off of a test square. I was pleased to note the flooring held up perfectly in both cases. I also appreciated that it came with certifications to back up the brand’s eco-friendly claims. To me, Flooret seems like an excellent value for the price.
Should you buy Flooret flooring?
Flooret offers a wide selection of high-quality LVP and engineered hardwood flooring at competitive prices. If you’re shopping for flooring, I recommend heading over to the website, checking out the selection, and using the room studio tool to find the look you are going for. If you prefer to hold a sample in your hands before committing, full-plank samples and cut samples are available for a modest price. Inspect the materials, try out the locking mechanism, and test the durability of the surfaces for yourself.
Be aware, however, that Flooret does not offer installation services. It caters to DIYers who value quality flooring at attractive prices. If you want it professionally installed, find a flooring contractor first, then shop on the site.
Get the Modin LVP and Silvan Hardwood at Flooret, starting at $2.95 per square foot.
Meet the Tester
Mark Wolfe is a writer, product tester, and avid DIYer who lives in a 50-year-old home. When he isn’t evaluating the latest and greatest tools and gadgets, he spends his time upgrading, repairing, and replacing anything and everything in his home, yard, and garden. He tests and writes reviews about hand tools, lawn care, home repair and remodeling products, and outdoor living goods.
