On this page, I’ve done a complete review of CoreLuxe EVP flooring to guide you on its uses, benefits, range of options available, durability, and installation costs.
What is CoreLuxe engineered vinyl plank flooring?
CoreLuxe is a collection of premium quality Engineered Vinyl Plank (EVP) flooring options manufactured by Lumber Liquidators. These planks feature a rigid Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) core that makes them extremely stable and durable. Of the 50 or so styles available, a majority of CoreLuxe EVP flooring options mimic natural hardwood. You can also choose from a few stone-look options.
To better understand what CoreLuxe EVP is, let’s first take a closer look at engineered vinyl in general!
EVP flooring typically features a rigid core made of a hardy stone or wood composite. However, the core of CoreLuxe EVP flooring isn’t stone or wood-based. It’s made out of PVC- for even extra hardiness. That’s what makes CoreLuxe floor planks extremely durable and resistant to wear.
Features and Benefits
Here are the benefits of CoreLuxe vinyl plank flooring:
Realistic Wood Look
CoreLuxe vinyl planks are finished and textured to recreate the appearance of different types of hardwood flooring. What’s more, there’s a versatile range of design styles to choose from. These include maple, hickory, Brazilian cherry, ash, walnut, acacia, pine, blockwood, and oak. With CoreLuxe flooring, there’s always something that suits your personal style preferences.
Durable
CoreLuxe flooring’s PVC core is extremely sturdy, making it durable and able to withstand significant loads and foot traffic.
The rigid polymer core is also 100% waterproof, thus preventing the chances of moisture damage.
Safe
Unlike many other types of flooring that may present a health risk to the occupants of the house, CoreLuxe EVP is Phthalate-free. These salts contaminate the air and are toxic at high levels of concentration. CoreLuxe EVP is also registered as being of standard safety quality as per two regulatory agencies: GREENGUARD and FloorScore.
Flooring products that are GREENGUARD GOLD certified have been proven to emit minimal/harmless amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and –therefore- won’t deteriorate the quality of indoor air. Meanwhile, FloorScore-certified flooring products have been tested and proven to have minimal/harmless amounts of various chemicals of concern.
Low maintenance requirements
CoreLuxe surfaces are easy to clean. You can simply sweep and wet-mop the floor to keep it looking great. However, it’s not advisable to let pools of water sit on the CoreLuxe EVP surface for too long, even though it is indicated to be a waterproof flooring option. Also, you should never steam mop CoreLuxe EVP floors.
No need for acclimation
So long as you can control your HVAC to maintain room temperatures of between 50-100 degrees Fahrenheit, you can install your CoreLuxe Vinyl floorboards straight away. There’s no need for a 24-hour acclimation wait time.
CoreLuxe EVP Flooring Options
There are a number of CoreLuxe flooring options to choose from, each varying in terms of thickness of the planks, finish quality and style, and more.
Here are the 3 CoreLuxe EVP options you can choose from:
CoreLuxe ultra
CoreLuxe Ultra flooring planks are relatively thick at 7-8 mm, offering greater stability compared to the other types of CoreLuxe flooring. Meanwhile, the wear layer, which is 28mils thick, is designed to withstand significant foot traffic.
Some of the designs in the CoreLuxe Ultra line feature pre-attached underlayment padding for improved moisture protection.
CoreLuxe XD
This line contains up to 10 styles that you can choose from. The main difference between CoreLuxe XD and other types of CoreLuxe flooring are the extra-wide plank sizes. At 7-inches wide, CoreLuxe XD is great if you want to recreate the wide-plank appearance of industrial-era hardwood floor homes.
CoreLuxe regular
This was the flagship line in the CoreLuxe vinyl plank collection. It’s available in 17 different designs with three of those resembling natural stone flooring and the rest resembling different types of hardwood flooring, including oak, pine, and maple.
Coreluxe regular is the affordable line of the CoreLuxe flooring brand. The floorboards also have a thinner profile, measuring between 5.3-5.5 mm thick and 48-inches long. Finally, CoreLuxe regular warranties vary between 10 years to 30 years, depending on the particular design you opt for.
How durable is CoreLuxe Vinyl Plank Flooring?
CoreLuxe vinyl is much harder and durable than most types of solid wood flooring. Its waterproof feature also contributes towards its superior durability, as there are less chances of water damage.
Still, you should know high-end versions of CoreLuxe EVP floors– such as CoreLuxe Ultra- are usually sturdier and more durable than budget-friendly versions that fall under CoreLuxe regular and CoreLuxe XD.
Cost and Prices
CoreLuxe EVP flooring planks cost $1.87-$3.68 per square foot depending on various factors such as the thickness of the planks, the warranty offer, and the type of CoreLuxe collection the planks fall under.
For instance, CoreLuxe regular costs between $1.87-$2.79 per square foot, while CoreLuxe XD costs between 2.99-3.45 dollars per square foot. Meanwhile CoreLuxe regular that’s 5mm thick costs 0.92 dollars more than CoreLuxe regular that’s 4mm thick.
How is CoreLuxe Flooring Installed?
CoreLuxe EVP flooring has simple installation requirements, due to its click-lock installation mechanism. In fact, you can easily undertake CoreLuxe EVP installation as a DIY project, as all you have to do is to snap the planks into place. If you don’t prefer click-lock CoreLuxe EVP planks, you can still choose from a few glue-down alternatives.
What’s more, CoreLuxe planks can be installed over existing subfloors. You- therefore- don’t have to go through the stress of stripping off the old flooring before installing CoreLuxe flooring.
If you have an uneven subfloor and your CoreLuxe flooring planks don’t have padding/underlayment, you may want to install a vinyl flooring underlayment material first before installing the planks; to act as a moisture barrier. However, if your CoreLuxe is padded, you can install the planks directly over the subfloor.
Finally, unlike other types of synthetic flooring that are not recommended for use in wet areas, CoreLuxe EVP flooring features a moisture proof core; and can- therefore- be installed in bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and indoor pool rooms.
