Executive Summary: Luxury vinyl plank flooring is durable, affordable, and water-resistant, but it isn't the right choice for every application. The biggest problems we see include moisture trapped beneath the floor, difficult repairs, fading from sunlight, VOC concerns for sensitive homeowners, and locking-system failures caused by heavy rolling traffic. Fortunately, each of these issues can usually be avoided by choosing the right product and installing it correctly.
Luxury vinyl plank flooring, or LVP, has become very popular with homeowners. It looks attractive, is durable, resists moisture, and often costs less than hardwood.
But no flooring is perfect.
LVP is not the right fit for every home, room, or situation. Picking the wrong type can lead to mold under the floor, difficult repairs, fading, air quality problems, or a locking system that wears out too quickly.
At Floor Concepts, we’ve been selling and installing LVP to Wilmington-area homes since it was introduced in the 2010s. We have experienced these problems firsthand. In some cases, homeowners had to buy new flooring twice because their first choice did not match how they used the room.
In this article, we’ll go over five common problems with LVP flooring, explain why they happen, and share tips to help you avoid them before you buy.
If you’re still not sure about LVP, take a look at our guide: What is LVP?
These are the five problems we come across most often:
| Problem | Impact |
|---|---|
| Moisture beneath the flooring | Water can become trapped and lead to mold or subfloor damage. |
| Difficult repairs | A damaged plank may require removing a large section of the floor. |
| Fading from sunlight | Strong UV exposure can change the floor’s color over time. |
| VOC concerns | Product quality and independent certifications matter. |
| Damage from heavy rolling traffic | Wheelchairs and office chairs can stress some floating locking systems. |
These issues don’t mean LVP is always a bad choice. They just highlight why it’s important to choose the right product for your room and how you plan to use it.
Many people think that if LVP is called 'waterproof,' moisture will never be a problem.
The planks themselves might be waterproof or very water-resistant, but the entire flooring system is not always protected from water. Your subfloor is not waterproof, nor is the core of the LVP plank itself.
If you clean up a spill or pet accident quickly, it’s usually not a problem.The real trouble starts when water gets between the planks or comes up from below and gets trapped.
We’ve seen this happen in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. Homeowners have called us when their floors started to smell musty or felt soft and squishy.
When the flooring was removed, the backing underneath or the subfloor was covered in mold.
Insert original photo showing mold on the cork backing and subfloor
It’s not always easy to find out where the moisture is coming from. A slow leak from a fridge, dishwasher, sink, or washing machine can let water build up under the floor over time. Also, if your puppy has accidents during the night or while you are away at work, the moisture can seep between the planks and into the subfloor.
Cork-backed LVP, such as CoreTec, needs extra care because cork holds moisture. If water gets trapped, the backing can become a place for mold to grow. Even with water-resistant flooring, a leak underneath is still a problem and needs to be found and fixed.
It’s also important to test for moisture and prepare the subfloor before installing LVP. You can find more details in our LVP Installation Guide.
Luxury vinyl plank resists scratches well, but it isn’t indestructible.
A plank can still get scratched, gouged, chipped, or damaged by furniture, appliances, or impacts. Sometimes, a locking joint might fail and leave a gap between planks.
Fixing this kind of damage isn’t always as simple as swapping out one board.
With floating LVP, if a plank in the middle of the room is damaged, the installer might have to start at the nearest wall and remove every plank until reaching the damaged one.
This leads to two main challenges.
First, you’ll need a replacement plank that matches. If the product has been discontinued, it can be hard to find an exact match. Even if the style is still available, newer batches might look a little different in color, pattern, or shine.
Second, removing the floor can damage other locking joints. A plank that was fine before might break during the repair, so you could need more material than you expected.
Deep scratches are also hard to hide. While hardwood can sometimes be filled, sanded, and refinished, LVP can’t. Repair kits might help with small marks, but it’s tough to find a perfect color match.
This doesn’t mean LVP can’t be fixed. It just means homeowners should know the process and plan ahead. That’s why we suggest keeping at least one unopened box of flooring after installation. Having extra from the original batch can make future repairs much easier.
Strong, direct sunlight can cause some LVP products to fade or change color over time.
This is most likely in rooms with large south-facing windows, patio doors, skylights, or long periods of direct sun. It’s also a concern in sunrooms, which are one of the most common spaces homeowners ask us about.
Sunrooms are a unique challenge because they often get intense sunlight and bigger temperature swings than the rest of the house. Heat can build up quickly during the day, then cool off fast at night or in colder weather. Not every LVP product is made to handle those conditions.
The good news is there are several ways to reduce the effects of sunlight.
Blinds, shades, and UV-blocking window film can cut down on the amount of ultraviolet light that reaches the floor. Area rugs can protect spots with lots of sun, and moving furniture or rugs from time to time can help the floor age more evenly.
Choosing the right product also matters.
Higher-quality LVP often has better UV protection or ceramic-bead urethane finishes that help prevent fading and wear. Products with a thicker wear layer also protect better than entry-level flooring.
If your room gets a lot of direct sunlight, it’s also worth thinking about the type of core. SPC (Stone Plastic Composite) flooring is usually more stable than WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) in hot environments because its limestone-based core is less likely to expand or contract as temperatures change.
If you plan to install LVP in a bright, sunny space, choosing an SPC product might be a better long-term investment.
Wondering whether SPC or WPC is the better choice? Read our guide WPC vs. SPC: What’s the Difference?
The best way to avoid fading isn’t to block out sunlight completely. Instead, choose a product made for your home’s conditions and take a few simple steps to protect your investment.
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are another thing some homeowners should consider.
Most people do not notice any issues with good-quality flooring. But VOC emissions can matter more if someone in your home has asthma, allergies, chemical sensitivities, or strong reactions to smells.
Flooring isn’t the only possible source. Adhesives, underlayments, and other materials used during installation can also affect indoor air quality.
The good news is many quality LVP products are tested by independent labs.
Two certifications to look for are FloorScore® and GREENGUARD Gold. These labels show that a product has been tested for low chemical emissions. You might find the certification on the box, in the product literature, or on the manufacturer’s website.
If indoor air quality is important to you, ask about:
The goal isn’t to scare anyone away from vinyl flooring. It’s to help you choose a better-quality product with clear testing and documentation.
Repeated rolling, such as from wheelchairs or office chairs, can be hard on some floating LVP floors.
Wheelchairs, rolling office chairs, and heavy equipment put repeated pressure on the floor’s locking system. Over time, this can weaken or break the joints that hold the planks together.
One of the most memorable examples involved an elderly homeowner who relied on a wheelchair for mobility. Before contacting Floor Concepts, he had purchased a thin, floating LVP floor from a national in-home flooring retailer.
Within just a few weeks, the floor began to fail as the locking system broke apart.
When he contacted us to inspect the floor, we found that the product he had purchased was not warranted for wheelchair use. The manufacturer ultimately denied his warranty claim because the flooring had been installed in an application outside its intended use.
Unfortunately, the homeowner ended up paying for flooring twice—once for the original installation and again to replace it with a product that was better suited to his needs.
[ORIGINAL PHOTO: Insert your photo showing the failed locking system.]
We’ve seen a similar issue when a facilities manager in an office complex made a $6,000 mistake. Against our advice, the manager chose the cheapest floating LVP, and office chairs rolled over it every day without protective mats.
Within two years, the locking system started to fail, and the floor had to be replaced. The warranty didn’t cover the damage because the product was used outside its guidelines.
When an LVP locking system begins to fail, you may notice:
If your room will have wheelchairs, rolling chairs, large carts, or other heavy rolling loads, let your flooring professional know before you pick a product. A glue-down LVP, a commercial-grade product, a protective chair mat, or a different type of flooring might be a better choice.
Luxury vinyl plank has earned its place as one of today's most popular flooring options. It's durable, attractive, moisture-resistant, and easy to maintain.
Like any flooring material, though, it also has limitations.
Moisture beneath the floor, difficult repairs, fading from direct sunlight, VOC concerns, and damage from rolling traffic are all real issues—but most can be avoided by choosing the right product for the way the space will be used.
That's why we spend so much time asking questions before recommending a floor. We want to understand how you use the room, how much sunlight it receives, whether moisture could be a concern, and what kind of wear the floor will experience over the years.
When the right product is matched to the right space and installed correctly, LVP can provide decades of beautiful, reliable performance.
At Floor Concepts, we've helped Wilmington-area homeowners choose flooring for decades. Whether LVP ends up being the right choice or not, we'd rather help you choose the right floor the first time than replace the wrong floor a few years later. Fill out our form below to get started.
1. Does installing LVP lower or increase my home’s resale value compared to real hardwood? While high-quality LVP can boost your home’s value compared to old, worn-out carpet or damaged laminate, it generally does not add as much long-term equity as genuine hardwood. Buyers view LVP as a practical, durable, low-maintenance feature—especially for basements, kitchens, and homes with pets—whereas hardwood is considered a permanent, premium architectural feature.👉 Trying to decide between the two? Check out our complete comparison guide: LVP vs. Hardwood Flooring: Which Is Right for Your Home?
2. Can I install heavy kitchen cabinets or a kitchen island on top of floating LVP? No. Floating LVP needs room to expand and contract with temperature changes in your home. Heavy items like kitchen islands, custom cabinetry, or heavy built-in shelving can pin the floor down, preventing natural movement and causing the planks to buckle, gap, or break at the locking joints. Cabinets should always be installed first, with the floating floor installed up to them. 👉 For this and other LVP installation questions, read our LVP Installation Guide to avoid common prep and layout mistakes.
3. Will my heavy furniture (like a piano or sectional sofa) dent my LVP? It depends on the core type and wear layer. While LVP is tough, concentrated weight from heavy furniture can leave permanent indentations, particularly on softer WPC cores. To prevent denting, use wide, non-staining felt floor protectors or furniture coasters under heavy legs to distribute the weight across a larger surface area.
4. Can I lay LVP directly over my existing tile, hardwood, or linoleum? In many cases, yes—provided the existing floor is completely flat, smooth, clean, and structurally sound. However, if laying over ceramic tile, deep grout lines must be filled with a patch compound first so they don't telegraph (show through) onto the surface of the vinyl over time. Additionally, LVP should never be installed over cushioned sheet vinyl or multiple layers of existing flooring. 👉 For specific requirements, read our detailed guide: Can I Install LVP Over My Existing Floor?
5. How long do I need to wait after installation before I can walk on or move furniture onto my new LVP? If you installed a floating click-lock LVP, you can walk on it immediately and move furniture back into the room right after the installation is complete. If you installed a glue-down LVP, you will typically need to wait 24 to 48 hours for the adhesive to fully set before rolling heavy furniture or walking heavily on the floor.
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