Most Durable Commercial Vinyl Wood Plank Flooring
Although pure wood flooring offers one of the absolute most stylish additions you can make to your home, it’s not always the most practical solution for all homeowners. For one thing, the price always matches the level of beauty granted by hardwood floors, often causing homeowners to have to wait several years until their budgets catch up with their dreams before they can have it installed. Additionally, moisture problems can also cause true hardwood floors to not be the most practical choice. Instead, many homeowners have been migrating to vinyl wood plank flooring.
Faux Vinyl Wood Planks Have Very Real Value
Vinyl wood plank flooring is now manufactured to appear more realistic than ever before. This assuages one of the paramount concerns by homeowners since they often fear that their vinyl flooring will appear to be obviously fake and cheap looking. But today’s vinyl manufacturing actually allows you a wide range of ultra realistic options, including the ability to choose the type of texture you would like. This means you can easily complement the type of wood most often found in the major furniture pieces you have throughout your home. You can also choose from a wide variety of colors and patterns as well.
Not All Vinyl Is Created Equal
It’s very important to note that not all vinyl wood plank flooring is the same. Vinyl and laminate type flooring solutions are manufactured with varying durability grades which are indicated by an abrasion class (AC) rating. Enter a major caveat to note before you purchase: Cheaper most definitely does not mean better when it comes to vinyl flooring. You will certainly get what you pay for here. While there are many flooring companies that will offer excellent pricing on the higher end vinyl flooring options, the cheaper prices usually indicate that the flooring is on the lower end of the AC rating scale. Therefore, you must be diligent about this rating and double check that the flooring you’re considering has a high enough grade for what you need within your home.
Here’s a quick guide to help you make the most informed decision as to the durability that you require:
• AC1: Low-end Residential: Opt for this type of vinyl wood planking if it will be used under very light residential applications, such as closets or bedrooms.
• AC2: General Residential: This type of flooring is capable of adequately handling a moderate degree of foot traffic and is best for use in residential spaces such as family rooms and dining rooms.
• AC3: Heavy Residential/Moderate Commercial: This is a fine choice for many homeowners as it provides adequate flooring for virtually any room within a house. It is suitable for high–traffic residential rooms and for commercial spaces with light foot traffic such as a traditional office space.
• AC4: General Commercial: This rating indicates that this type of flooring is acceptable for all residential applications. This rating also indicates that it can stand up to the tests of high foot traffic areas in a variety of commercial spaces.
• AC5: Heavy Commercial: You’ll probably only need this type of flooring for high foot traffic commercial areas such as those found in popular public buildings or larger department stores.
Overall, you will get the best vinyl wood plank flooring for your needs when you purchase it with an accurate idea of how much foot traffic it will undergo as well as the weight of major appliances and furniture to be place on it.
As you can see from the outline above, the two most durable vinyl plank flooring options are the commercial grade options of AC4 and AC5. These varieties usually cost a little more, so make sure you actually need this high a rating for your specific flooring needs. Either way, you’ll get an excellent value from these durable and cost-effective options.
• AC1: Low-end Residential: Opt for this type of vinyl wood planking if it will be used under very light residential applications, such as closets or bedrooms.
• AC2: General Residential: This type of flooring is capable of adequately handling a moderate degree of foot traffic and is best for use in residential spaces such as family rooms and dining rooms.
• AC3: Heavy Residential/Moderate Commercial: This is a fine choice for many homeowners as it provides adequate flooring for virtually any room within a house. It is suitable for high–traffic residential rooms and for commercial spaces with light foot traffic such as a traditional office space.
• AC4: General Commercial: This rating indicates that this type of flooring is acceptable for all residential applications. This rating also indicates that it can stand up to the tests of high foot traffic areas in a variety of commercial spaces.
• AC5: Heavy Commercial: You’ll probably only need this type of flooring for high foot traffic commercial areas such as those found in popular public buildings or larger department stores.
Overall, you will get the best vinyl wood plank flooring for your needs when you purchase it with an accurate idea of how much foot traffic it will undergo as well as the weight of major appliances and furniture to be place on it.
As you can see from the outline above, the two most durable vinyl plank flooring options are the commercial grade options of AC4 and AC5. These varieties usually cost a little more, so make sure you actually need this high a rating for your specific flooring needs. Either way, you’ll get an excellent value from these durable and cost-effective options.
• AC1: Low-end Residential: Opt for this type of vinyl wood planking if it will be used under very light residential applications, such as closets or bedrooms.
• AC2: General Residential: This type of flooring is capable of adequately handling a moderate degree of foot traffic and is best for use in residential spaces such as family rooms and dining rooms.
• AC3: Heavy Residential/Moderate Commercial: This is a fine choice for many homeowners as it provides adequate flooring for virtually any room within a house. It is suitable for high–traffic residential rooms and for commercial spaces with light foot traffic such as a traditional office space.
• AC4: General Commercial: This rating indicates that this type of flooring is acceptable for all residential applications. This rating also indicates that it can stand up to the tests of high foot traffic areas in a variety of commercial spaces.
• AC5: Heavy Commercial: You’ll probably only need this type of flooring for high foot traffic commercial areas such as those found in popular public buildings or larger department stores.
Overall, you will get the best vinyl wood plank flooring for your needs when you purchase it with an accurate idea of how much foot traffic it will undergo as well as the weight of major appliances and furniture to be place on it.
As you can see from the outline above, the two most durable vinyl plank flooring options are the commercial grade options of AC4 and AC5. These varieties usually cost a little more, so make sure you actually need this high a rating for your specific flooring needs. Either way, you’ll get an excellent value from these durable and cost-effective options.

