Vinyl Plank, Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) are very low in VOCs and offgassing.
Most people find it odorless, but those like me with a high sense of smell can pick up a little bit of offgassing.
I pick up the chemical odor off every brand I have sampled (they are all very similar) and I do have concerns about plasticizers (which all brands contain) and small amounts of metals, explained further in the article.
Most of it is phthalate-free now – though phthalates were replaced with alternate plasticizers. The most common plasticizer used now is DOTP.
Whether vinyl plank should be considered toxic depends on your threshold for toxins in the home and our knowledge is also limited by the current research and understanding of the new plasticizers – which we will discuss.
There is a huge difference between vinyl plank and sheet vinyl flooring. Sheet vinyl, the very flexible kind that comes in large rolls is way higher in offgassing. It’s one of the top products to avoid in a healthy home in my opinion.
Vinyl plank comes in two main types: resilient vinyl plank and luxury vinyl plank.
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Vinyl Plank (as Opposed to Luxury Vinyl Plank)
Vinyl plank or resilient vinyl plank is a much thinner product than a luxury vinyl plank. It’s more flexible than luxury vinyl plank (but not as flexible as vinyl that comes in a roll) and is installed by a glue-down method.
This type of vinyl has less offgassing of VOCs compared to LVP in my estimation, this is only due to the fact that there is less of it! I would certainly consider this an ultra low VOC product. But you do have to consider the glues used as a source of offgassing (at least until it’s fully cured).
I have seen some vinyl plank that still has phthalates, so be sure to check to make sure it’s phthalate-free and made of virgin vinyl.
The ones pictured below are Shaw brand 6 mil Resilient Vinyl plank Flooring. It’s 5/64 inches thick. It’s free of phthalates.
I have also seen Armstrong “Good” line which is similar.
You will have to check which glues the brand recommends and will warranty it with but most of them are zero VOC when cured.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) (and Luxury Vinyl Tile)
Let’s start with some definitions so we are on the same page.
Luxury vinyl plank is thicker, more rigid, has multiple layers, and is click together. It has a core (SPC or WPC), a vinyl wear layer, and often has an underlayment attached as well.
This multilayer rigid core vinyl used to be called EVP – engineered vinyl plank, (though most of the information online is incorrect regarding the definition of EVP). Don’t worry, because this term is rarely used anymore. LL Floors used to use the term EVP but has changed it to “Rigid Vinyl Plank”.
LVP and LVT (luxury vinyl tile) are the same product, the only difference is that LVP looks like wood and LVT looks like tile or stone.
Let’s look at the chemical composition of the materials.
SPC Core Vinyl Floors
Most of the luxury vinyl plank (LVP) click-together flooring has an SPC (stone polymer composite) core. This is a mix of limestone, PVC, and plasticizer.
It’s low in offgassing due to the high amount of limestone – it’s usually 60-80% limestone and the rest is PVC and plasticizer with no foaming agent. Look out for companies that call this a “limestone core” without mentioning the PVC/vinyl content (it’s still there).
It also contains some minor stabilizers and pigments (Pharos).
It is grey in color, very dense and rigid, and looks like the middle layer in these photos:
WPC Core Vinyl Floors
Only a few brands have WPC (wood plastic composite) – they were originally made with real wood or cork dust but now most of them don’t contain plant-based fibers.
The WPC core is usually made from PVC, limestone, plasticizers, a foaming agent (like formamide), and wood-like or wood materials such as wood flour. Wood-like plasticizers can be used instead of the wood fiber.
The primary difference between most WPC and SPC core floors is that WPC contains a lighter extruded or foamed plastic core, while SPC contains a solid denser core with more limestone.
The Cali Vinyl Plus pictured below has a true WPC core that they call BPC (bamboo plastic composite) which is made with bamboo fibers.
I generally find SPC to be a little bit lower in odor and offgassing than WPC, but it’s been variable.
Formamide comes with a Prop 65 label warning.
WPC is beige or yellow in color, less dense than SPC, and looks like this:
Underlayment of LVT
The underlayment is usually an integrated plastic layer, though some brands, like Coretec, have cork attached.
The cork adds significant offgassing in my opinion, however, it is going to be almost entirely blocked by the click-together system. But for those extremely sensitive, the offgassing from the cork gets into the other layers during storage, production, transportation and comes up through the cracks and edges.
I personally avoid the brands with cork underlayment due to the unnecessary addition of VOCs, plus you are adding an organic material that is not mold proof in the way vinyl is.
The foam underlayments are usually made from IXPE or EVA foam, though some of them smell a lot more like rubber to me.
Many of the brands have such a thin attached underlayment that you still need to add one, so those don’t add much value. Check the warranty though, as some brands require an additional underlayment and for other brands adding an additional underlayment will void the warranty.
Brands like Cali Bamboo have a thick and cushiony underlayment (and you don’t have to add another one).
The underlayment often contains antimicrobials.
Wear Layer of Vinyl Floors
I have not found the thickness of the wear layer to affect the offgassing, though it’s possible that there is a minor difference there.
The wear layer is vinyl without the wood or limestone.
If you want the floor to last, you want to go with the thicker wear layer. Some brands include the black layer (see photos above) that comes right after the top layer as part of the “wear layer”, but that will show as black marks if the top layer wears down! You want to look at the wear layer as the layer that has the integral wood or stone look color and design.
The top coating is a polyurethane with aluminum oxide cured under UV lights (so there is no offgassing there).
The wear layer can contain antimicrobials.
Should you Consider Vinyl as a Safe Flooring Choice?
These floors can be considered by anyone in the mild to moderately chemically sensitive category.
Plasticizers are also less of a concern for older folks than those more susceptible to hormone-disrupting chemicals.
Those who are super sensitive to wood odorants might consider LVP as the next choice after ruling out solid wood, engineered wood, tile, and polished concrete.
The VOCs are very low but it’s not zero-VOC or odor-free and the plasticizers are for me still an “unknown” factor in terms of safety and health.
All LVP (and LVT) brands are very similar, there are only four main differences outlined below:
FOUR Things to Ask (when choosing LVP floors)
- Double-check to make sure it’s virgin (not recycled vinyl)
- Look for phthalate-free
- You might have a preference for SPC over WPC
- Check the underlayment, you may choose to avoid cork
Healthiest (Safer) Brands of Vinyl Plank
- Shaw In the Grain Luxury Vinyl Plank Starting at $3.49 /sqft
- Virgin vinyl
- Phthalate-free
- Made in America
- Mohawk Dodford 7.5″ Luxury Vinyl Planks $4.79 /sqft
- Mohawk Thatcher 7.5″ Rigid Core Vinyl Planks $6.79 /sqft
- Mohawk Franklin 7.5″ Rigid Core Vinyl Planks $6.79 /sqft
- Virgin vinyl
- Phthalate-free
- Thatcher and Franklin are SPC core
- Made in America
- Cali Bamboo Builders Choice $3.99/sqft
- Cali Bamboo Vinyl PRO $4.79 /sqft
- Cali Bamboo Vinyl PRO Mutestep $5.59 /sqft
- Cali Bamboo Longboard $6.29 /sqft
- Virgin vinyl
- Phthalate-free, they use DOTP
- SPC core
Home Depot Brands
Out of the Home Depot brands they all have low offgassing as well but are not always good quality in terms of the thickness of the floor and thickness of the wear layer. Traffic Master, Lifeproof (underlayment odor was strong to me), Home Decorators are all very similar.
All of the Home Depot brands are phthalate-free.
Phthalate-Free Vinyl Flooring and Replacement Plasticizers
Phthalate-free brands are preferable – which all brands should be now. Phthalates are known to be toxic, they have a host of known health problems and they leach quite a bit from floors.
All brands sold at Home Depot, Lowes, and Lumber Liquidators (LL Flooring) are phthalate-free.
If phthalates (also known as ortho-phthalates) are not used, other plasticizers will be used instead.
Replacement plasticizers include DOTP (also called DEHT) which is the main one used right now, this is used in the vast majority of brands.
Based on what we know about DOTP it doesn’t have any known endocrine disruption effects like phthalates do. They also claim that it is more stable in the material and doesn’t leach as much as phthalates. DOTP makes up 8-23% of the product.
The Ecology Center cites concerns that plasticizers can still leach even if it’s not as much as phthalates and they caution against replacement chemicals like DOTP that are of similar chemical composition. We usually find that in time, with more studies, we find out more additional health impacts. They conclude that we do not yet know the full health effects of this plasticizer and have doubts that it is not in fact an endocrine disrupter.
I believe that it is currently difficult to say if the current plasticizers like DOTP, and therefore LVP floors as a whole, are non-toxic.
Other Plasticizers Used
Some may contain benzoate ester (in the Artistek LVT by Metroflor), I have seen tributyl citrate listed in a past Declare Label.
Three bio-based plasticizers could be used in PVC flooring: Isosorbide diesters produced from fatty acids of vegetable origin and isosorbide derived from glucose (Polysorb ID 37); Acetylated monoglyceride derived from hydrogenated castor oil bio-based plasticizer aka, COMGHA, (Grindsted Soft-n-Safe); Dow’s Ecolibrium plasticizer.
According to HBN these are well studied and are believed to be the least toxic of the six non-phthalate plasticizers. I don’t know any brands that use these.
DOTP is not a bio-based plasticizer, despite Cali Bamboo making this claim.
Toxic Metals in Vinyl Flooring
Organotins (a form of tin) can be used in the top layer. Antimicrobials can be used, usually in the underlayment. I have seen various types, including silver.
EHN found the heavy metal cadmium recently in vinyl floors (probably recycled ones, they say).
It’s important to avoid recycled vinyl.
Lumber Liquidators (LL Flooring) and Floor & Decor banned recycled vinyl to avoid the associated toxic contaminants like metals and halogenated flame retardants. Most other brands are virgin vinyl now as well.
Though LL Flooring lists Prop 65 warnings on many of their vinyl plank and luxury vinyl plank floorings for Lead, Cadmium and/or Antimony.
Lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury can be present and are only officially limited (not banned), as far as I have seen, by Floor & Decor.
Though antimony, bromine, and lead have been mostly eliminated according to the latest study.
Offgassing of VOCs in Vinyl Flooring
Sheet vinyl is higher offgassing than LVP. Sheet vinyl is in the 0.5 – 5 mg/m3 total VOC range, whereas vinyl click will be less than 0.5 mg/m3. And it’s actually much less than 0.5mg/m3, though we don’t have exact numbers from any brand.
The offgassing is extremely low, and less of a concern to me than plasticizers (semi-VOCs) which are a longer-lasting and more of a concerning class of chemicals.
How long does LVP/LVT take to Offgas?
In absence of studies that indicate when the flooring product is completely offgassed, we have to judge based on our senses. A few months will get the product most of the way there. When I have seen LVP in buildings that are a couple of years old I cannot pick up any offgassing at all.
Sealing in the VOCs and Semi-VOCs in Vinyl Flooring
You can seal in any odors as well as most of the plasticizer leaching with shellac. I have tested shellac on various types of vinyl flooring. It has worked well on all the types that I have tried it on from sheet vinyl to a thick rigid LVP.
The downside is that shellac adds a shiny and less durable (to water) coating on the floor, which takes away from the more realistic wood/stone look and can show damage more easily.
You can remove the shellac later with alcohol (I used hand sanitizer), but the downside is that if you seal an LVP flooring that is click together it’s difficult or nearly impossible to remove all of the shellac perfectly from within the grooves.
Formaldehyde-Free LVP Flooring
No brand of LVP/LVT or vinyl plank adds formaldehyde. Any brand advertising as formaldehyde-free is only stating the obvious which can in some cases be considered an inaccurate insinuation that other brands are adding formaldehyde.
Greenguard or Floorscore Brands of Vinyl Plank (LVP)
The VOCs are so low in vinyl plank that they are far below any threshold of the green certifications. No brand is going to be above Greenguard Gold levels – therefore whether it’s certified or not does not matter.
Floorscore is not very useful to me in any situation, but it definitely doesn’t help differentiate between vinyl plank brands.
None of the certifications include the measurement of plasticizers, which is my main concern with vinyl plank flooring.
Is it Waterproof and Mold Preventative?
The Locking System
The thinner LVPs don’t have a very good locking mechanism, it’s more like “set together”. So that isn’t going to hold up well to water. If the product has a really good locking system and it’s installed in a way that it’s not pulling apart or separating then this can be quite waterproof. How waterproof it is also depends on how long the water is sitting on it.
Contractors recommend starting at 5 mm total thickness for a good locking system.
The Vapor Barrier
Another factor to consider is that most brands of luxury vinyl plank and tile require an additional underlayment that is also a vapor barrier under the vinyl. This means that if water gets between the two layers then it cannot dry out.
Is it Mold Preventative in a Bathroom?
This is often recommended as a floor for a bathroom and for a basement.
I have lived in a couple of apartments with vinyl in the bathroom, one was glue down vinyl plank and one had a floating luxury vinyl plank. Both had areas where the seams were not tight and so there is no way I believe this was waterproof. I also wondered about the edges, especially if the baseboard is not caulked to the floor.
Is it Mold Preventative in a Basement?
Though LVP is recommended for basement floors because it’s quite resistant to mold I have a different view on the topic.
Blocking moisture in the slab in my experience is a bad idea. The slab is always trying to dry to the inside as it’s the only way it can dry and it’s often getting wet from the outside/underneath. Any material that blocks moisture can and often does cause mold to grow under the area that is being blocked.
Cheryl Ciecko, mold preventative architect, has described this situation well. And as an extremely mold-sensitive person myself, I know that this is frequently a problem in slabs. Therefore I only recommend a breathable floor covering on slab foundations and in basements.
Polished concrete or tiles with a breathable grout are best. Marmoleum might be an option for some.
The Healthiest Alternatives to Vinyl Plank Flooring
Hybrid Flooring
Hybrid flooring has an SPC core and a real hardwood wear layer on top.
This has less offgassing in my estimation than LVP, it gives you the feel of real wood on top, and I would expect that the real wood would block all or most of the plasticizers from leaching out (it also avoids having plasticizer as the top layer).
One option is Cali Bamboo Geowood but there are two other brands to check out in the main flooring post.
Vinyl with a Concrete Based Core
Another twist on vinyl floors is X-core Connect by Mats inc. This flooring has a vinyl top layer but the center is a concrete-based material. I have seen samples of this and in terms of health and offgassing, I definitely thought it was an improvement over regular vinyl floors.
Engineered Wood
Most engineered wood is no-VOC. Look for brands with a plywood or solid slat core. The UV cure polyurethane finishes are also zero-VOC.
Some brands have an oil-based finish and that is not bad either (ultra-low VOC).
Avoid brands with an HDF or MDF core. See the post on engineered wood floors to see the different types and brands.
Polyurethane Sheet Flooring
If you want glue-down planks or larger areas of sheet flooring, polyurethane is much safer than vinyl rolls. The brand picture is Wineo. It barely has any offgassing and doesn’t contain plasticizers.
I talk about it more in the post on RV flooring.
Cork Flooring
Cork flooring is not zero-VOC but it is another option to consider that is very low-VOC.
My top brand is definitely Amorim Wise as it’s far lower offgassing than any other brand I have seen (most of them are actually high in offgassing).
Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.
Did you find this post helpful? If so you can buy me a coffee to support the research behind this blog. Thank you!
shawnddd says
Hello Corinne,
Appreciate all the hard work & for sharing your knowledge on the materials that make up our homes.
Could you help me understand the difference between the dangers posed by posed by phthalates compared to VOCs? Do I understand this correctly?
– VOCs are gaseous compounds that, if in flooring materials, will travel from the flooring material, potentially linger inside the living space, until it’s pushed outside the building envelope. No action/catalyst is needed to start this process & off gassing will continue until the source material runs out of their VOCs.
* You maybe able to wait out the VOCs but, no action necessary to ‘release’ VOCs & cause exposure?- Opposed to phthalates: in order to cause exposure some form of mechanical interaction needs to take place in order to have exposure?
*You have to touch/cut/grind to release the potentially dangerous material & cause exposure?
Thanks again for this resource!
Corinne says
Phthalates are no longer used in vinyl plank but they leach out on their own and can be found in the dust in homes.
ACV says
I know you mention LVP not being best to install in basement due to the cement floor/moisture concerns , but what about houses built on a cement slab… Is it best to avoid LVP ion a cement slab? If so, what flooring option is best for home built on a slab? And secondary question, do you think crawlspace homes are better from a moisture /mold perspective and flooring options?
ACV says
Just reread the article and saw my question answered. But I still have my second question … do you think from a moisture perspective, a crawl space is best ? And do you like LVP on wood subfloors ?
Maya says
Hi Corine,
Thank you for the very interesting article. I learned a lot!
I was considering to buy vinyl flooring from LL flooring I saw the Prop 65 warnings about lead.
Should I be concerned since I have young kids?
Thank you very much for your reply.
Praneet says
Have you possibly reviewed and deemed MSI Everlife (Andover series) as a safe LVP?
Praful says
Hi
Is it safe to conclude that because of the unknown health impacts of plasticizers (DOTP), laminate is safer as long as it has low formaldehyde?
Thanks
Corinne says
it’s a possible long term impact of DOTP with no real offgassing versus known short term offgassing and no long term impact
Matt says
Hi Connie,
Thanks for all of the information on your website! I was hoping you could help me with a product from Floor And Decor called Aquaguard., They have a wood and bamboo option which seem to be using two different technologies and different ingredients. . I was leaning more towards the bamboo because of the look but I’d be open to either or if you thought one isn’t healthy. I was originally leaning towards LVP but saw these and was wondering if they’d be healthier. Here is the link to the bamboo option:
https://www.flooranddecor.com/aquaguard-bamboo
And here is a link to the engineered wood option:
https://www.flooranddecor.com/aquaguard-wood
Thank you!
Corinne says
It’s called a hybrid floor, I talk about it in the post on engineered wood.
Praneet says
Do you feel the Cali Bamboo Builders Choice is still a safe option? I am starting to read new studies suggesting DOTP is potentially dangerous as well…. any updated thoughts on this particular flooring selection? We are very torn but with another baby on the way we want to ensure we choose something relatively SAFE no matter what. Your article has been our bible!!!!
Corinne says
All LVP has DOTP, I talk about it in the article.
Sarah says
Thank you so much for this very informative article. I learned a lot.
I just purchased a new home and was highly recommended to get LVP. I wished I read your article before selecting LVP.
The LVP I chose is from Portek XL/Boulder\PTP1224. I left a message on Portek website but I haven’t heard back yet.
Do you know any info on Portek products?
Appreciate your insights.
Corinne says
Compare them to the specs in this post
Christi says
Thanks for writing this very useful article. One item of note… You need to update the prices in the article. They are significantly more than you have listed.
Corinne says
Thank you, just updated. Wow the pandemic really did a number on the prices.
Jenny says
thank you for writing this!!
How long do the semi-VOCs off-gas for? Or if they don’t off-gas, how long does it stay unsafe?
Nino McDonald says
Is there a site that lists the actual VOC levels in vinyl flooring? Mannington Adura has been mentioned on a few sites as having low VOC but they were not mentioned in your reporting as a top choice with low VOC.
Corinne says
I’ve not found one brand of LVP that lists out the exact VOCs
KH says
Are Republic Lions Creek Collection LVP floors phthalate free and formaldehyde free? Thank you in advance.
Corinne says
Probably. You will have to ask them.
Camille says
Hi Corinne,
Thanks so much for this in-depth article. It is so helpful! Have you heard of an SPC flooring company called Hawa Bamboo? My landlord just installed their product in our home and my husband swears it’s off gassing and wants it immediately removed. My son and I don’t smell anything even when we put our noses directly to the product. My husband didn’t trust the reassurance from the company that installed the floor that it’s safe. I can’t find any info online re the exact composition and safety of the product.
Thanks!
Corinne says
No I haven’t seen that one. You can compare it to the specs in this post.
Renee Russo says
Hi Corinne,
WOW… what a wealth of information!!
Thank you SO much! I just purchased a 1970 mobile home, and will be replacing ALL of the flooring this summer. Your research will be saving me HOURS of time and confusion.
Again, very thorough and well-organized site.
Blessings!!
Renee
Corinne says
You’re very welcome.
ethan says
Thanks so much for your work Corinne!!
Apologies, I have a question which might be more difficult to answer. So, I just purchased my first home, finally in an area where the air quality is great. However, the flooring is luxury vinyl plank, and the only information I’ve been able to get is that it’s 10 years old (no idea what brand/if virgin/recycled,etc). From what I’ve searched on the web it appears vinyl floors continue to emit VOC’s their entire life-time (?) (but it seems hard to know how much/when?) and I’m worried I might be at risk, do you know if this is true? Or am I good?
(Ironically enough, I love the aesthetic of the flooring itself and if I were to replace it with hardwood may get the real wooden oak if so)
Corinne says
It’s almost certainly not offgassing at all. The question is regarding phthalates, which would leach out forever (but are not VOCS).
Julie says
I cannot wrap my head around the fact that it is legal to sell flooring with known toxins/carcinogens!? Why is this still allowed??
ethan says
Agreed!!!
Ria says
Hello Corinne, I do appreciate all this info.
Have you done any research on the LL DURAVANA LVT HYBRID?
I’d love your feedback. I’m chemically sensitive as is my 17 year old.
Corinne says
they seem to be obscuring what that is. I cannot tell from the website.
Jay Wolkoff says
Hi Corinne, I was planning on asking the same question myself today when I noticed that Ria already started the discussion. I like the claims made by the company between its durability, water proofing, environmental standards, and of course being made of actual wood. Have you learned anything new since? Might it be worth reaching out to the company directly? If so are there any questions worth asking (I honestly wouldn’t know where to start).
I am better off than most, but still I struggle with mild to moderate chemical sensitivities and am just being mindful as I prepare to close and renovate a new condo. Thanks!
Corinne says
It’s completely unclear what that flooring is. I have ordered a sample and will add it to the blog post when I see it. Hopefully I can tell what the layers are from the sample.
Corinne says
I ordered samples and while this is a laminate flooring, it does not seem to have the usual HDF core. I suspect the core could be a mix of wood and plastic instead of wood and formaldehyde but no one from the company will answer my question about it.
Corinne says
The core has polystyrene added to it which makes it more waterproof. I have added it to the laminate post https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2021/01/laminate-flooring-what-does-it-offgas.html
Ashley says
Hi!
Great information.
Just curious – in your opinion which material is better overall, if you had to choose one of the 3:
Luxury Vinyl Plank, Laminate, or Carpet?
Thank you!!
Ashley
Julie says
Hi, this site is so informative and I truly wished I had done my research prior to picking out my vinyl floors. We just got vinyl floors installed yesterday and the odor is incredibly strong. I have 2 kids and now very concerned. I went with S&G Carpet and their vinyl floors are from a private label called Calcore, which I can only browse their website and in that website, I cannot get a hold of anyone and neither can S&G. I am afraid I made a terrible mistake. Are there any self tests I can do to test the toxicity of these floors?
Lindsay says
This is my fear with LVP! Did the smell eventually go away?
Corinne says
Get samples of LVP first, it’s close to odorless, especially if you follow the specs in the article – SPC core, no cork backing. Watch the underlayment too. When clients come to me with something that is offgassing we look at everything that was involved including the underlayment, glues etc.
Nikki says
Hi Corinne! I (and I think the whole community) appreciates the research you are doing and sharing you are providing for all of us. I’m new to all of this (so please forgive my ignorance) as we are buying our first home this summer and plan to rip up the carpet first and foremost. This is the first post I’ve found regarding chemicals with luxury vinyl and we are *highly* sensitive to and cognizant of chemicals (as we have young kids who are constantly playing down on the floor). Would a real wood floor result in much less chemical off-put than synthetic or do you perhaps have a post up about real wood? Any information you are able to provide is so greatly appreciated! Warmest Regards
Corinne says
See my youtube video on best wood look floor
Julie says
We are thinking about Provenza LVP Moda Living collection. By looking at the spec, I couldn’t figure out whether they are phthalates free. Could you please help me?
Corinne says
They probably are, just be sure to ask them.
Amanda says
Hi Cali floors are NOT pthalate OR formaldehyde free
Corinne says
They are phthalate free. The LVP is formaldehyde free.
Melanie Kocon says
Thanks so much for sharing all of your research and experience! I appreciate your generosity in sharing it with us!!
I’ve read your comments about not putting non-breathable flooring materials over concrete basement floors. Would you make the same recommendation for basements that are not completely underground? Or are not completely covered by the same flooring materials?
We are in a very cold climate, so both tile and concrete are not ideal flooring for at least 1/2 of the year. We are considering floating vinyl plank flooring, so that we can easily remove/replace if there’s a problem with the flooring or between the flooring and the concrete. Can you offer suggestions or do you sell any sort of digital resource that can give guidance to help mitigate the possibility of mold developing between flooring and concrete? Or is a consult with you the best way to do this?
Also, do you have any resource that I could use to evaluate vinyl plank flooring options that are available in our local area (like a ebook with information and/or checklists)? I’m not looking for a freebie….I just don’t see anything in your store or in your list of resources that seems to fit this need. None of the options you list are available at our local hardware/home improvement stores so that we can smell, touch and see the options. I’d like to learn how to assess if a particular option is safe or not.
Corinne says
This post has the checklist, there are very few differences between brands. For technical building science advice I would get in touch with Cheryl Ciecko.
MG says
Is it wise to use a click type plank over a concrete floor if it is on top of a subfloor with insulation under it? Or is it still a problem with mold?
Are the hybrid plank flooring the click type and are they waterpfroof?
Thank you so very much,
MG Walsh
Corinne says
Yes the hybrids still have the vinyl core so they are considered waterproof. I didn’t understand the question about the concerte floor on top of a subfloor.
Janet says
Thanks for sharing your knowledge from your research.
What would be helpful is at the end of each review a pro and cons in application since no one product does all. I am trying to research to find healthy flooring for our main floor (concrete slab on ground) which includes the kitchen. We have an indoor garden that has leaked water on the floor twice in 6 yrs, but it only took once for it to damage our engineered wood floor, and have a backyard pool. We are older so do not want a stone floor. I didn’t really ascertain from this the level of water proof. So things like, pet friendly, water proof, good on concrete slab, UV sensitive, not as durable, etc. would be helpful.
God bless!
Louella says
We are thinking of installing the home hardware espresso Shnier 6” x 36” vinyl flooring in our basement. Directly on the concrete floor. It is 10 mm thick, has an attached rubber under layer. Would really appreciate your opinion on this flooring cause we can’t seem to find much info on it. Thank you
Corinne says
Review it against the specs to look for in this post.
Robert says
I purchased lvp and sent it out for phthalates testing. It came back showing 1 was present out of 6 tested. (Di n oktyl) The level was .2% ppm. I know children toys are required to be .1%. The flooring is made with virgin vinyl with a stone core. Is this level something I should be concerned as I have a baby? Is it possible that the lvp would use more than one type phthalate that wasnt tested? Thank you.
Corinne says
Very interesting and thanks for sharing. Can you share which brand that was, and it was newly bought it sounds like? Or you went out to buy a sample of the flooring you already had installed? There is one main plasticizer per floor, usually just one plasticizer either a phthalate or DOTP. Yes I would be concerned with phthalates and young kids.
Julie says
Hi Robert, can you please tell me how you went about to test your floors? I just installed floors and thinking that was a mistake and want to test the toxicity level asap. Thank you!
Nilam says
I am so confused now. Reading so many articles on low voc LVP.
We are thinking about renovating my Whole second floor including bedroom. Our sub floor is OSB. Now our contractor said OSB floor is not good for hardwood floor.
He said we have to consider the vinyl floor or carpet.
I am looking for low voc vinyl flooring.
Can you able to review on proximity mills flooring company?
Corinne says
Brands are almost all the same, this post contains has the list of requirements to look for.
Jamie says
Hi! Very helpful article. We just installed LVP in our home and I’m second guessing our decision. Can you
Please help me to understand the concerns of the plasctizers if they are not off gassing and not necessarily touching us or the food we consume. Thank you!
Corinne says
They leach out as semi-VOCs.
Joel says
Thank you for this amazing website! Since limestone naturally contains asbestos, my concern with vinyl floors would be sawing through the limestone in the core during installation. Have you heard of this being a potential issue?
Corinne says
I believe asbestos is only possible in the Dolomite form. I don’t believe there is asbestos in calcium carbonate powder which is what is used in vinyl floors.
Ann says
Found this article on one of the founders of Cali Bamboo and they mention bio-based plasticizers.
Thanks for all the info you provide us.
https://www.calibamboo.com/blog/cali-bamboos-jeff-goldberg-named-most-admired-ceo-2017/
Corinne says
That is interesting. I have also seen them say it’s DOTP. So I really would like them to get their story straight. They can’t even email me to confirm and I’m advertising for them for free.
Corinne says
OK so they have cleared up that they were referring to DOTP as bio-based. Which is not accurate and in my opinion is highly misleading but at least they have cleared that up.
Ann says
I agree!
telina book says
With this new information, has your professional opinion changed on Cali Bamboo being one of the “safest” brands of LVP as far as plasiticizers and other chemical toxins. I am very concerned about long term effects of toxins and very chemically sensitive but every other flooring I have looked into just doesn’t seem to work for what we need. Do you have an opinion on Revwood by Mohawk? This is all so confusing.
Corinne says
Ya unfortunately Cali Bamboo is just like all the others. LVP is really almost all the same. They all use DOTP and I do expect that we will see problems with that in the future. Revwood is laminate, see the post on laminate flooring.
Lisa Wagner says
The LVT floor care and warranty both highlight that no latex or rubber backed pads or mats should be used on the floor because of discoloration damage. This would also mean a similar risk of damage from lower cost rugs that are tufted (latex backed low quality handmade – about half the rugs sold today) and rugs that are machine made with rubber or glue backings.
This means most of the low end rugs being sold through Pottery Barn, West Elm, RH, and similar stores sourcing rugs from India or China can be a cause of discoloration damage on these floors. I can’t find any data on why these reactions are occurring and whether this means the flooring might be releasing anything that we should be concerned about. What I do know is that when a rug that’s less than $800 end up damaging a floor that also is cheap production like LVT but costs several thousand to replace, these are unhappy situations happening in homes right now. Thank you for your article as there is very little being shared about these new floors and their impact on our indoor environments.
Lindsay says
I have LVP all throughout my house, and have a few tufted rugs (mostly safavieh brand). They have had zero effect on my floors!
traceyP says
Hi, thanks for this information, There’s lots of talk out there about lifeproof flooring. I think its at Home Depot. we want to remove all our carpet upstairs (from orig bldr) as we have dust mite allergies. I just want to make sure we get the right flooring with low voc . Would lifeproof be acceptable? thanks
Corinne says
Every brand can be assessed against the criteria in this post. I mention Lifeproof as well.
Allison says
Hi, the new type of plasticizers you mention are they a health hazard to breath or do you mean not good for the environment. For example the Phalates you mention are endocrine disruptors but do those release into the air? Thank you!
Corinne says
Phthalates and DOTP are both semi-volatile, not gas, more likely to come out into the dust. Phthalates are definitely a health hazard, and with DOTP is not yet determined. My blog is only about the effects on the end users of the product, as opposed to the environment.
Nancy Schell says
We chose Shaw luxury Vinyl Plank for our new home. After reading info on this site, I’m really worried about our decision. Can you give me any input. We are in our 70’s if that makes any difference. Thank you. Nancy
Corinne says
I wouldn’t worry about the plasticizers as much for older people. That is the opinion of chemists from sixclasses.org
Krishna says
Hi Corrine – What about folks that are in their mid 50’s? I am replacing a cheap apartment installed carpet that I am having a severe reaction too, burning eyes, blurry vision, congestion, dry throat. The old carpet I had no issues with and it was 7 years old. This carpet and/or the padding must have high levels of formaldehyde am afraid. When I leave the room and go outside and to other places, my symptoms are resolved. Within 10 minutes of returning to my studio apartment (I have 2 air cleaners (1 is an Austin Healthmate +) and I’ve aired out the place for months & still have these allergic an issues s :-(. Am about to remove the carpet and the sheet vinyl they installed in the kitchen, hallway and bathroom at the same time they installed the carpet. I feel better when not on the carpet. It’s not the sheet vinyl that bothers me as an FYI. Have never had carpet issues before, and I do have allergies and asthma fyi. Maybe I should get linoleum or tile? Studio is 412 sq. ft. THANNK YOU :-)!
Corinne says
Sheet vinyl is high in offgassing too, it’s good you’re removing it. Maybe the carpet is so overwhelming you don’t notice it. Definitely look through the posts on flooring and get some samples to see what suits you.
Melissa says
Hi! Great article – our builder uses Cortec, are there any safe options from them we can use?
Corinne says
See if they have some options without the cork backing.
rea says
What is the issue with the cork backing?
Corinne says
it offgasses
THOMAS THOMPSON says
Do you know if Lowe’s Tudor Oak LVP is a low in offgassing. Thanks for helping me.
Corinne says
If it’s a LVP it is low in offgassing for sure. You can compare it to the specs on phthalates and other things to look for in the post but all of the LVP and LVT are very low in offgassing.
Rosemary says
This article was very helpful. Thank you!
Bill says
In this excellent article, you indicate that LVP and LVT are essentially the same product but with different looks (wood vs. stone). In the section where you identify the safer LV products, you include Shaw’s Grain Luxury Vinyl Plank. We’re interested in a stone look so are looking at LVT. Are Shaw’s LVT products as or close to as safe as their LVP products such as the Grain Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) you mention?
Chris Hecktor says
Very helpful post about Non-Toxic Vinyl Plank Floor. It will help me in choosing the best one. Thanks for it.
Katie says
Thank you , Corinne for bringing all this info together for us.
I’m about to install a heated electric floor (mats) under LVT. My sample flooring boards have no info about their composition so I will try contacting the companies armed with the info you gave me..
What additional off gassing or other health issues may arise from a heated bathroom floor?( it is a pretty small space).
Thanks!
Corinne says
That will definitely bring out more of the offgassing odor but it will also speed up the offgassing.
Greta says
Corrine, I wonder how long does offfgassing take? We will have underfloor heating and small kids in the house so worried about getting LVP..
Is marmoleum better health wise?
Many thanks, Greta
Corinne says
There’s no data on offgassing of LVP. There is very little to begin with if you go with SPC and no cork backing. Marmoleum is healthier yeah for sure if you don’t mind linseed smell.
Joy says
Home Depot has a new product “Malibu Wide Plank Designer Rigid Core (Luxury Vinyl).” Is this safe for a baby’s bedroom?
Corinne says
The post goes over the few questions to ask about any LVP. You can plug in any brand into the checklist here.
Anita Grapentien says
Is vinyl Plank flooring from China safe?
Corinne says
In my view yes, it’s the same as locations. American brands have quality control problems as well. I talk about it in the video that’s in this post.
Alex E says
Hi Corinne – Thank your for the great info. What are your views on Laminated Flooring like RevWood Plus Vs. LVP such as CoreTech Elite?
Corinne says
Coretec I talk about in this post. Laminate is discussed here https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2021/01/laminate-flooring-what-does-it-offgas.html
Robert Hogward says
Thanks for very informative article! carpet tends to retain moisture, so how to make sure that my floor wont rot soon? 🙂
Laura Lewis says
Hi, thank you very much for the amazing information. Do you have any information on Artisian Innova SPC LVP? It seems to be a “hot” product in our area and is lovely but I have no information on it. thanl you!
Corinne says
Just ask them if it meets the requirements in the article. There are hundreds of brands now and most are similar.
Laura says
Hi. I wanted to book an email consult but have a question. We have scheduled the installation of LVP for the upstairs of our home. We do not have sensitivities but I am concerned about products that may leach chemicals or might be harmful. If I give you the product and the materials data sheet they provided, are you able to view it and give me your thoughts on this specific flooring product that has already been selected? Thank you. Laura
Corinne says
Sure, I can give my thoughts on an individual product, but the information won’t be anything more than what is in the article here.
Donald R Paladin says
Are there any ceramic floating planks make with low/no voc base? I realize that breakage & being cold to the feet may be issues but off gassing of ceramic tiles is going to be much less of a problem. Of course, there would be the problem of binding the tile to the plank, so maybe this is not a reliable option.
Corinne says
If you are looking for ceramic tiles that are floating, the best ones I have seen are the magnetic tiles here: https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2021/04/zero-voc-flooring.html
Daltile also makes a click together ceramic but I would not consider the grout to be safe.
Michele says
Hi
You mentioned that the Home Depot brands are Phthalate-free but do you happen to know if they are also Virgin vinyl? The Lifeproof brand specifically? Or if it’s green guard certified ? Did the off gassing eventually go away on the brand?… I’ve googled this stuff already but find it very hard to find reputable answers just random people in forums guessing… I think your website is literally a goldmine! All the information you put on here is above and beyond!… I was just reading the post with recommendations for rugs! Once we get new flooring I’ll definitely be getting some of those Lorena ones, so perfect! When I’m ready to purchase I’ll definitely use your link (hoping it’s an affiliate link cause you definitely deserve the commission for this in depth information)
Thank you for all the hard work and informative information!
Corinne says
They are all way below Green guard levels, and all the brands are incredibly similar between brands so certifications wouldn’t help. There is no offical study on offgassing levels, I mention my thoughts on that in the post.
RandyO says
They make a brand called Luxwood LVP, That is greenguard as well
https://floorcritics.com/tesoro-luxwood-vinyl-plank-review/
Corinne says
Every LVP/LVT would meet greenguard gold offgassing limits, easily. It’s way below that.