My Chemical-Free House

A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home

Choosing a Non-Toxic Vinyl Plank Floor

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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 certainly pick up the 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.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

A stack of varies types of vinyl flooring from the thickest multilayer LVP to the thinest vinyl flooring
The top sample is a vinyl plank (glue down) and the bottom three are luxury vinyl planks which click together

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 love 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.

A close up of vinyl plank flooring that is very low in odor
An example of vinyl plank

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) (and Luxury Vinyl Tile)

This type of 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 almost never used anymore.

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:

A close up of SPC core flooring
These floors all have a SPC core. The top sample is hybrid (wood wear layer, SPC core), the bottom two have vinyl wear layers and SPC cores

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:

A close up of what WPC core flooring looks like
LVP with a WPC core (Cali Vinyl Plus and Montserrat Click Lock)

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).

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)

  1. Double-check to make sure it’s virgin (not recycled vinyl)
  2. Look for phthalate-free
  3. You might have a preference for SPC over WPC
  4. Check the underlayment, you may choose to avoid cork

Healthiest (Safer) Brands of Vinyl Plank

  • Virgin vinyl
  • Phthalate-free
  • Made in America
  • Starting at $2.81 /sqft
  • Virgin vinyl
  • Phthalate-free
  • Thatcher and Franklin are SPC core
  • Made in America
  • Dodford $2.75, Thatcher & Franklin $4.59 /sqft
  • Virgin vinyl
  • Phthalate-free
  • SPC core
  • Made in America
  • $5.87 /sqft

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 most are 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, Lowe’s, and Lumber Liquidators are phthalate-free. Almost all other brands are now too.

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 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 about the 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 are 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.

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 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.

Lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury can be present and are only officially limited (not banned), as far as I have seen, by Floor and Decor.

Though antimony, bromine, and lead have been virtually 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).

The offgassing is 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 to me is a particularly useless certification but definitely doesn’t help differentiate between vinyl plank brands.

None of the certifications are including 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.

The Healthiest Alternatives to Vinyl Plank Flooring

Hybrid flooring which has wood as the top layer and SPC vinyl as the core

Hybrid Flooring

Hybrid flooring has an SPC core and a real hardwood wear layer.

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

A concrete based vinyl floor

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.

Close up of engineered wood flooring

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 which is odorless

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.

One plank of click together cork 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).

They claim it’s waterproof but I personally would not bank on that.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 7 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KH says

    Are Republic Lions Creek Collection LVP floors phthalate free and formaldehyde free? Thank you in advance.

    Reply

  2. 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!

    Reply

  3. 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

    Reply

  4. 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)

    Reply

    • Corinne says

      It’s almost certainly not offgassing at all. The question is regarding phthalates, which would leach out forever (but are not VOCS).

      Reply

  5. 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??

    Reply

  6. 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.

    Reply

      • 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!

        Reply

        • 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.

          Reply

  7. 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

    Reply

  8. 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?

    Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

  9. 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

    Reply

  10. 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?

    Reply

  12. 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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  13. 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

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  14. 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!

    Reply

  15. 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

    Reply

  16. 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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  17. 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?

    Reply

  18. 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!

    Reply

  19. 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?

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

        • 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.

          Reply

          • 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.

  21. 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.

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  22. 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

    Reply

  23. 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!

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  24. 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

    Reply

    • Corinne says

      I wouldn’t worry about the plasticizers as much for older people. That is the opinion of chemists from sixclasses.org

      Reply

      • 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 :-)!

        Reply

        • 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.

          Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  28. 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?

    Reply

  29. Chris Hecktor says

    Very helpful post about Non-Toxic Vinyl Plank Floor. It will help me in choosing the best one. Thanks for it.

    Reply

  30. 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!

    Reply

      • 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

        Reply

        • 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.

          Reply

  31. Joy says

    Home Depot has a new product “Malibu Wide Plank Designer Rigid Core (Luxury Vinyl).” Is this safe for a baby’s bedroom?

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  33. 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?

    Reply

  34. Robert Hogward says

    Thanks for very informative article! carpet tends to retain moisture, so how to make sure that my floor wont rot soon? 🙂

    Reply

  35. 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!

    Reply

    • Corinne says

      Just ask them if it meets the requirements in the article. There are hundreds of brands now and most are similar.

      Reply

      • 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

        Reply

        • 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.

          Reply

  36. 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.

    Reply

  37. 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!

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

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