LifeProof Vinyl Flooring | Home Flooring Pros
What is LifeProof Vinyl Flooring?
Lifeproof vinyl plank flooring is a budget friendly, waterproof rigid core EVP (engineered vinyl plank), sold exclusively at Home Depot for between $2.69 and $3.60 per sq.ft.
Welcome to another Home Flooring Pros flooring brand report, this week we bring you our review, and some consumer reviews, of LifeProof rigid core luxury vinyl flooring. There’s a lot to get through, including how to install and clean LifeProof LVP and a price comparison table, so feel free to use the quick links below to zip back and forth.
Last Updated: June 7, 2023, by: Greca Fotopoulos
WHO MAKES LIFEPROOF FLOORING
LifeProof is a rigid luxury vinyl flooring made by Halstead New England Industries, sold exclusively at Home Depot and competes head to head with top rigid-core brands like COREtec and Adura Rigid.
Rigid Core Construction:
- Base – An attached underlayment absorbs impact for walking/standing comfort. It reduces noise and provides insulation too.
- Core – This LifeProof vinyl plank flooring has a closed-cell PVC foam core it calls ISOCORE. The core makes it both lighter and stronger than sheet vinyl floor material.
- Top – The wear layer is new vinyl (it’s not recycled). It is embossed with woodgrain texture or stone texture. Ceramic beads are infused into the wear layer for durability and resistance to scratches. Top and bottom layers are treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold.
- Interlocking designInterlocking tabs hold the pieces together but can be damaged when taking them apart.
LIFEPROOF WEAR LAYER, THICKNESS AND COLORS
LifeProof luxury vinyl plank flooring comes in three thicknesses, each with several color and style options:
- 6.5mm: 8 styles, each in a variety of colors. Multi-width Seasoned Wood and Walton Oak, 7” Shadow Hickory, Tekoa Oak, Seaside Oak and Essential Oak are all.6”. Breezy Stone and Starry Light 16”x32”.
- 7 mm: 5 styles in multiple colors. 8.7” Trail Oak, Sterling Oak, Fresh Oak and Scratch Stone all 47.6” long. Biscayne Oak is 4.72”x28.35” with herringbone look.
- 8 mm: 3 styles in several colors. Ocala Oak is 8.7” x 59.4”. Alys Oak is 8.7”x72”. The Alys Oak is distinguished by its length and higher cost. Longer planks cut installation time.
The lifeproof wear layer on their luxury plan is 22mil which is very good and perfectly suitable for a busy family household. 12mil is the minimum wear layer thickness that we recommend.
To Get Started
LIFEPROOF LUXURY VINYL FLOORING PROS AND CONS
There is much to like about this resilient flooring, but we want to mention a few disadvantages too.
LIFEPROOF VLP ADVANTAGES:
- Style choices – The style and color options detailed above are good, if not great. As you browse your choices at a Home Depot store or online at homedepot.com, you’ll likely find several options for the look you want. For example, Seasoned Wood has a weathered look. Walton Oak is grainy and rustic. Ocala Oak is clean and contemporary. Then you’ve got the stone and herringbone styles mentioned above. Lights, mediums and darks are offered in most lines.
- Quality construction – The LifeProof Rigid Core multilayer approach with a wear layer enhanced with ceramic beads should produce excellent long-term stability and wear.
- Thin and lightweight yet strong – The ISOCORE foam core gives the material rigidity and strength normally found in thicker, heavier materials. It is easy to work with, and slight imperfections or tile grout beneath won’t show through the flooring.
- Easy installation for most – While pro installation is the best route to ensuring a proper fit and long-lasting results, experienced DIY homeowners do find this material easy to install. See the Review section below for installation problems experienced by some.
- It covers “anything” – As long as the floor beneath it is in decent shape without rises and low spots, this luxury vinyl material will transform your floors with little preparation required.
- Works with radiant heated floors – LifeProof is ideal for installation over radiant heat flooring. There are a few simple guidelines to follow in the Installation Guide to ensure success.
- Durability – We expect this flooring will require replacing in 6-10 years in commercial settings and in 15-20 years in residential settings. Traffic and maintenance will significantly affect durability. The Lifetime and 5-year warranties cover material defects
- Low-VOC – LifeProof vinyl planks and tiles are FloorScore certified to be low-VOC products without phthalates or formaldehyde.
- Resistance to moisture and mold – LifeProof planks are waterproof and treated to prevent mold and mildew when installed in basements, kitchens, baths, entryways and laundry rooms.
- Residential Warranty – The Lifetime warranty for residential use is significantly better than most. It is not prorated and does not have excessive qualifications that make it easy for the manufacturer to deny warranty claims.
- Easy care – This is low-maintenance flooring. Details are below.
LIFEPROOF LVP DISADVANTAGES:
- DIY damage – This is easily the top con. A significant percentage of DIY installers report that the interlocking tabs can break during installation or if pieces must be separated after installation.
- Commercial warranty length – The 5-year commercial warranty is shorter than those offered by some competing products. For example, CoreTec Plus luxury vinyl flooring has a 10-year commercial warranty to go with the Lifetime residential coverage.
- Non-transferable – The warranty applies to the first owner only, whether residential or commercial. That takes some of the shine off the Lifetime warranty.
- Not so green – This flooring is not made with any recycled material, though many building products are. While it is recyclable, the limited number of vinyl recycling facilities cannot accommodate the volume. Most vinyl flooring is sent to landfills.
- It’s not wood – Maybe this doesn’t need to be said. But if you want the benefits of genuine wood and don’t mind the TLC it requires, you can have solid hardwood or engineered hardwood flooring for about twice the cost.
Further Reading: LVP Pros and Cons | Wood Floor Installation Cost
LIFEPROOF VINYL FLOORING INSTALLATION
Hiring an experienced installer is essential. The manufacturer of LifeProof flooring, Halstead New England makes it clear that it, “will decline responsibility for damages associated with improper installation or poor site conditions.” Apparently, the manufacturer is aware of the complaints about damaging the interlocking tabs while installing or removing planks and tiles.
The information in this section should be discussed with installers you interview when getting estimates for the work.
HOW TO INSTALL LIFEPROOF LVP
LifeProof luxury vinyl flooring has interlocking “drop and lock” end joints for floating installation. The manufacturer specifically prohibits gluing because it would not allow the flooring to expand and contract with normal changes in environmental conditions.
An expansion gap of ¼” is required around the perimeter of the floor to allow for normal expansion and contraction. Do not install baseboard tight enough to the flooring to prevent this expansion/contraction.
WHERE TO INSTALL
LifeProof flooring can be installed over standard OSB and plywood underlayment and many existing floor types.
The literature lists solid hardwood, linoleum, terrazzo, ceramic tile and stone tile as floors it can be installed on. Add concrete to that list too.
It can be installed above, at and below grade in residential and commercial settings. The space must be indoors and/or climate controlled.
In sub-grade installations, consult your flooring installer about using a moisture barrier to prevent moisture migration upwards that might affect the performance of LifeProof luxury vinyl plank and tile. The barrier should be a minimum of 6 mil thick. Overlap seams 6” and tape them.
WHERE NOT TO INSTALL
Unsuitable locations include outdoors, sunrooms, saunas, covered porches and other locations with extreme variations. If campers, RVs, boats and vehicles will be stored in the space, use another flooring type.
FLOOR PREPARATION
If there are imperfections beneath, they can often be sanded or patched at little cost to prepare the floor for LifeProof. Note that grout lines larger than ¼” wide must be filled to create a level foundation.
While acclimation for humidity is not necessary, the material should be stored indoors and installed at temperatures above 50F and not greater than 100F.
PLANK INSPECTION
It’s acceptable to open 4 boxes of material prior to installation to inspect for color variation and defects and decide whether to return the flooring. Each box should be inspected as it is opened, since per the literature, “Installing defective planks implies acceptance.”
THINGS TO AVOID
You should not install this flooring on stairs or over carpet, other floating floors including laminate, rubber, cork, foam underlayment or cushioned vinyl. Those floor types don’t provide the stability required and might void the warranty.
LIFEPROOF AND RADIANT FLOOR HEATING
Radiant tubing must be ½” beneath the concrete surface. In new installations, run the radiant system for two weeks prior to installation to eliminate the chance for the concrete to contract after installation. The manufacturer also requires that the HVAC system in new construction be operational to maintain consistent temperature and humidity conditions.
There is additional technical information and installation tips in the LifeProof Installation Instructions your installer should be familiar with.
To Get Started
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
LifeProof vinyl flooring is an easy floor to keep clean and maintain with just a few tips:
CLEANING LOOSE DIRT
Use a dust mop or vacuum to remove loose dirt and debris. If your vacuum has a rotating brush/beater bar, turn it off. Better yet, purchase a hard-floor vacuum without a beater bar to protect your investment.
We recommend sweeping or vacuuming one time per week for each member or your household including pets. Our latest How-to will show you how to clean all types of tile flooring.
CLEANING SPILLS AND PET ACCIDENTS
Sop up spills immediately, and then wash the area with a mild detergent. This is vital for acidic spills like wine, juice and soda. Rinse the area to remove detergent residue that might cloud the surface.
CLEANING STICKY STUFF
Spray stuck-on dirt with warm water or wet a cloth and let it sit on the area for 3-5 minutes. Wipe and rinse the area.
MOPPING SCHEDULE AND TIPS
Mop the floor as needed (at least monthly) with a pH-neutral vinyl floor cleaning solution. Change mop water and change or rinse cleaning cloths as they become visibly soiled. Going over the floor with a clean mop and water for a final rinse will remove residue and streaking.
Mats: Place shoe mats outside/off the vinyl flooring. Dirt beneath mats acts like sandpaper on any flooring when walked upon. It will scratch and mar the surface. The mats should be labeled “colorfast” if they will be placed on the flooring.
Don’t Use Rubber Mats: Do not use rubber-backed mats on the flooring, because they might react chemically and darken the vinyl.
Other things to avoid: Do not use these items on your LifeProof LVT flooring – A steam cleaner, vacuum with a rotating brush, wax, oil, polish, steel wool, scouring pad or furniture cleaner.
LIFEPROOF VINYL DAMAGE PREVENTION
Avoid damaging your floor with these precautions:
- Use nylon or felt protective pads beneath furniture legs and clean them as needed.
- Lift and move furniture instead of dragging it.
- Use hard-surface non-studded chair mats for office chairs. Broad-surface casters are also recommended.
- Keep pet nails trimmed.
- Avoid walking on the flooring with golf spikes, stiletto heels and similar footwear.
PRICES AND OPTIONS
LifeProof vinyl flooring prices are competitively priced with its major competitors. The first table shows LifeProof flooring costs.
LIFEPROOF LUXURY PLANK AND TILE PRICE COMPARISON TABLE
You can read up on vinyl plank flooring but for now here is a price comparison table to help you compare LifeProof prices with other leading brands.
$2.79/sq.ft.
|
Thickness
|
$2.99 /sq.ft.
|
Thickness
|
$3.49/sq.ft.
|
Thickness
|
$4.39/sq.ft.
|
Thickness
|
Seasoned Wood | 6.5mm | Breezy Stone | 6.5mm | Biscayne Oak | 7mm | Amherst Oak | 8mm |
Essential Oak | 6.5mm | Starry Light | 6.5mm | Brookland Oak | 8mm | ||
Walton Oak | 6.5mm | Fresh Oak | 7mm | Alys Oak | 8mm | ||
Shadow Hickory | 6.5mm | Trail Oack | 7mm | ||||
Seaside Oak | 6.5mm | Scratch Stone | 7mm | ||||
Tekoa Oak | 6.5mm | Burnt Oak | 7mm | ||||
Sterling Oak | 7mm | Lighthouse Oak | 7mm | ||||
Woodacres Oak | 7mm | ||||||
Ocala Oak | 8mm |
The wear layer for LifeProof flooring is 6 mils with these exceptions:
Ocala Oak: 12 mils
Amerst Oak: 22 mils
Brookland Oak: 22 mils
Alys Oak: 22 mils
This table shows costs for other top luxury vinyl plank and tile that has a rigid core.
OTHER RIGID LUXURY FLOORING VINYL OPTIONS AND PRICES
Brand
|
Thickness
|
Cost
|
TrafficMaster Allure Ultra | 5.0mm | $2.99/sq. ft. |
SmartCore | 5.5mm | $2.79/sq. ft. |
SmartCore Ultra | 7.5mm | $3.29/sq. ft. |
Congoleum Structure | 7.25mm | $4.15/sq. ft. |
Armstrong Luxe Rigid Core | 8mm | $3.79/sq. ft. |
CoreTec One | 6.3mm | $2.99/sq. ft. |
CoreTec Plus | 8.0mm | $3.99/sq. ft. |
CoreTec Plus XL | 8.3mm | $4.99/sq. ft. |
CoreLuxe | 8.0mm | $3.39/sq. ft. |
Envee Rigid Core | 6mm | $3.69/sq. ft. |
Karndean Korlok | 6.5mm | $3.69/sq. ft. |
TritonCORE | 8mm | $3.79/sq. ft. |
To Get Started
CONSUMER REVIEWS
What do home and business owners think of LifeProof flooring? Here’s a sampling from across the ratings spectrum. On Home Depot, most LifeProof products have ratings between 4 and 5 Stars.
“We used 6.5mm LifeProof in our master suite because it is waterproof. The wood-look is spot-on, and the flooring is much warmer to the feet than the ceramic tile we replaced in the bath. Our contractor installed 435 square feet in less than a day.” 5 Stars –Rochelle
“Our installer laid this in our 1,250+/- basement right over the concrete. He patched a couple cracks first, however, so they wouldn’t show through. It’s been almost a year. The flooring is holding up well. The patches are not showing/wearing through. It’s 8mm and very comfortable to walk on in without shoes.” 5 Stars – Windy City Michele
“DIY installation went OK, but when I had to pull up a few planks to reset them properly, the tongue/groove connection was damaged. Happy with the look/feel of the flooring, but don’t recommend DIY unless you’re experienced and willing to take the risk of having to use a few extra planks.” 4 Stars – Gene77
“The Ocala Oak is gorgeous, but snapping the pieces together was a major pain. #DesignFlaw” 3 Stars – Brill
“Scratches beneath our dining chairs showed up within a month. We haven’t put sliders or pads on the chairs yet, but it scratched too quickly, in our view.” 2 Stars – Mizzou 92
“Attractive vinyl, but bad design. Used 40% more than necessary due to breaking tabs off pieces. Then, the butts wouldn’t stay down.” 1 Star Jose T
These customer reviews make clear that the flooring is gorgeous, warm and comfortable, but there is one potential problem – the interlocking design.
In our opinion, the problematic installation some experience isn’t sufficient reason to avoid LifeProof. But we do recommend having the flooring professionally installed.
LIFEPROOF FAQ’s
WHO SELLS LIFEPROOF FLOORING?
Lifeproof flooring is Home Depot’s own in-house brand of flooring, manufactured for Home Depot by Halstead New England Industries. So officially Home Depot is the only store that sells LifeProof flooring.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE LIFEPROOF FLOORING WEBSITE?
As Lifeproof is an in-house (or white label) brand exclusive to Home Depot there isn’t an official lifeproof flooring website. However, scroll down on any lifeproof flooring product on the Home Depot websiet and you will find a wealth of manufacturer information.
About the Author:
Greca Fotopoulos
Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”
We have downsized to an 1100 square foot 100 year old shot gun house on two acres. My contractor recommended vinyl plank floors. The last thing to do to finish the remodel. The Lifeproof vinyl plank Heirloom Pine is what I picked. It is beautiful and completes my cozy country home look I was going for. The results are absolutely better than I thought it would be. This is this old grandmas final home and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks to everyone.
Can Lifeproof Vinyl Plank Flooring be installed in a room that will have a wood stove sitting on it? We live in New England and this is supplemental heat source. Aware of no rubber mat backing, can you use latex mat backing?
Hi, A friend recommended using the cork foam underlayment when installing this in bedrooms. Does this help with walking comfort? Also, it looks to add 1/16 in depth so, would I need to adjust the 1/4″ round down to 1/8″ round
I have a question. Can I use Armstrong’s Once ‘n Done on my luxury vinyl plank flooring?
Hi Carol,
The product info says “For routine cleaning of no-wax vinyl, ceramic, marble, granite, terrazzo, slate, and stone floors”…so if your LVP is no-wax you should be good to go
Hi, hopefully this reaches someone that can help. I’m looking for one 72″ piece of t-transition multi floor of Fresh Oak / Elm Wood. Home depot doesn’t carry it any longer. Please 🙏.
I’ve been searching as well! Can’t find it
I’m considering installing Lifeproof plank flooring in my cabin that is closed up and not heated over the winter. Would this impact the warranty? How would the cold affect the Lifeproof flooring under these circumstances?
I had Breezy Stone planks installed in a kitchen and it looks great. I just noticed that one of the planks has a slight “chip” on the edge, about 1/16″x1″, that probably happened during installation; and black substrate shows. Is there any product that will color/hide the defect?
Thanks for these insights. I was avoiding Lifeproof because a friend has had problems, but now I think these edge wear problems were caused by the diy installation. Her floor looks great anyway.
We installed this product 4 years ago in our entire first floor–1,300 square feet or so. We picked walton oak as it is a stock product and we could get more for the contractor as needed.
It still looks great and we continue to get complements on it. We will be doing our upstairs in it or something very similar, but will have the steps stained to match the flooring instead of spending $800 just for the pieces for our steps.
I am looking to put Baylor Maple vinyl plank in my bathroom. Is it necessary to use a corner round or shoe molding for this product? I do not see that any matching materials are available and this color is not easy to match. I will remove the existing base and reinstall it after the floor is down, but what do I do around the bathtub? My tub is not white, it is denim blue.
We have LifeProof vinyl planks in our kitchen, hall, living room, and master bedroom and bath. It’s been great! We used quarter round by the tubs and where the kitchen counters meet the floor. Other than that, we used baseboard only. After 4 years, it still looks good.
One thing, though, the color changed. We installed Fresh Oak, but the color deepened after about 6 months.
any scratches from dining chairs or barstools from the island?
i also have dogs and am concerned about scratches from their nails…
i am a contractor and i am using lifeproof in my own home, and i like it a lot. I have installed floating floors for clients various times. The best thing you can do to make these floors look great is to do custom pieces in oak at the transitions. I **always** build them on my with custom threshold pieces (invariably in oak) at door transitions. If you do not have a table saw, planer, sandign equipment it might be worth payign someone. If installing over a wood subfloor make the threshold edges float over the vinyl by 1/4 inch width using a rabbet. I always just put these down with 3 screws and dowel over it and sand — they always look amazing. If you do stairs, consider using traditional material on the tread. As for tub edges, the likely best way is to add a tiny 1/4 round. Either match the floor or carefully paint it the color of your tub. Caulk carefully. Pin nail your makeup pieces with a pin nailer. I’m building a bath right now and I’m going to very carefully make a line against a pre-finished shower base, then if it is really clean i’ll use clear caulk… if not i’ll use the white bathroom silicone keeping the caulk line as tiny as possible.
I have 643sqft of basement floor to cover with LP 8.7×47.6 Woodacres oak vinyl, I plan to use DRICORE® Insul-Armor for the subfloor, Vinyl plank as the finished floor,
do I run the risk of a squeaky floor.
Best cleaner to use with my LifeProof laminate?
I had Lifeproof Chiffon and Lace installed in my condo November 2020 and I loved it! Everyone commented how nice it was. My condo flooded January 11, 2021and the flooring was badly damaged and is buckling on the sides and the seams are ” popping” up. I’m devastated.
Recently purchased a home and installed just under 1000 sq. ft. of LifeProof vinyl plank in the basement to replace carpeting. For various reasons, we ended up sleeping in a room with the LifeProof flooring the next day after it had been installed, but this was not an issue as we noticed no odor. This was especially surprising to me as I often notice burning eyes & throat and/or noxious odor from new paint/flooring/cabinetry/etc. even when other people do not notice, or are not bothered by the vapors or odors.
Before we committed to purchasing the LifeProof, I took a sample of the specific color/style we had chosen and gouged the dickens out of it repeatedly with a wood chisel, partly to determine how easily it would be damaged (which to my relief, damaging it was not as easy as I expected) and to see if I could discern an odor from the scratched portion. To my happy surprise, I could not.
At first I disliked the non-shiny, matte finish of this flooring but have come to appreciate it very much as it is both beautiful and not slippery. In the color we chose (Fresh Oak) it looks similar to a traditional Tung oil finish on unstained wood – so much so that some of the carpenters working upstairs came down to check out the LifeProof flooring – running their hands along the plank surface to feel the texture and commenting how good it looked.
I was originally against using any vinyl plank flooring at all, due to having experiencing noxious odor in several homes we toured which had recently had “vinyl plank flooring” installed. I now know that those homes definitely did NOT have LifeProof vinyl plank floors. My perspective has changed from being totally against vinyl plank to totally happy with this specific LifeProof product.
Vacuum or run a microfiber dust mop regularly to keep the floor clean and slip resistant – follow the care instructions and cleaner recommendations if more intensive cleaning is needed – and don’t drag furniture across it or you risk scratching the flooring. Hope this is helpful information and you have good luck finding a product to meet your needs.
How do we order stair nose strips? Cannot seem to get them from Home Depot. Can we order directly through the company – Thunder Wood Luxury Laminate.
We just installed over smaller tiles and there was no problem. Looks great.