Every homeowner asks us the same question at some point in the consultation: should this room get solid hardwood, or luxury vinyl plank? The honest answer is that both are legitimate choices in 2026 — the days of LVP being the "cheap alternative" are over. The real question is which one fits the specific room, building, and budget in front of you.
Where solid hardwood wins
If you own a prewar apartment or a Brooklyn brownstone with original wide-plank floors, solid hardwood is almost always the right call for the main living spaces. It can be sanded and refinished multiple times over its life, it holds resale value that buyers specifically look for, and nothing else fully replicates the way it ages. For co-ops and condo boards that require a certain flooring standard for sound attenuation, solid or engineered hardwood installed over the right underlayment also tends to clear board requirements more easily than a floating floor.
The tradeoffs: hardwood is sensitive to water, it's a poor fit for basements or below-grade spaces, and in NYC specifically, humidity swings between seasons mean it needs to acclimate properly before installation or you'll see gapping and cupping down the line.
Where luxury vinyl plank wins
High-end LVP has genuinely closed the visual gap with hardwood over the last few years — good product lines have realistic wood grain texture, beveled edges, and matte finishes that read as natural in person. Where LVP actually pulls ahead is performance: it's fully waterproof, which makes it the right choice for kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and rental units where water exposure or tenant turnover is a real factor.
It's also significantly more forgiving during installation. A slightly uneven subfloor that would need extensive leveling for hardwood is often fine for click-lock LVP, which can meaningfully change the cost and timeline of a renovation.
The mistake we see most often
The biggest issue isn't picking the wrong material — it's skipping subfloor prep to save time. Both hardwood and LVP will fail early if they're installed over a subfloor that wasn't properly leveled, moisture-tested, and cleaned first. This is the same principle behind everything we build: the finish is only as good as what's underneath it. A rushed install might look fine at handoff and start showing gaps, squeaks, or lifting within a year or two.
Our rule of thumb
- Living rooms, bedrooms, prewar apartments: solid or engineered hardwood
- Kitchens, bathrooms, basements: high-end waterproof LVP
- Rental units and multi-family properties: LVP, for durability and easier turnover
- Co-op or condo board with sound requirements: engineered hardwood with the right underlayment — check with your board before ordering material
Not sure which is right for your space?
We'll walk your apartment or home and give you an honest recommendation — not just the option with the better margin.
Schedule a Design Consultation