Rona

If you are patient, the duraclic flooring at Rona/ lowes come on sale for $3 per sqft or so. We’ve installed 5 different brands through our rentals and prefer that brand so far. The locking system and wear has been the most durable and similar cost to a smaller brand if purchased on sale More on reddit.com

Flooring may be perfectly fine, contractor is possibly the problem. Saying not and giving generic responses with no solutions, if any floor fails they have already started on the path of it's not my fault and will never be my fault. Suggestion is try another contractor or two and see what they have to say, you can say you got other quotes, but I would avoid saying anything negative, asking questions like I am liking this flooring option do you think it's good or do you have an alternative in the same tones or visual is a positive thing. I don't have a comment on the flooring because it's not available where I am at least not in a way I can cross it over specs look generic 90% of issues with SPC is the subfloor isn't flat enough the rest is, there is pinching, no expansion space, rolling chairs or no felt protectors on furniture that gets moved, or cleaning based issues. Uncommon but happen type of direct sunlight, interior severe temperature fluctuations, the rare cases an SPC should be acclimated, manufacturing defect/poor quality control, Hydrostatic moisture with concrete, alkalinity reactions, acidic cleaner reactions, steam mop was left on, going over solid hardwood floor, over a sleeper system and some other one. More on reddit.com

I've been a flooring installer for a long time. LVP has the highest rates of failure since everyone thought it would be a good idea to install solid bamboo in high humidity environments. The requirements for flatness are the most restrictive if you are interested in keeping your warranty. My crew is absolutely cracked at leveling and maintaining proper expansion gaps. We have 1-2 floors fail a year due to manufacturing defects and once, moisture issues. We have passed every NWFA inspection and neither myself or my clients have ever had to pay for replacement. If we weren't absolute psychos about adhering to manufacturer requirements, we'd be responsible. LVP has a soft vinyl wear layer that becomes cloudy and will show traffic patterns. Some manufacturers even added these disclaimers to their websites. No installation is waterproof. Maybe vinyl doesn't absorb water but if you have a flood or excessive moisture from the slab, these floors will buckle, same as any other floating installation. The interlocking clip system is the most common reason for failure. The holder is made of a brittle material that will fail if there is too much deflection. Your prepped surface must be clean, flat, and smooth. Easy for a trained crew, hard for inexperienced guys and homeowners. I would not let my family put LVP in their homes and I don't know anyone in the industry who has put it in their own places. I would recommend a modern laminate any day. Much better visuals, more durable wear layer, wax impregnated edges with 72 hour spill warranties (I've tested this and it's true), similar price point to LVP, and with the same prep as we do for LVP I haven't had a failure in years. My 2 cents. Good luck with your project! More on reddit.com

Laminate is generally cheaper than vinyl. It's not great with humid or wet places but you can get decent water resistant stuff for around $3-3.40 sqft. Not going to help if you get flooded again but will help with spills.

Vinyl is waterproof and generally more resistant to scratches. More expensive, for good stuff you'll probably spend $3.50-$5 sqft.

For underlay and sound proofing I'm guessing your condo wants IIC72 which would be pretty normal. DMX is really good stuff which can be used with laminate and vinyl. But it's a bit more expensive at about $.9sqft. Rona has one for vinyl that would work and it's about $.42 sqft.

Some laminate and about half vinyl have an underpaid already but a lot of those aren't 72IIC (and you can't double up on padding). Rona carries multiclic and Duraclic vinyl that have underpaid at IIC72, and they are pretty durable. Duraclic also often goes on sale for $3.50sqft.

For durability, thickness doesn't matter too much. I would go for something that is AC4, but AC3 would be fine.

More on reddit.com