Redoing Kitchen Floor Over Existing Tiles - Costco Waterproof Laminate/LVP or High-end LVP?

The Golden Select laminate is a rigid core, that's a different product than the traditional laminate. A traditional laminate floor has a fibreboard core like this:


Rigid core is different. It has a plastic layer like this as the core:


I don't have a layer diagram but suspect that the Golden Select is taking the rigid core of vinyl and using it to replace the fibreboard core. The fibreboard core is what would swell when it gets wet, so that's the problem. Overall, if the laminate is claiming to be waterproof, the claim seems very much possible given they replaced the core with the same core use in vinyl flooring.

TrevorK wrote: ↑ The Golden Select laminate is a rigid core, that's a different product than the traditional laminate. A traditional laminate floor has a fibreboard core like this:


Rigid core is different. It has a plastic layer like this as the core:


I don't have a layer diagram but suspect that the Golden Select is taking the rigid core of vinyl and using it to replace the fibreboard core. The fibreboard core is what would swell when it gets wet, so that's the problem. Overall, if the laminate is claiming to be waterproof, the claim seems very much possible given they replaced the core with the same core use in vinyl flooring.

I thought about this when they say it's rigid core laminate, but I sort of ruled out this possibility because in that case, why did they still call this a laminate floor? Doesn't it necessarily becomes LVP then? What other characteristics could make this a laminate floor rather than a LVP?

R5Ty1e wrote: ↑ I thought about this when they say it's rigid core laminate, but I sort of ruled out this possibility because in that case, why did they still call this a laminate floor? Doesn't it necessarily becomes LVP then? What other characteristics could make this a laminate floor rather than a LVP?

If you go to Costco, see if you can find an open box. You'll see the layers, and the layers will show the plastic (well whatever you want to call it) core. We had a box of the Sherwood ourselves to try out the colour in our home - the rigid core was a huge appeal because it was waterproof. We liked the floor but the colour was not what we wanted. We wanted something a little warmer (which isn't in style right now).

Laminate has traditionally been harder to scratch because of the wear layer. I'm sure that changes based on what you compare it to, LVT has come a long way. My understanding is that they are taking the top layers (wear and design layer) and putting it on top of the vinyl core. However, keep in mind this could simply be a way to market to the laminate crowd (who want a realistic or more realistic looking floor) and it could be very similar to LVT.

You would likely have to visit an actual flooring store for a more detailed explanation. We were at one (for carpet, but were also browsing laminate at the time) and they were able to discuss a little about this but said that the sales rep from the manufacturer was coming to give them a walkthrough of the product later that month. It's my understanding the rigid core laminate is very new to the market (this was in the summer). That's why we picked up a box to demo the colour when we saw it in Costco.

DON'T do it! DONT put flooring over your old floor. In my old house the jackass owner ceramic tiled right over linoleum vinyl tiles. guess what? they cracked a few years later. when i took out the dishwasher the linoleum vinyl layer was there they did not tile under the dishwasher, the vinyl was so thin i could have pulled it off with just one hand it was soo easy to remove to tile over it you must be really really lazy, plus it ads thickness to the floor which is not cool

TrevorK wrote: ↑ If you go to Costco, see if you can find an open box. You'll see the layers, and the layers will show the plastic (well whatever you want to call it) core. We had a box of the Sherwood ourselves to try out the colour in our home - the rigid core was a huge appeal because it was waterproof. We liked the floor but the colour was not what we wanted. We wanted something a little warmer (which isn't in style right now).

Laminate has traditionally been harder to scratch because of the wear layer. I'm sure that changes based on what you compare it to, LVT has come a long way. My understanding is that they are taking the top layers (wear and design layer) and putting it on top of the vinyl core. However, keep in mind this could simply be a way to market to the laminate crowd (who want a realistic or more realistic looking floor) and it could be very similar to LVT.

You would likely have to visit an actual flooring store for a more detailed explanation. We were at one (for carpet, but were also browsing laminate at the time) and they were able to discuss a little about this but said that the sales rep from the manufacturer was coming to give them a walkthrough of the product later that month. It's my understanding the rigid core laminate is very new to the market (this was in the summer). That's why we picked up a box to demo the colour when we saw it in Costco.

That's some great information. Thanks!

I'm waiting on the Sherwood sample to arrive (simply because I do not have a Costco membership, yet!). I'm planning to cut it open to see what's in the core. Interesting that you mentioned laminate is hard to scratch traditionally. I wonder if anyone has done a cross comparison of AC5 laminate vs. a 20+ mil LVP on the scratch resistance aspect.

The thing about this GS Sherwood (or any Costco laminate/LVP in general) is that there is very limited information on tech specs (other than thickness and wear layer). I wonder if that's intentional to make the product look good in the two most important aspects while cutting corners in things that we don't know. I emailed tech support for more details on the waterproofness and they come back with an installation guide along with the comment that any spills should be picked up as soon as possible... lol

May I ask if you eventually go with a LVP or something? and what did you pick?

GoodFellaz wrote: ↑ DON'T do it! DONT put flooring over your old floor. In my old house the jackass owner ceramic tiled right over linoleum vinyl tiles. guess what? they cracked a few years later. when i took out the dishwasher the linoleum vinyl layer was there they did not tile under the dishwasher, the vinyl was so thin i could have pulled it off with just one hand it was soo easy to remove to tile over it you must be really really lazy, plus it ads thickness to the floor which is not cool

I have existing tiles and removing them would be a much bigger project than the flooring part itself unfortunately I even need to remove cabinets in order to remove the tiles so it's not going to be an option for us.

Based on what I've ready, installing a floating floor on top of the tiles should not be a huge issue if done properly.

R5Ty1e wrote: ↑ I have existing tiles and removing them would be a much bigger project than the flooring part itself unfortunately I even need to remove cabinets in order to remove the tiles so it's not going to be an option for us.

Based on what I've ready, installing a floating floor on top of the tiles should not be a huge issue if done properly.

It would be a bigger project but as Mr Holmes would say...probably better to do it properly. If you go ahead, I'd probably skim coat the seam/grout lines between tiles.

How thick are all those layers that you have to install? You might have a bit of a tripping hazard when you transition from kitchen/laminate to other flooring.

gr8dlr wrote: ↑ It would be a bigger project but as Mr Holmes would say...probably better to do it properly. If you go ahead, I'd probably skim coat the seam/grout lines between tiles.

How thick are all those layers that you have to install? You might have a bit of a tripping hazard when you transition from kitchen/laminate to other flooring.

Yea, I'll make sure the subfloor is as flat as possible. Those planks are very thin, like less than 1cm. I already have a few samples and the high difference is almost ignorable. I'm sure with proper transition (reducer) installed, it won't be much of a problem.

R5Ty1e wrote: ↑ That's some great information. Thanks!

I'm waiting on the Sherwood sample to arrive (simply because I do not have a Costco membership, yet!). I'm planning to cut it open to see what's in the core. Interesting that you mentioned laminate is hard to scratch traditionally. I wonder if anyone has done a cross comparison of AC5 laminate vs. a 20+ mil LVP on the scratch resistance aspect.

The thing about this GS Sherwood (or any Costco laminate/LVP in general) is that there is very limited information on tech specs (other than thickness and wear layer). I wonder if that's intentional to make the product look good in the two most important aspects while cutting corners in things that we don't know. I emailed tech support for more details on the waterproofness and they come back with an installation guide along with the comment that any spills should be picked up as soon as possible... lol

May I ask if you eventually go with a LVP or something? and what did you pick?

If you get a membership, you can always head over to the display and scratch it with your keys. Trust me, you won't be the first lol. It's my understanding the LVT is generally less scratch resistant because of the wear layer, but with all the advances in technology that really might not hold much truth any longer. I would expect LVT to have come a long way as it's competitor is laminate.

What you could do when you're done beating up your sample, cut up a smaller piece of it and leave it in a bucket of water for a day or two. If it doesn't swell after that, I think their claim of waterproof is pretty solid.

Golden Select has been pretty popular on RFD in general because of it's price point and coming on sale at Costco a couple times a year. I know I have heard a lot of good things about it from RFD. If it truly is made in Germany as they claim, and you have the Costco warranty behind you, I would feel comfortable simply trusting them. It would be much nicer to have access to the certification / testing methods, perhaps ask them if there are any third party tests which they can send you? That might indicate what specifications the floor meets.


Honestly, we haven't picked anything yet. We wanted laminate / vinyl in the living spaces and carpet in the bedrooms. So we were able to select a carpet and got that taken care of, but we have yet to find a laminate / vinyl that we like. I didn't think my criteria was too picky - it has to have the beveled edges, it has to be a warm brown / red (like your traditional maple or cherry hardwood), and not overly distressed (preference to little or none). I see exactly what I want in hardwood all the time, but with kids and that I just don't trust the durability of it. We have gone to a couple places and they have turned up empty handed. This summer I should have more time to get going again on it, but with our desire to avoid the grey's and light colours (more of the warm colours like brown or red) I think we are really out of trend with our wants and it's really hard to find. The beveled edge eliminates most flooring options immediately.

TrevorK wrote: ↑ What you could do when you're done beating up your sample, cut up a smaller piece of it and leave it in a bucket of water for a day or two. If it doesn't swell after that, I think their claim of waterproof is pretty solid.

Yea, that's exactly what I was planning to do after I got the sample!

The beveled edges are indeed nice. I think Torlys and Twelve Oaks have this?

The color you're after does seem harder to find in laminate/LVP. They all tend to be lighter/cooler and not as "profound" in terms of color depth. We're after light grey so we don't find color to be a significant issue (though I have yet to see what Sherwood looks like in person).

The manufacturers behind all those Costco floors seem to really want to limit the information that's available to public. I asked tech support of another Costco brand and they basically said they have as much information as that's on the Costco website, which by itself is bare minimal. lol

R5Ty1e wrote: ↑ Yea, that's exactly what I was planning to do after I got the sample!

The beveled edges are indeed nice. I think Torlys and Twelve Oaks have this?

The color you're after does seem harder to find in laminate/LVP. They all tend to be lighter/cooler and not as "profound" in terms of color depth. We're after light grey so we don't find color to be a significant issue (though I have yet to see what Sherwood looks like in person).

The manufacturers behind all those Costco floors seem to really want to limit the information that's available to public. I asked tech support of another Costco brand and they basically said they have as much information as that's on the Costco website, which by itself is bare minimal. lol

I wonder if companies like Golden Select are really just around to sell to the big box stores? I could see there being brands setup (and might even be related to other brands) strictly to sell to big box stores. It allows them to offer a price point their major brand would not allow (diminishes the reputation), and they can of course fold up shop at any time. Hiding the specifications of the flooring and the third party tests they claim to have done means they are not held accountable to any of those claims, smart move on their part given most of the consumers don't care because of the price point.

At least you would have Costco standing behind your floor. While I'm not for abusing Costco's policies, I would have no problem returning something to Costco if the manufacturer does not want to warranty it or is no longer around. I don't know of many other retailers where this is even close to being possible.

Good luck! I know we liked the Sherwood itself, just not the colour. We installed the flooring overtop a 4x8 sheet of plywood in our room to get a feel for the colour at different times of day. Walking on it and that, everything seemed great.

GoodFellaz wrote: ↑ DON'T do it! DONT put flooring over your old floor. In my old house the jackass owner ceramic tiled right over linoleum vinyl tiles. guess what? they cracked a few years later. when i took out the dishwasher the linoleum vinyl layer was there they did not tile under the dishwasher, the vinyl was so thin i could have pulled it off with just one hand it was soo easy to remove to tile over it you must be really really lazy, plus it ads thickness to the floor which is not cool

You really think it was the thin linoleum vinyl tiles that made the ceramic tile crack? Doubtful. More than likely a bad ceramic tile job with poor mortar coverage.

If you go over the tile make sure it's in good shape. The grout lines could be an issue showing through the planks after time. Consider any doors and transitions that will need work to deal with the thicker floor.

TrevorK wrote: ↑ I wonder if companies like Golden Select are really just around to sell to the big box stores? I could see there being brands setup (and might even be related to other brands) strictly to sell to big box stores. It allows them to offer a price point their major brand would not allow (diminishes the reputation), and they can of course fold up shop at any time. Hiding the specifications of the flooring and the third party tests they claim to have done means they are not held accountable to any of those claims, smart move on their part given most of the consumers don't care because of the price point.

At least you would have Costco standing behind your floor. While I'm not for abusing Costco's policies, I would have no problem returning something to Costco if the manufacturer does not want to warranty it or is no longer around. I don't know of many other retailers where this is even close to being possible.

Good luck! I know we liked the Sherwood itself, just not the colour. We installed the flooring overtop a 4x8 sheet of plywood in our room to get a feel for the colour at different times of day. Walking on it and that, everything seemed great.

I pulled the trigger to renew my Costco membership (expired since COVID started) so that I could go in-store to check out the Sherwood (the sample I ordered took forever to come).

This thing is like a beast. Did the key test (not using a super sharp edge as no floor can survive that) and it passed with no problem. It's noticeably more scratch resistant than the Golden Select LVP. I also took a look at the core and can hardly find any hint of wood laminate. It does not resemble a SPC core either. I could not tell what it is but it looks pretty durable and waterproof.

Next step would be to do a water soak once I get the sample from GS, but I'm almost leaning towards it already given the visual and scratch check. Maybe once in a while, I might wonder "what if" I got that Torlys/Twelvel Oaks, lol...

R5Ty1e wrote: ↑
Next step would be to do a water soak once I get the sample from GS, but I'm almost leaning towards it already given the visual and scratch check. Maybe once in a while, I might wonder "what if" I got that Torlys/Twelvel Oaks, lol...

Did you do the water soak with the sample? What is the result?
I don't think it has a PVC Rigid core through, because on Costco it shows "PVC free"

mtlrent wrote: ↑ Did you do the water soak with the sample? What is the result?
I don't think it has a PVC Rigid core through, because on Costco it shows "PVC free"

Nope. I still haven't received the sample, I doubt it will ever come, but I still decided to go with the Sherwood. The thing looks pretty durable and waterproof.

Do it right the first time around.

Rip out the tiles. For the ones inside the cabinet .... cut them ...

Laying the vinyl or whatever you want would that be more flat for you to remove the dishwasher when you need to swap out.

Also ... the new flooring would then be more leveled with the attaching doorways ... no need for to high of a transition.

But to each his own.