LM Flooring is a large flooring manufacturer that sprang to life in 2001. They are a company geared towards engineered hardwood flooring with an impressive lineup of planks. In our LM Flooring review, we are going to take a closer look at this eco-friendly brand, which is a subsidiary of Fine Furniture LTD.
LM Flooring Collections
If you are interested in engineered hardwood for your home, but not sure what you're looking for, you'll be thrilled with LM's selection. With close to 30 collections currently in their catalog, you won't have any trouble finding something you like.
While we aren't going to break down all of LM Floorings collections, we did go through them all to see what makes them special. Variance is one thing that stood out. One collection will be entirely different from the next as the only uniform similarities we noticed were in the construction and installation methods. All engineered flooring from LM has a 4-sided bevel and most are listed as having a multi-ply construction. Thickness varies between ½” and 3/8” on most products as well with a few exceptions.
As for the species, you'll need to select a collection to see what's offered. It's not the most convenient method if you already know what you want, and most are in the domestic class. While the Coventry Collection features seven styles of White Oak boards that are 7” wide, you'll only give Acacia flooring in the Costa Mesa Collection.
There are a few collections that feature several species as well. Kendall is a good example with Maple, Walnut, and Oak, while Kendall Exotics features Acacia, Sapelli, Cumaru, and Tigerwood. From Grey and Bleached White to more natural hues, there is a style and color for every home. We also like the sizing considering there are random width, regular-sized, and boards that are 9” wide in their collections.
Treatments and Finishes
You won't find as many finishing techniques from LM Flooring as you will from some manufacturers. That said, they aren't far behind, so you can expect to find plenty of hand-scraped and brushed boards along with some weathered wood. When it comes to the actual finish, Aluminum Oxide is used on all the flooring.
Construction
As mentioned, most of LM Flooring engineered hardwood floors are listed as having a multi-ply construction. We didn't see another option in that regard although some boards have nothing listed under that area at all. While the thickness varies, they are all installed using the same methods aside from a few styles and have the aforementioned 4-sided bevel.
Durability
Solid hardwood generally has an advantage over engineered products in terms of durability with the exception of engineered bamboo flooring. Species plays a part in that as well, although the warranty is critical with engineered multi-layered planks. With LM Flooring, there are two main tiers at 25 and 50 years along with a few collections listed at 15 years.
In most cases, thicker flooring will have a longer warranty, so most ½” and ¾”planks are guaranteed for 50 years. Flooring that's 3/8” thick has the 25-year guarantee, but there are also a few styles at 15 years. The warranty information for each style is clearly listed, however, and ready to find on every product page.
The Green Factor
Sustainability is important in the flooring industry, especially when companies have to cut down trees to produce flooring. LM Flooring has “Green “Guidelines” they live by, which includes managed plantations, sustainable design, and an extremely high wood-to-waste ratio.
When it comes to VOCs, you won't have anything to fear from LM engineered flooring. Every listing we checked was rated as TSCA Title VI CARB Compliant. Some products carry GreenGuard Gold Certification as well, although that's hit or miss on some styles.
LM Hardwood Cost & Availability
LM Floorings' name may not ring out like some of the larger flooring brands, but we're pleased to say that their engineered flooring is very easy to find. While we're not sure how hard it will be to track down locally, online their number dealers that carry a full array of their products. Our table below will give you an idea of what to expect from some of the styles in the LM Flooring catalog.
Collection | Style | Species | Size (random lengths) | Price per sq. ft. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kendall | Natural | Sapelli | ½” x 5” x random | $5.39 |
Bentley | Arctic Gray | European Oak | ½” x 7.5” random length | $5.99 |
Stone Creek | Preston | Walnut | ½” x 7” random lengths | $6.59 |
Valley View | Winslow | Oak | 3/8” x 5” random lengths | $2.99 |
Alpine | Mesquite | Sliced Birch | ½” x 6” | $5.40 |
River Ranch | Hickory | Buckeye | 3/8” x 5” | $3.65 |
LM Flooring Pros, Cons and Ratings
Unless you are interested in solid hardwood flooring, there's really no downside LM Flooring's products. We feel they have an expansive collection of domestic species and styles with price points that should suit most homeowners' budgets.
Pros: Hundreds of style and color combinations. Wide variety of widths with random lengths. An impressive amount of collections overall.
Cons: Collections skewed towards domestic species, Oak in particular. Most of their flooring is on the high end of the pricing scale.
Ratings:
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