Stainmaster Vinyl Plank Reviews and Prices 2023

Stainmaster is a brand that has been around for decades, and a name most consumers will be familiar with. While you can find their fibers and coatings on a number of products, they also carry their own line of flooring as well, including carpet. The company’s lineup of luxury vinyl flooring has gotten a considerable amount of attention in recent years, and our Stainmaster vinyl plank review will let you know what to expect if you are considering purchasing planks from their expansive line flooring.

Stainmaster Vinyl Plank Flooring Review

You won’t find as many variants with luxury vinyl as you will with hardwood or engineered flooring, but Stainmaster has two types of planks currently in production. You can choose from the base brand, Stainmaster luxury vinyl, or from the company’s popular PetProtect luxury vinyl lineup if you have dogs or cats running around your home.

These two lines share more similarities than differences, although PetProtect has two unique features that set it apart. ClawShield offers up an additional layer of protection against scratches, while ActionTraction gives your 4-legged friends a bit more grip as vinyl is not typically pet-friendly in that regard.

Stainmaster Vinyl Plank Flooring

The company’s luxury vinyl flooring is listed on its official website under the Hard Flooring section, along with a handful of guides and their resilient sheet vinyl. Overall, we feel their site is easy to navigate, and you can sort through their options by look, color, and size or installation type.

Design

Stainmaster doesn’t list their product by collection like some manufacturers, but it's easy to browse by design. There are currently 124 styles between the regular and PetProtect series, and most resemble wood. You can find vinyl planks that look like weathered Oak or flooring that resembles Walnut, but there aren’t a great deal of species represented if you’re looking for something exotic.

Your other option with Stainmaster luxury vinyl plank flooring is stone. You’ll find more variance from these styles, including interesting alternatives like Coppermine and Kingston. There are around 40 options ranging from pink and light blue to darker shades like black and gray. With that in mind, most stone patterns are only available as a luxury vinyl tile although some are 36 to 48 inches wide.

Construction

Stainmaster doesn’t go into great detail on how their vinyl is produced, but we were able to glean some information from their listings. Their square vinyl tiles or anything not classified as a “plank” generally have a 12mil wear layer, which is topped off with a protective urethane coating.

Most of the luxury tiles we checked had a low gloss level and rounded edge profile with a total width of 2.5mm. As for their luxury vinyl plank flooring, there are more similarities than differences. You still get a 12mil wear layer with urethane coating, but these boards have a micro-beveled edge. They are also almost twice as thick at 4mm while the widths top out at 6”.

Fade and Water Resistance

UV rays can wreak havoc on hardwood flooring, vinyl, and other building materials. The biggest problem it causes is fading, which means sunlight from a window can be more trouble than you think. With Stainmaster’s luxury vinyl lineup, that shouldn’t be a problem. Their flooring comes with a limited lifetime guarantee that ensures your flooring won’t fade or stain under regular use.

Just how water-resistant this product is depends on how well it’s installed, in our opinion. As the planks and tiles are essentially made from a form of plastic, they can repel water better than other types of flooring naturally. You still need to be wary of gaps between planks, expansion joints and other areas where water may be able to seep through, which makes proper installation all the more important.

Dimensions

With Stainmaster’s luxury vinyl planks, there’s not much variance when it comes to sizes. All the styles we look at were either 5.74” wide or 6” wide, and every pack of planks has boards that are 47.74” long. There are a few oddballs around 24” long, but overall, vinyl plank flooring is not known for being sold in interesting or unusual sizes.

Things are different with luxury vinyl tiles, and 12” x 24” tiles are the most popular option. There are a handful of other sizes available as well, including 18” and 20” squares along with larger tiles 12” and 18” wide by 36” long. While their overall collection of LVT isn’t the largest, there should be a size to suit almost everyone’s needs.

The Green Factor

This is another area where we couldn’t find a great deal of information, although any vinyl product isn't considering eco-friendly in comparison to bamboo, linoleum or other flooring materials. With that in mind, large brands or companies generally have at least one eco-friendly lineup in their arsenal, and Stainmaster is no different.

Their luxury vinyl plank flooring was FloorScore certified on several online retail site’s although it’s not listed as such in the catalog on their website. Stainmaster luxury vinyl tile is listed as Phthalate-free, and FloorScore certified as well.

Installation

One of the reasons we love luxury vinyl tile is the fact it’s easy to work with and install. That means you won’t need to hire a professional to lay down flooring, and smaller rooms can be completed in a matter of hours.  The biggest issue you’re likely to face is an uneven floor or problems from preexisting flooring, especially considering vinyl can be installed in any room of your home.

The tools need to install Stainmaster luxury vinyl flooring depends on the product you choose. The company makes Loose Lay, Peel and Stick, Glue Down, Self Stick, and Floating Click Fold Down flooring. They also have a range of luxury vinyl tiles that you can use grout with, and some vinyl tiles can be cut using a razor knife depending on their thickness. 

Stainmaster Vinyl Plank Cost & Availability 

Most products that carry the Stainmaster branding are easy to acquire in the United States, and that includes their own goods. Their luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring can be found at Lowe’s, and you won’t find it anywhere else unless it’s discontinued or from a discount dealer.

You can order their LVP or LVT products online from Lowe’s if you don’t live near one, but we recommend heading to the store to check out samples beforehand. As you can see from our pricing table, there’s not a lot of variance from one style or size to the next at this time.

Form

Style

Installation

Size

Price

Plank

Handscraped Retreat

Locking

5.74” x 47”

$2.48 sq. ft.

Tile

Grand Central

Locking

12” x 24”

$2.49 sq. ft.

Plank

Cheyenne

Adhesive

6” x 48”

$2.48 sq. ft.

Tile

Casa Italia Groutable

Peel & Stick

6” x 24”

$1.29 each

Plank

Walnut Grove

Adhesive

6” x 48”

$2.48 each

Stainmaster Vinyl Plank Pros, Cons and Ratings

If you’ve been looking into vinyl flooring but have been turned off by some pricey products, Stainmaster may be a great choice for your home. They have one of the more affordable lineups on the market today as well, with the only real complaints coming into play with quality. Some bad reviews can be chalked up to poor installation, but there were enough to where you may want to dig a little deeper with their current lineup.

Pros:

Solid variety of colors and styles between wood-look planks and tile. Excellent warranty against fading, stains, and general wear. Affordable flooring across the board.

Cons:

Sparse collection overall compared to some competing brands. More realistic luxury vinyl planks available. Some reports of questionable quality

Ratings:

  • Range of color/style options: 4
  • Sizes: 3.5
  • Durability: 4
  • Eco-Friendly: 3
  • Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Looking for Qualified Installer for Stainmaster Flooring?

Some readers complained that they cound't find the local installers or overpaid the installation. Then we developed an online free estimate tool to help you get at least 3 local bids in 24 hours. 

This tool is powered by our partner Networx which has been specializing in collecting, vetting and rating vinyl flooring contractors for more than 20 years.

Comparing the 3 bids can help you get the reasonable installation cost and avoid getting ripped.

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