LVT brands - quality difference?

[Kismett]

I previously had a post asking what type of flooring to use and I was introduced to LVT. We’ve decided to go with it but don’t know if we should pick one brand over the other. Out of the samples we’ve seen, we have picked one from Camaro and one from Amtico.

There’s obviously a huge price difference. The Amtico is more expensive but has a thicker wear layer. Does anyone have Camaro and have thoughts on how it has held up? I believe the wear layer is .3 for Camaro as opposed to .55 for Amtico Spacia.

We are hoping to be in this house for the foreseeable future and will hopefully raise a family here so we’d like something that could last through that.

I'm not familiar with Camaro but that sounds very thin to me. Too thin. We have .55 karndean which makes it suitable for commercial use.

Thanks @Kamma89. Yes, the Amtico is also rated for commercial use but I was wondering if that’s necessary for a private residence.

Amtico will basically last forever in a house, whereas the camero would wear out after a long time.

To put those wear ratings into perspective - a cheapest, only expect it to last a couple of years vinyl is 0.15. The next step up but still budget is 0.2 and you'd expect that to last a good few years. So 0.3 should last a long time, just not forever like an amtico 0.55 would.

Ultimately it comes down to your budget and whether or not you think you'll want a change of flooring in 10years time.

I've got Camaro down in my kitchen that still looks gorgeous seven years after it was laid. It's an extremely heavy traffic area. The fitter had Camaro in his own home; reckoned there was less to choose between it and Karndean than the price differential suggests there should be.
The more expensive ones have more sophisticated designs, as I see it - eg parquet styles.

... and we're only just about to get rid of the super-cheap orangey laminate in our living room, that was here when we bought the house, and which is still OK. Make of that what you will. I wouldn't go into debt for a floor; Camaro is great.

Thanks @LittleBLUEsmurfHouse, that’s exactly the sort of perspective I was after. The Amtico will still fall within our budget but I wanted to understand the difference in value.

@Lemonsole thanks for the info on the Camaro. It’s hard to find people who have it (and how it’s fared after a long time). Good to know that it holds up well.

Based on what @littleblue had said about the wear ratings it sounds like the camaro should be fine then. What I would say is everyone I know who has paid for the "official" fitters to ensure guarantee is in tact has regretted the cost & failed to claim for issues or it's been a massive faff. Reliable local independents at a fraction of the price (or DIY if you're very handy) is probably the way to go.

What did you go with in the end. We're you happy with it?

We had LVT fitted and the biggest regret of our life.

I’ve been 6 months walking on bare concrete in my new house as the whole thing had to be ripped up and the builder won’t fix it.

Surely this is the fault of your fitter and not the LVT? Not particularly helpful in answering either the original question or mine? You have given no details of which LVT you have used or the reasons why you needed to have it taken up.

Pink we need more details, what was wrong with it.

We installed LVT ourselves, bought Quickstep Livyn for the children's bathroom floor as it is a click system, so incredibly easy to lay. It has been down 3 years, looks like new. And I hand clean the floor so I get to see it close up.

I have no idea about wear layer as I can't find any info on it. Obviously a glue down system costs more due to the fitting.