Andy Dunning is holding Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring, which he says is the hottest product in flooring, due to its durability and quality. (Photo: Andy Warrener)

American Wood Flooring has been operating as a family business for more than 25 years. It began as a small storefront in New Port Richey, selling wood flooring exclusively. The showroom in the Super Target-anchored Northwood Plaza in Wesley Chapel opened 12 years ago.

CEO Andy Dunning has always kept on top of the latest trends and products in the flooring business. While American Wood Flooring has stayed true to its roots, still offering traditional carpet, wood, tile and laminate options, Dunning says the product dominating the floor covering market these days is Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring. 

“In July, we did 33 installs just out of our New Tampa store, and 25 of them were LVP,” Dunning says. “Vinyl plank could make laminate products obsolete.” 

Dunning says that LVP flooring has only been available for about a year-and-a-half, but the product is dominating the market, and for good reason.

Why LVP?

Dunning says the number one reason is durability, which breaks down into three aspects: LVP is waterproof, dent-proof and scratch-resistant. 

And, LVP floors are 100-percent waterproof. This is huge for Floridians, who often have swimming pools or pets and endure sometimes torrential rainfall in the late summer and fall months. LVP’s high-density material is nearly impossible to dent and its uniform consistency makes it extremely scratch-resistant. 

“LVP is different than most flooring in that there are no wood particles, and no glue,” Dunning says. “It’s a lock-and-fold system. There is some subfloor prep but it’s minimal.”

Even big old Bentley — one of Andy and Sara Dunning’s two Great Danes — can’t damage the LVP floor in the Dunnings’ home.

A high-quality and waterproof floor covering? What’s not to like? LVP floors are waterproof for a couple of reasons. 

One, they are not made from wood. LVP floor panels are made from a PVC-type material. There’s never any swelling or cracking. 

Second, even if moisture somehow gets past the tight lock-and-fold system, the attached padding is made from an anti-microbial melamine material. The melamine material comes attached to the LVP panels and leaves no air pocket between the panels and the sub floor, as laminate flooring does. 

Waterproofing aside, LVP floors are some of the most durable on the market. There are currently only three mills in the world that have patent rights to produce LVP’s Rigid Core material. 

“The material in the Rigid Core is much more dense than the material used in the cores five to 10 years ago,” Dunning says. “I have two great Danes and I can tell you that my LVP floor is close to being indestructible.”

Animals large and small will find it nearly impossible to scratch the LVP floor. “We have two pugs that go up and down the stairs a lot and we have not seen any marks anywhere,” American Wood Flooring customer and Land O’ Lakes resident Kurt Kraemer says. 

Competitive Pricing 

Thanks in large part to the ease of installation, LVP floors can be installed at very competitive prices, when compared with other flooring.

And, through the months of August and September, American Wood Flooring is offering complete installation of LVP flooring for as little as $4.99 per square foot. Hardwood floors can cost as much as $17-$18 per square foot and don’t offer anywhere near the durability that LVP does. 

Dunning currently has four different styles/colors to choose from: Windsor, Blarney, Conway and Edinburgh. Samples can be viewed either in Dunning’s showroom or on the web at FlooringForFlorida.com

LVP is popular and trendy, but American Wood Flooring carries many different types of flooring to fit every need and desire.

Top-To-Bottom Service

American Wood Flooring doesn’t just throw the floor down and leave. The company is there for every step of the process. Dunning offers a free in-home consultation where he brings samples to your home, takes measurements and is able to give a very accurate quote.

“I had my whole house done — bedrooms, bathrooms, closets — and it all looks really nice and the whole process was really smooth,” Kraemer says. “We even had the stairs done and it finishes off the place very nicely. We were very happy with the work; they even put all the furniture back in place where it was.”

Kraemer also was pleased with how the work design allowed him to still utilize his home during a complete floor replacement.

“They did the important areas first,” Kraemer said. “They did the bedrooms first, so I wasn’t inconvenienced much. I was so grateful for this, coming home from work and being able to use my house.”

Even if you’re just trying to sell your home, a new LVP floor might be the clincher in helping make that sale. 

“We had the LVP product installed in a home we were revamping to sell,” local Realtor Cherry Norris says. “Andy came over and was very professional. We checked other pricing and his quote was better for LVP flooring, plus some carpet. We were all happy with the price and the quality of material. It totally changed the look of the house and the house sold to the first buyer that saw it. The buyers really liked the way it looked and felt. It’s a tight installation with no gaps. The clients loved the color and said it looked like real wood planks.”

American Wood Flooring stays on top of the emerging technologies in the industry and offers first-rate service at premium pricing, while still offering a list of traditional flooring options. The company even offers Bloomin’ Brands gift cards (good at Outback, Bonefish and Carrabas) to clients who refer friends and family. 

American Wood Flooring’s Wesley Chapel showroom is located at 1285 BBD Blvd. and is open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat., and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sun. For more info, visit FlooringforFlorida.com, call (813) 991-7999 or see the ad on page 42.

Recommended Posts

No comment yet, add your voice below!


Add a Comment