As a DIY project, I recently installed about 300sqft of the Shaw Cathedral Oak Ridid Core HD Plus flooring. My wife and I ordered many samples of different LVP products, but were drawn to this flooring mainly due to the large, beveled edges, and color. Not many other LVP products had the large bevels. For reference, the product install was on level, plywood subflooring, in good condition. Product Pros: 1)Large beveled edges make for a nice texture on flooring install Product Cons: 1) Brittle material: I had a very large scrap rate with this product. The material is so brittle, that the flooring often breaks when tapping the boards together. Sometimes the boards break at the point of tapping, and other times they break where they join together. Either way, the click-lock junction is a huge stress riser, and is extremely weak in this area. I used a flooring install kit from FlooringInc (e.g. plastic tapping block) to help put this together. The kit was very helpful. I was NOT impressed by how many boards broke during installation. In fact, I had to order 2 extra boxes to finish the job even though I originally ordered 20% extra for scrap 2) Compared to other LVP click-lock products I've used (I only have one other data point with a competitor's product, also sold on FlooringInc), this product was very finicky to get properly locked together. In particular, the end-to-end corner joints were very sensitive. Other flooring I've installed, was much more fool-proof: you could get the planks started, and give it a quick tap, and it would be locked. This product was a royal PITA in install. In fact, I considered scrapping all of the Shaw product, eating the cost, and ordering new product. I stuck it out, though. I should note: this is not my first flooring project. I installed about 800sqft of a competitor's product (also waterproof LVP from FlooringInc.com) a couple months ago. I was really impressed with that flooring--very robust and easy install. So, I'm quite familiar with the proper installation process of click-lock style flooring. I didn't use that particular brand for this project, since I wanted to explore product with larger edge bevels. In hindsight, I would have ordered that brand of flooring again. In summary: *I would highly recommend FLooringInc. Quick & easy ordering, with timely delivery of product. No complaints. *I would not recommend this line of Shaw products. The brittle nature of the plank (particularly the edges and joints), combined with the finicky click-lock feature made for a miserable installation. I also worry about the long term durability of the plank joints.
The floor looks gorgeous. I went with the Ravine Oak after getting a few samples, I love the embossing. It looks so real! Well worth the price, I know it will hold up for years.
We wanted a very durable product that'll last for years and found this to be a good choice. I like the variation of colors in my floor. It was also easy to install.
Really durable - we got the 20 mil since the sales person recommended it since we have large dogs. We are expecting to have this floor for a long time.
