COREtec: A Popular Favorite In Our Marietta Showroom
At Professional Installed Floors, visitors to our Marietta showroom will often hear us talking about COREtec. COREtec is not itself a brand or a specific item; instead, it’s a unique element of engineered materials from US Floors.
COREtec refers to a patented internal structure at the core of the plank (hence, COREtec). This structure uses waterproof materials and is extruded to specific shape/size for the plank. It provides a glueless profile, allowing for greater stability without needing an extra adhesive.
The products that use the COREtec core structure are known as COREtec plus. These are manufactured with a patented design built on layers.From top to bottom these are:
Layer 1: A translucent layer of 0.5mm for extra impact and wear protection that is rated for even commercial levels of usage. The layer also makes cleaning even easier than many other solid flooring options.
Layer 2: A luxury vinyl top layer that is durable and resilient against chips and dents. This layer is made from 100% virgin vinyl — that is, vinyl that does not use any fillers or recycled material to ensure maximum quality.
Layer 3: The COREtec core structure.
Layer 4: The bottom layer of a COREtec Plus product is the attached cork underlayment. The flexibility of the cork absorbs any subfloor imperfections for stability while also providing sound insulation. This ensures the product can be used without any need for separate underlayment, and its natural properties are resistant to both mold and mildew.
When combined together, these four layers form one of the best choices in the solid flooring market. The final product is noted for its durability and resistance in many different situations, including being a waterproof (and thus safe for a kitchen or laundry room).
Our COREtec Experiences
Of course, hearing about technical specifications and patented construction is one thing but how about in the real world? We can tell you that anecdotally, COREtec products are very popular among our customers. In fact, if we crunched the sales numbers, it would probably provide numbers to back that up. Here are some of our more recent experiences with COREtec products over the past year.
Pro Plus: COREtec Pro Plus may be our most popular choice in our entire store’s catalog. This is an excellent line that balances durability, looks, and cost efficiency. Many people love it for that specific balance, and the fact that it comes in so many colors while being easy to install makes it a bestseller.
HD Plus: This is another popular choice. Its quality lies slightly more premium than the standard COREtec Pro Plus, and for that extra cost, you will get a thicker plank with a richer look It’s still fairly cost effective and a good choice for anyone to explore whether they’re remodeling or starting from scratch.
Don’t Forget Hardwood Floors
US Floors also offers a range of natural wood flooring. Here are the favorites at Professional Installed Floors.
Castle Combe Collection: What’s unique about the Castle Combe collection? In general, it’s simply a sturdy and beautiful hardwood collection. However, our team has made note of it because it was the largest job we did in 2018. Being able to prepare and install at such quantity while finishing in a timely manner — and to hear lovely feedback from a satisfied customer, it all adds up to a memorable project in the Professional Installed Floors archives. More importantly, it shows the range and scalability of COREtec products for projects of any shape and size.
Natural Wood Wilderness: We absolutely love COREtec products but there is something truly special about hardwood floors. The Natural Wood family of products is a sister line in the US Floors catalog. Specifically, the Wilderness line offers six different oak options and five hickory options, all at a cost effective price point while never eschewing quality.
Meridian Collection: The Meridian Collection is a new product line from US Floors, and it’s something we are very excited about at Professional Installed Floors. This may be the best-looking floor of the entire US Floors catalog, and it’s a testament to the quality of the engineering and manufacturing involved. The Meridian Collection is NOT a COREtec product; like the Wilderness collection, it is part of the Natural Wood collection with a hardwood core. Note that the Meridian Collection comes with an acrylic finish similar to COREtec engineered products. This helps deliver a similar level of durability while providing the unique look and feel only found with true hardwood floors.
When Should I Choose COREtec?
We looked at some common customer questions to see if COREtec products would work for them.
“I have a commercial restaurant/bar. Is COREtec for me?”
COREtec Plus products are a really great solution for a commercial space that will see a lot of foot traffic, even with food and drink being passed and served. With this amount of foot traffic, that means a combination of spills, dirt, crashes, and even stiletto heels. COREtec Plus products address this with their various layers. The top layers protect against wear and impact. The waterproof core makes spills and cleanup east. Even the cork bottom helps the wait staff by making it easy on their feet.
“I have big dogs, what should I pick?”
All COREtec Plus have two top layers. The very top is a translucent layer that provides additional scratch and wear resistance. The layer beneath that is a durable top layer that also protects the middle core. When combined, this allows the planks to withstand impact from the nails of even big dogs such as Newfoundlands and Mastiffs. Also, the bigger the dog, the bigger the accident, but the waterproof properties of COREtec Plus means that cleanup will be as fast and easy as possible.
“Can COREtec products match my existing solid floor color?”
Yes and no. US Floors offers a wide range of colors within its existing product line. These provide many options, and you can make an appointment for us to come out with color swatches. This will allow us to sanity check the colors side by side. However, only unstained planks can be matched exactly to existing colors. You’ll need to discuss availability with us based on size and feature needs.
“What kind of warranty comes with COREtec products?”
COREtec Plus products have a lifetime warranty for residential usage within standard usage guidelines. There are a lot of details to know about these guidelines, and the easiest way to understand what’s involved is to get in touch with Professional Installed Floors.
Is COREtec Right For Me?
The simple answer to that question is that in most cases, yes. In fact, there are very few situations where we wouldn’t actually recommend COREtec.
However, if you need some help in making a decision, we invite you to either drop by our Marietta showroom or schedule a visit out to your home/commercial space for a free consultation. We’ll be happy to go over samples, try colors, discuss specifications, and look at budget concerns — and chances are, we’ll all agree that COREtec is a great choice for you.
