Preperation for LVT to match existing floor levels

Hi there. Hoping I can find some advice on what to do here. After much abuse from pets, kids and sun damage, we had decided the time has come to remove our engineered wood floor and replace with a LVT click system from Howdens. It's been running round my head for weeks about the best way to do this to match in with the existing floor level so there is no change & no hideous gaps between the LVT & kitchen units.

The existing engineered floor is in a extension that is a 50/50 split of original floorboards in the original part and concrete floor in the new. When I installed the engineered floor I laid bitumen moisture barrier paper in the floorboard section & a liquid DPM on the concrete area. Then I laid a 5mm foam underlay followed by the engineered floor. This makes up 15mm of height in total.

The LVT flooring we are looking at is 5mm in depth. My thinking is I remove the engineered floor but keep the foam underlay. Then lay 9mm ply ontop, staggering the joints then use a feathering compound once down. Then I lay my new LVT which brings the new floor height to 14mm which is 1mm off the current FFL.

Does anyone see an issue with this method? Should I be fixing the ply down? I don't really want to be doing this as will pierce the bitumen paper and really don't want to fix into the concrete section. Keeping the foam underlay helps build my floor level up and can easily get hold of 9mm ply. If I remove this then have to make the rest up with thicker ply and buying non standard sizes becomes a pain.

thanks for reading the long post, hopefully it all makes sense and someone can offer some advice!

Cheers!

 

Howdens click LVT is possibly the worst product on the planet, I’d avoid

 

Thanks for the reply. What would you recommend? Karndean and Amtico versions are out of our budget.

Thanks

 

Personally I’d rather have a decent laminate over any click LVT

 

What's the durability of laminate over LVT? This is going into our kitchen / family room and there is alot of traffic in and out the house. Any recommendations on product?
Thanks

 

`quickstep

 

The ply will need fixing down. It wont lay flat and will flex and make noise when you walk over it.

 

Silly question but can the Quickstep laminate be laid in a herringbone pattern? LVT ranges seen to come in straight and herringbone options.

 

No

 

OK, thanks. The boss is adamant she wants herringbone (blame bloody instagram & pintrest) so that discounts Quickstep as far as I can see.