Struggling with choices for replacing my carpet (about 850 sf) at home. Includes a set of stairs to my basement. Narrowed it down to stranded bamboo vs luxury vinyl planks. I have installed both. I don't like the plastic stair tread nosing for the vinyl option, looks no better than cheap laminate, whereas the bamboo stair nosing is solid stranded bamboo. Kitchen floor is stranded bamboo from Lumber liquidators 7 years ago, style is no longer available or I would probably use that. LVT seems the be the go-to now on most new floors, my son and I have installed over 3000 sf and it holds up well with a lifetime warranty.
LL is now telling me that their installers say that solid bamboo, vs engineered bamboo with an MDF core, has been problematic in humid climates and they seem to clump Michigan in that group for some reason. Solid would be special order. Seems like solid would be better in any climate, Nothing with MDF will go down on my floors. Most solid bamboo gets nailed down, LVT is click lock. I can do either, have the HF nail gun. I might mention that the solid stranded bamboo I have had down for 7 years has had zero problems and it looks like the day it was installed. BTW they call the MDF core bamboo "engineered", I always thought engineered always used a plywood base.
One option I am considering is going with LVT and milling my own oak stair tread nosing if I can get a stain to reasonably match.
Decisions, decisions...