We're at the start of a flooring job and I like what I see with this Vinyl planking. I like it better than laminate - so far. However, I have a few questions about it that I thought I'd pose as part of my research.

Seam integrity - being a materials guy myself, and having experience with laminate already, I'm not worried about seams with laminate. Melamine is a rigid material. Vinyl, on the other hand, is more resilient. I don't believe this stuff has been around that long. So are there concerns about seams? I recall having issues in the past with the old sheet vinyl. Seams would show over time. Now I'm considering putting in 'a thousand seams' with a vinyl plank floor if you catch my drift. Any concerns? Better yet, any experience good or bad? With sheet vinyl, seams started to show after several years. Eventually, after just 8 years, the seam came apart. I was told by an 'expert' that it was 'installed incorrectly'. Regardless, it left a bad taste in my mouth for the word 'vinyl', thus the reason for my question. Sales reps did not seem to understand this question.

Thickness - I looked at a Shaw type that was maybe 2-3 mm thick, and a 5 mm at Lumber Liquidators. The sales person at LL made a pretty big deal about thicker being better. What does this audience think and why?

Underlayment - LL suggested a Polyurethane foam underlayment for the vinyl that costs 70 cents a foot. The value proposition with this was mainly to smooth out sub floor imperfections over large areas (ours will be), warmth, and sound. Any experience with this underlayment?

Thank you for reading this post and I appreciate any help the experts can give