The lower-mid market for vinyl plank is a crowded place, and most buyers cannot tell three competing brands apart on a showroom display. Touch of Color flooring sits in that mix as a value-tier brand that punches noticeably above its price point on visual quality, while sometimes giving up ground on warranty depth. If you are weighing it against the usual suspects from big-box stores, you need a clear-eyed read of where it wins and where it loses.
What Touch of Color Flooring Is
Touch of Color is a private-label flooring brand distributed largely through independent and regional retailers. Its lineup centers on rigid SPC luxury vinyl plank, with limited laminate and waterproof carpet ranges. Cores typically run 5-7 mm with wear layers from 6 mil at the entry tier to 22 mil at the top end. Most lines come with attached IXPE underlayment 1-1.5 mm thick.
Visual styling skews modern: 7-9 inch wide planks, 48-60 inch length, painted oak and weathered wood looks dominate the catalog.
Product Lines and Pricing
- Builder/value tier: 5 mm core, 6-12 mil wear layer, $2.29-$2.79 per square foot. Suited for closets, guest rooms, low-traffic rentals.
- Mid-tier: 6 mm core, 12-20 mil wear layer, $2.99-$3.49 per square foot. Workhorse for primary living spaces.
- Premium tier: 7 mm core, 22 mil wear layer, painted bevels, $3.49-$3.99 per square foot. Comparable spec to mid-line Mohawk SolidTech or Shaw Floorte.
Compare those numbers to a 22 mil COREtec at $5.49+ or Karndean at $6.99+ and the value proposition is clear. You are paying for the wear layer and the look, not for the parent brand.
Pros of Choosing Touch of Color Flooring
Visual quality is the headline strength. Recent SKUs include 8-10 unique plank faces per carton, micro-bevels, and registered embossing that lines up with the print. Walk a 600 sq ft installation and you will struggle to spot pattern repeats, which is the giveaway on cheaper LVP.
Style breadth is unusually deep for the price tier. Touch of Color flooring offers everything from rustic hand-scraped oak to clean Scandinavian whitewash, plus a few stone-look 12×24 inch SKUs that read convincingly as travertine.
The 22 mil wear layer at the top of the range is genuinely commercial-grade. That same wear layer in a Mannington or Karndean product would carry a 30 percent price premium.
Cons and Trade-offs
Warranty support is the main soft spot. Touch of Color flooring typically carries a lifetime residential and limited commercial warranty, but enforcement runs through the dealer or distributor, not a major manufacturer claims department. If your dealer goes out of business in year 8 of an installation, you may struggle to source matching replacement boxes.
Click-system robustness varies. The premium tier uses a Unilin-licensed system that locks tight and stays put. The builder tier uses a generic click that, in our experience, can pop apart at high-traffic transitions if subfloor flatness exceeds 3/16 inch in 10 feet. Subfloor prep matters more on the value tier.
Color matching across pallet runs has been inconsistent in some reports. Always order 5-10 percent extra on the original purchase rather than re-ordering a partial box later.
Installation Details
Most Touch of Color flooring installs as a floating click-lock floor. Standard requirements:
- Subfloor flat to within 3/16 inch in 10 feet for premium, 1/8 inch in 6 feet for builder tier.
- 6-mil polyethylene vapor retarder over concrete.
- 1/4 inch expansion gap at all walls and vertical obstructions.
- Acclimate cartons 48 hours flat-stacked at 60-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Maximum running length 30-40 feet without a transition strip.
Skip the vapor retarder over concrete and you will void the moisture portion of the warranty. That single $0.10 per square foot upgrade is the cheapest insurance in the project.
How It Stacks Up to Competitors
Compared to popular alternatives:
- vs. NuCore (Floor and Decor): Visually similar, comparable wear layers, NuCore wins on instant pickup and broader replacement stock.
- vs. LifeProof (Home Depot): LifeProof has stronger warranty backing through Home Depot. Touch of Color flooring typically wins on plank visuals and bevel depth.
- vs. Smartcore (Lowe’s): Roughly even on price; Touch of Color edges out on premium-tier wear layer thickness.
- vs. Shaw and Mohawk mid-line: National brands have stronger commercial warranty backing, but Touch of Color saves $1-$1.50 per square foot on equivalent specs.
Where It Fits Best
Touch of Color flooring is a strong pick for:
- Whole-home renovations on a $4-$6 per square foot installed budget.
- Rental properties where visuals matter for tenant retention but margins are tight.
- Flips where buyer impressions drive offer prices and dollar-per-square-foot must stay low.
- Basement and walkout installs where waterproof construction is non-negotiable.
Forever-home buyers expecting 25-plus years of service from a single product should still cross-shop national brands with stronger warranty backing.
Buying Tips
A few moves protect the budget. First, request a sample chain of at least 3-4 boxes worth of plank faces, not a single chip, so you can confirm pattern variation. Second, ask the dealer for the manufacturer name and country of origin to verify the spec sheet. Third, get the warranty in writing with a dealer signature, not just a printed brochure.
And always order an extra carton for future repairs. Vinyl flooring print runs change over time, and the SKU you bought today may have a different color cast in three years.
Final Take
Touch of Color flooring delivers premium visual quality and respectable wear-layer specs at prices that beat most national brands by 20-30 percent. The trade-offs are warranty depth and click-system consistency at the value tier. For most renovation budgets, the mid- and premium-tier Touch of Color products represent legitimate value if you prep the subfloor well and order conservatively.
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