Before installing vinyl plank flooring, determine which type of vinyl plank best suits your renovation needs. Vinyl planks can be sorted into three main categories based on their installation method: GripStrip, click-lock and glue down.

Interlocking vinyl plank flooring creates a floating floor, but instead of having an adhesive connecting the planks, the planks interlock with tongue-and-groove joints that easily snap together for a reliable fit.

GripStrip vinyl plank flooring has a manufacturer-applied adhesive layer that connects the planks to one another. This installation method creates a floating floor, which means GripStrip vinyl planking covers the subfloor without adhering or fastening to it in any manner. Floating floors are an easy, mess-free way to install new flooring without necessarily having to remove the existing flooring.

Glue down vinyl plank flooring adheres to the subfloor using either one of two types of adhesives: hard-set or pressure-sensitive. Hard-set adhesive is spread along the subfloor, then the vinyl planks are laid down on top. Pressure-sensitive adhesive is already on the bottom of the plank and bonds to the subfloor when the plank is pressed into place. While both types of adhesives are durable, the pressure-sensitive adhesive can make replacing individual vinyl planks easier.

All three installation methods are suitable for novices, require little time and can be laid over any rigid and level subfloor. Which method you choose depends on personal preference and the room you are planning to renovate. When choosing between floating floor options, note that GripStrip vinyl plank flooring is often water-resistant, while click-lock vinyl plank flooring can be entirely waterproof.

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How to Install Vinyl Plank Flooring - The Home Depot

$5,500 to $8,000 is the average cost to install 1000 sq/ft of vinyl plank flooring.

The cost of vinyl plank flooring is $4 to $12 per square foot when professionally installed. Most homeowners pay between $5.50 and $8.00 to have good-quality, water-resistant or waterproof plank flooring installed. This means the average cost for 1,000 square feet of installed vinyl plank flooring ranges from about $5,500 to $8,000.

This page includes detailed vinyl plank flooring costs for materials and installation. Cost factors are explained that will allow you to anticipate a cost range before you shop for LVP and get estimates from flooring installers.

There are plenty of factors to consider when installing a new or replacement floor but for most households the most important question tends to be How much will it cost!?. You may have heard that vinyl plank flooring is a budget friendly flooring option but is that really the case. In this Home Flooring Pros report we are going to lay out the true cost of installing vinyl plank flooring so that you can have a clear idea of whether it is the right flooring choice for you.

When youre ready you can start getting quotes from trustworthy, professional installers in your area.

Lets start with an overview of how the total cost to install vinyl plank breaks down.

The cost of the flooring is the biggest price factor. Cheap vinyl plank flooring starts at about $1.50 per square foot. Peel and stick options can be even cheaper with cost as low as $1.00 per square foot. Premium luxury vinyl plank and tile flooring costs $6.50 to $8.00 per square foot.

Here are the most common materials and their cost they do not include installation.

Installation labor cost ranges from about $1.50 per square foot for easy jobs and as much as $4.50 per square foot for complex installation where a lot of cutting and trimming around obstacles is required. If youre handy, you might want to try DIY installation. Its fairly easy as far as home projects go and can be a rewarding experience. Sure, youll probably ruin a few pieces while getting the hang of installation, but there are good cost savings to be had.

Removing and disposing of old flooring can add $2.00 to $4.00 per square foot depending on the difficulty of the work. When the subfloor must be replaced with new plywood or OSB, expect the cost to rise another $3.00 to $5.50 per square foot.

Heres an installation cost table showing simply what is likely to be included in a low cost, average cost and high cost vinyl plank installation.

Here are the reasons why you might pay closer to $4.00 or $12.00 per square foot for vinyl plank flooring.

What do you get for the money when purchasing vinyl plank or tile flooring?

$1.00 $1.99 per square foot: Self-adhesive or peel and stick vinyl plank flooring is your cheapest option. It is often a DIY project, an inexpensive way to cover bare concrete in a basement or give any room a quick makeover.

The subfloor must be in near-perfect condition, because imperfections will telegraph through this thin vinyl flooring and be easy to spot. Wear layers are quite thin, usually 6 or 8 mils. Cheap vinyl plank flooring can be expected to look good for 3-10 years depending on how much traffic it sees.

$1.50 $3.00 per square foot: Affordable vinyl plank flooring in this price range is often glue-down flooring, though a few floating click-together options are available. You might also find stone polymer core, or SPC, flooring options here. Theyll be entry-level or clearance flooring.

Good-quality standard LVP/LVT is considered water resistant but not waterproof. Thicker wear layers make the flooring more durable than most sheet vinyl and self-adhesive options. Most of the flooring in this category comes with attached pad. Fiberglass pad is better than felt, but its not the most important factor to consider.

Vinyl plank and tile in this category should look good for 10-15 years largely due to a thicker wear layer of 10 to 16 mils.

$2.25 $5.00 Per Square Foot

In this vinyl plank flooring cost range, youll find very good standard flooring and quite a few rigid core vinyl flooring choices, mostly stone polymer composite (SPC) flooring.

Thicker material and better wear layers make this a more durable choice, and you should get 10-20 years from this material depending on how heavily it gets used. Wear layers for vinyl plank flooring in this cost range are usually 12, 16 or 20 mils.

$3.95 $7.50 Per Square Foot

Most vinyl plank and tile flooring in this price range is WPC or stone polymer composite (SPC) rigid core material. It is often called engineered vinyl plank, or EVP. The flooring is waterproof, includes pre-attached underlayment (pad) to absorb sound and floats.

The design might be click-together or loose lay, meaning each plank abuts those around it without interlocking design. The attached pad used on loose lay is designed to grip the subfloor without adhesive. Wear layers of more than 10 mils are most common with the thickest being 22 mils for most products.

$6.00 $9.50 Per Square Foot

This is premium waterproof WPC and SPC vinyl flooring. Youll even find a few options costing more than $10 per square foot for the material. The wear layers offer the best durability and are 16 to 22 mils thick and sometimes a little thicker. Expect this flooring to last 15+ years in residential settings and 5-10 years when used commercially.

There are a lot of well-known players in the luxury vinyl tile and vinyl plank flooring business.

Costs vary a bit. Heres a list of top vinyl plank flooring manufacturers with the types of flooring each sells.

Cheaper products have vinyl cores theres no stone polymer or wood polymer cores that give them greater durability and stability.

Youll find mostly wood-look vinyl plank flooring, but its manufactured in stone looks, herringbone and metallic looks.

While some make a big deal about cost differences between them, thats generally more hype than reality.

Wood Look Planks: $2.25 $12.00 per square foot. Its the widest cost range because it far-and-away offers the most options from cheap to average to highest cost.

Stone Look Planks (marble, slate, granite): $2.00 $8.00 per square foot. Thats a lot cheaper than genuine marble tiles at about $14-$25 a square foot or genuine slate or granite tiles at $11-$20 per square foot will cost you.

Herringbone Planks: $3.50 $7.00 per square foot. Save $8-$10 per square foot with vinyl herringbone than genuine wood.

There are many wood-look and genuine wood flooring options. And it might be useful to compare costs before you decide on vinyl plank flooring or a comparable option.

How much does vinyl plank flooring cost compared to laminate? Engineered hardwood or genuine hardwood? Those are common comparisons, and here are the answers.

Costs are per square foot:

There are several site conditions that affect the labor cost to install vinyl plank flooring.

Removing old flooring: Carpet and pad are easy to tear out. Click-together laminate and vinyl can be removed quickly too. Perimeter glued vinyl usually leaves damage behind where the adhesive pulls material off the subfloor. The entire subfloor must usually be replaced or covered with fresh material when fully glued flooring or ceramic tile is removed. The cost to remove old flooring and properly dispose of it runs $2.00 to $4.00 per square foot. This is an area you can save money with DIY if you have a convenient way to dispose of the old material.

Wood subfloor repair or replacement: Minor gouges or raised edges caused by water damage can usually be filled or sanded, and the existing subfloor can be reused. While not common, occasionally the subfloor is in very poor condition, and it has to be torn out or at least covered with new material. Expect estimates of up to $1.00 per square foot for repairing the subfloor or substrate. The cost of replacement runs $3.00 to $5.50 per square foot.

Concrete issues: The key to successfully laying vinyl plank flooring over concrete is that the surface must be even and level. If it isnt, imperfections will probably show through, and those problems can also cause the flooring to come apart and/or to wear unevenly. Preparation includes filling low spots with self-leveling concrete and filling cracks with elastomeric caulk. Repairs might be priced out by the square foot around $5.00 to $6.00 per square foot for self-leveling concrete. Crack repair generally costs $1-$3 per linear foot depending on the width of the crack and what material is used for the repair.

Vapor barrier: Flooring pros debate whether vapor barrier should be used over concrete. It isnt essential because vinyl plank flooring is water resistant or waterproof. However, if your installer prefers to put down vapor barrier, and youre convinced it is necessary, cost starts under 50 cents per square foot for DIY and tops out closer to $2.00 per square foot when the contractor supplies the material and installs it.

Job complexity: When the floor area is wide open and rectangular, any flooring is easier to install. When estimators eyeball a job, they look for narrow areas such as hallways, obstacles like posts or a fireplace hearth, door jambs and other site factors that slow down the installation process. These can raise the cost per square foot for labor.

Volume of flooring: Installation cost per square foot goes down a little as the amount of flooring goes up. For example, the labor cost for installing 60 square feet in a bathroom is generally $3.00 to $4.50 per square foot while laying 500 square feet throughout the house might reduce cost by $1.00 or more per square foot.

Room clearing: Installers love to see empty spaces, but they often have to move furniture in and out of rooms to install the floor. Expect estimates of $25 to $50 per room based on the amount of furniture that must be moved. This cost might appear as a line item on the estimate or it could simply be factored into the installation cost per square foot.

Appliance disconnection: When working in the kitchen, installers might have to disconnect and reconnect gas appliances. This typically costs $20 to $35 per appliance.

Stairs: Installing plank flooring on stairs is a time-consuming task. Most installers charge $45 to $75 per stair.

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Cost to Install Vinyl Plank Flooring | 2022 Home Flooring Pros

Theres a lot to like about hardwood flooring. It brings a bit of natures beauty into your home, and it goes with just about any decor. It requires an investment of both time and money, but when the dust settles, wood floors are almost always worth it. Whether you are thinking of installing hardwood in a single room or your entire home, here are some factors to consider.

Your lifestyle. The biggest factor in deciding whether hardwood will work for you is your lifestyle. Do you have children or pets? Are there high-traffic areas, such as a den, where you are always moving furniture around for gatherings or movie nights? Are you willing to put up with dings, dents and imperfections from a dropped soup can or your Aussiedoodles nails?

Or are you OK with a floor that reflects you and your familys life and history? If so, then hardwood is worth it, says Jennifer Meska, director of merchandising for national retailer LL Flooring.

Solid wood vs. engineered. Solid wood is just that: a solid piece of wood, typically -inch thick, that can be sanded and refinished multiple times. Engineered wood is a layer ranging from paper-thin to -inch of high-quality wood over a plywood core. Depending on the top layers thickness, engineered flooring can be refinished once or twice max. Engineered flooring is both durable and flexible. Manufacturers can also build in features such as water resistance, which can make this flooring choice an option in damp areas, including kitchens and bathrooms.

Appearance. Some woods have finer grains or a uniform texture, while others may contain knots or vary in color. Before you commit to anything, bring home large sample planks (dont rely on a 3-by-3-inch block or a single plank) of each wood you like, and move them from room to room to get a sense of how they will look. The color in the store may be different from what you see at home.

READ MORE: What's the best home improvement you can get for under $20,000? New flooring.

Stability. It may sound obvious, but hardness matters. The wood flooring industry uses the Janka scale to measure the hardness of a particular type of wood. The test measures the force needed to push a 0.444-inch steel ball halfway into the wood. At 1,290, red oak is the median. Black cherry, teak and Douglas fir rank softer; hickory and pecan are harder. Brazilian cherry is one of the hardest. Theres no good or bad Janka rating; rather, its an indication of how much wear and tear solid wood flooring will be able to handle over the years.

Site-finished or prefinished. Solid hardwood is available both without stain and sealer, or prefinished, which are stained and sealed at the factory. For unfinished wood, stain and finish are applied at your home after installation. You get to test multiple shades of stains, and the result is a consistent color across the entire area. One tip from Meska: Ask your installer to keep a record of your color/formula or to leave you a small can in case you have to replace a damaged area.

For either product, youll also need to consider the finish. This ranges from matte to high gloss. Some woods even come with an oil or wax finish for a soft, hand-rubbed look. Finish is really a matter of personal taste, but Jeff Shipwash, owner of Shipwash Properties, a fix-and-flip real estate investment firm in Knoxville, Tenn., says you are more likely to see imperfections with a higher gloss.

READ MORE: These are the top home renovations Philadelphians plan to tackle in 2022

Local climate. Hardwood can work in any climate, but you do have to take your location into consideration. Wood swells in high humidity and shrinks as humidity falls. Your installer can explain how to mitigate any potential issues. In areas with sticky, hot summers, you may need air-conditioning. Miller says engineered flooring is more stable and adapts to changes in temperature and humidity better than solid wood.

Hassle factor. Installing a wood floor is invasive and disruptive. Even before installation begins, wood planks may have to acclimate to your environment. That means stacks of boxes will sit in your home for up to two weeks, so the wood can adjust to the temperature and humidity. Existing flooring must be ripped out. Furniture must be removed. Unfinished wood must be cut to fit and sanded, producing enormous amounts of sand dust, akin to a glitter bomb going off, Shipwash says.

Then you have to stain the wood, wait for it to dry, and then sand and seal the wood three times, allowing for the finish to dry between coats, he adds. You cant walk on the floors, and some folks are sensitive to sealer fumes, so you may have to move out of your home for a week or more.

Even though it also has to acclimate, prefinished wood does cut the installation time by half or more. Once its down, its ready to go.

Cost. Engineered wood tends to be a bit cheaper than solid. For example, three-inch-wide traditional red oak costs about 20% more than engineered, Meska says, but the installation costs are the same. People think it is cheaper to get unfinished wood, but you will pay more to finish it, Shipwash says.

Your installer. Because this is a major investment, its best not to cheap out and hire someone off Craigslist, Shipwash says. The NWFAs consumer website is woodfloors.org. There, you can find NWFA-certified installers and salespeople in your area by clicking on Hire an NWFA Professional and entering your zip code. Another option is to locate a local or national specialty retailer. Odds are that business can recommend installers.

Miller says some flooring manufacturers offer their own certifications, so it may be worth the time to look at their websites to see whether they have certified installers in your area. As with any home improvement, you should interview installers and get multiple bids. For additional guidance, download the NWFAs Homeowners Handbook to Real Wood Floors.

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Thinking of installing hardwood floors? Heres what to consider. - The Philadelphia Inquirer

MarketQuest.biz has made a report that is clear and error-free possible. Our specialists endeavoured to create the highest-quality and most effective strategy framework possible in the Global Flooring Installation Market from 2021 to 2027. In the overview section, youll find statistics and data on market dynamics. It also goes over how the overall Flooring Installation market works, as well as the markets volume and size.

The report summarizes the results of an industry-wide assessment of the parent industrys dynamics. The research takes a multidisciplinary approach to identify new possibilities and untapped potential in the Flooring Installation industry throughout the world. Our analysts analysed the competitive landscape in depth and projected the strategy framework employed by industry competitors.

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The study contains information on several market segments, including:

The study includes information on several market segments, including:

All the leading players in the Flooring Installation market is:

The research covers the industrys key geographical areas, including:

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The geographical analysis section looks at all of the worlds regions that contribute to the growth of the worldwide Flooring Installation market. This section contains data on each regions volume, market size, and value in order to help our clients achieve a competitive advantage in the worldwide market.

Question Asked Very Frequently:

Which region will make notable contributions towards global Flooring Installation Market revenue?

What are the key factors driving Flooring Installation Market expansion?

What will be the value of Flooring Installation Market during 2021- 2027?

What are the key players leveraging Flooring Installation Market growth?

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Global Flooring Installation Market 2021 Incredible Possibilities, Recent Trends, Business Opportunities and Forecast to 2027 Discovery Sports Media...

The right flooring system lays a good foundation for a quality finish, saving problems and costs later. CaberFloor P5 is the UKs most specified moisture-resistant P5 flooring.

The high-strength particleboard is ideal for domestic and most other floors and removes the need for intermediate noggins. The boards are moisture-resistant, stable, durable, easy to lay and, with a tongue and groove or square-edge profile, provide an excellent surface for subsequent floor laying operations.

Some floors require more advanced solutions and, no matter the size or shape of the floor being laid, there are key questions to ask.

Although not necessarily obvious, the first point to consider is whether the buildings roof will be in place. If the answer is no, the floor will need to withstand the elements.

This is where CaberShieldPlus proves its worth as it is designed to allow building work to continue in all weathers. CaberShieldPlus is an advanced product that has all the inherent benefits of CaberFloor P5.

In addition, it offers double-sided protection with a tough, permanent waterproof coating and is BBA approved for 60 days exposure, when laid according to manufacturers instructions. It is also a non-slip, safe working platform that withstands high site traffic.

An alternative solution is CaberDek which is BBA approved for 42 days exposure, when installed with CaberFix according to manufacturers instructions.

The P5 grade flooring has the advantage of a strong, waterproof and slip-resistant peelable film. It provides protection from the elements and construction mess and, when removed, leaves a clean, finished floor.

The film is impact, puncture and tear-resistant to withstand high site traffic. CaberDek also provides 44dB sound reduction when used in conjunction with leading I-beam and insulation manufacturers.

All three CaberFloor products comply with BS EN312 and are designed to be used with the CaberFix range of specially developed sealing and fixing products that include powerful adhesives and tapes.

For example, CaberFloor P5 is best used with CaberFix Joint&Joist, an adhesive and sealant that will adhere to a wide variety of materials, creating a strong, silent, and flexible bond. Similarly, CaberFix D4 complements CaberDek and CaberShieldPlus. This adhesive bonds flooring to joists, T&G joints and seals exposed perimeter and edges.

Beyond the advantages and practicalities of using CaberFloor, the materials and processes used to manufacture the product offer the reassurance of being sustainable.

Unsurprisingly, West Frasers range of board products is available in a wide selection of sizes to minimise waste.

All timber used is responsibly sourced and FSC certified and the panels are manufactured in the UK from locally grown timber and are net carbon negative.

Additionally, all of West Frasers UK mills have obtained the coveted ISO 14001 environmental accreditation.

The West Fraser website contains a handy flowchart to help builders, specifiers and architects choose the right flooring system for every project, coupled with handy installation guides and videos https://uk.westfraser.com/resources/help-advice/installation-instructions/ for the individual CaberFloor products.

Samples of all West Fraser construction panels can be ordered on the website Uk.westfraser.com. Head to the housebuilder page on the website to download a selection of tools including a fully-interactive guide to all West Fraser products and a checklist to make sure you have everything you need for your build.

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West Fraser's CaberFloor: The solution for all flooring applications - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

The globalhardwood flooring marketsize is expected to reach USD 61.78 Billion in 2028 and register a revenue CAGR of 4.3% over the forecast period, according to the latest report by Reports and Data. Steady global hardwood flooring market revenue growth can be attributed to rising demand for better aesthetics, robust durability in flooring options and materials, as well as cost-effectiveness. Hardwood flooring is widely deployed in residential, commercial, and industrial settings due to characteristics to enhance visual appeal and make the space appear more spacious (particularly, wide plank hardwood flooring). A primary advantage of hardwood flooring is its flexibility and versatility to adapt to nearly all kinds of themes for interior home design. Also, high durability and better wear and tear resistance of both engineered and solid product types are factors resulting in increasing preference, which is also driving increasing deployment in various end-use applications, and this is driving revenue growth of hardwood flooring market.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing countries such as China and India and rising demand for wood flooring with better value addition are factors contributing significantly to market revenue growth. As per hardwood flooring industry statistics, in 2018, engineered hardwood flooring accounted for 28.8% share of the total flooring market revenue in China, owing to improving living standards and presence of branded flooring products. According to a recently conducted research, there are around 3,000 wood flooring producers in China, with over 1,200 producers capable of manufacturing both engineered hardwood and laminate wood flooring products.

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Major players in the market include Mohawk Industries, AHF Products, Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Mannington Mills Inc., BerryAlloc, Home Legend LLC, Beaulieu International Group, Formica, Provenza Floors Inc., and Egger Group.

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For the purpose of this report, Reports and Data has segmented the hardwood flooring market based on wood type, product type, plank width, flooring style, application, end use, and region:

Wood Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2028)

Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2028)

Design Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2028)

Finishing Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2028)

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2028)

End Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018-2028)

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To summarize, the report titled Global Hardwood Flooring Market provides a detailed report of the market by extensive research about the companies involved, current market status, drivers and constraints, and current and future COVID-19 oriented scenario. The study explores the historical years to provide insights into market estimation and fruitful opportunities for key players and new ventures.

Key insights presented in the report:

Regional analysis to provide insight into recent trends and opportunities

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Hardwood Flooring Market Revenue, Growth, Recent Trends, and Company Profiles Analysis, Forecast by 2028 - Digital Journal

Carla Eslava, Manager of the Recofloor commercial waste vinyl flooring collection scheme, discusses the issues and offers some solutions.

In the construction sector, what happens to many products at end-of-life is typically not considered due to their longer lifespans and the need for them to meet strict technical performance criteria.

The construction industry is the UKs biggest consumer of natural resources. According to DEFRA, an estimated 120 million tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste was produced in 2016. While their statistics indicate that 92% of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste was recovered in some form (55 million tonnes) in 2016, nearly 5 million tonnes (8%) of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste was landfilled.

Waste is generated during the construction and installation phases and when products reach the end of their life. While many materials, such as PVC and metals, are recyclable, the construction sector is a challenging diverse environment for waste management and requires a heavy reliance on engaging with contractors to collect these recoverable resources.

Capturing waste at the installation phase should always be done where possible as the material is clean, we know what exactly is in it and this improves the chances it can successfully be turned back into new products. End of life waste is more challenging, and more work will be needed in the future to establish effective recycling techniques and end markets for the recyclates.

For installation waste, a great example of circular construction is the Recofloor scheme that offers a sustainable collection service for commercial waste vinyl flooring generated from refurbishment and new build projects, including live project sites. The scheme accepts both installation offcuts and uplifted smooth and loose lay vinyl, as well as Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs) and safety offcuts and roll-ends.

Since its 2009 inception, the scheme has diverted more than 6,000 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring from landfill for use in new vinyl flooring or other useful products. The scheme continues to expand as more flooring companies recognise the environmental value and reduced disposal costs of up to 70% of recovering recyclable resources.

By capturing more waste at the installation phase and developing a viable recycling route, it is more likely in the future we will be able to develop more solutions for end-of-life construction waste.

Moving towards circular construction principles still presents many challenges, such as the collection of materials on a busy site with lots of different contractors, transportation, a lack of sorting infrastructure and limited end markets.

For example, Recofloor relies on the efforts of individual contractors to help return the vinyl flooring for recycling. Without effective communication and their willingness to participate, it would not be possible.

But as a successful and growing scheme, Recofloor shows it can be done, with a focus on installation offcuts versus end-of-life/uplifted material. The latter is still a challenge that needs to be addressed in the future.

Richard McKinlay, Head of Consulting at resource recovery specialist Axion says: If we can tackle installation waste, that is where we really need to focus our efforts initially to get the material coming back. If you build up that system, then you start to build infrastructure which could then allow end-of-life material to enter it eventually.

Typically, the development of recycling infrastructure starts with reusing production waste first as this is the purest material to put back into the manufacturing process. Attention then turns to clean scrap materials, followed by the more difficult post-consumer waste as recycling techniques become more advanced.

For the construction sector to move towards more circular sustainability, we will need to see more and more solutions like Recofloor in the coming years.

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Moving towards a circular economy in the construction sector - RECYCLING magazine

You cant blame everything on potash mining.

In pre-historic, pre-human, and pre-Bonneville Speed Week times, there was a body of water in western Utah known as Lake Bonneville. It was huge. If you look up at the mountains surrounding what are now the Bonneville Salt Flats, home of the greatest land speed racing the world has ever known, you can still see ancient shorelines hundreds of feet above the burning white flatness. Then, 16,800 years agogeologists are very precise on thissomething let loose and almost all of Lake Bonneville drained out into what is now southern Idaho.

This was both good and bad. Bad if you were an ancient dino-shark eating as many fish as you felt like eating all day long only to find yourself in what would become an Idaho potato field (oh, how the mighty always fall!), but good if you were a land speed racer.

Since the great draining of Lake Bonneville those tens of thousands of years ago, the remnants of the once-great lake literally ebbed and flowed. But in modern times, the lake remnants became what is now known as Great Salt Lake, the one by Salt Lake City, and the Bonneville Salt Flats a hundred miles west of that. Over the last hundred years or so the Bonneville Salt Flats have mostly dried up and left a hard surface miles and miles long that is just perfect for flooring the throttle and seeing what your race car can really do.

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The first racing may have taken place as early as 1914. Ab Jenkins set records on the flats in the 1930s in a car called The Mormon Meteor. Successive racers came over the decades and set their own records, perhaps the greatest being the competing duo of Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove in the early 60s, who moved the record over 500 and 600 mph. In between those great high-water marks were hundreds of home-grown racers driving self-engineered craft of all manner to land speed records.

When racing first started at Bonneville the salt was as much as six feet thick and seemed like it would never go away. Winter rains would flow onto the salt, bringing replenishing minerals from the hills, and the salt got thicker. In the summer the rainwater would dry up, the surface of the salt would get hard as concrete, and the racers would come and race.

The mining started in 1917 during WWI, when the countrys previous supply of potash, from Germany, dried up because of the war. Mineral extraction really got going in 1963, according to local media outlet Deseret News.

(In) 1963 the Bureau of Land Management leased 25,000 acres to Bonneville Ltd., a private mining company, Deseret said. By 1979, the Utah Geological and Mineral Surveys salt drilling measurements indicated that the flats were shrinking. The salt crust became thin and easy to puncture. In 1960, the salt on the International Speedway was multiple feet deep. In May 2021, it was a quarter of an inch thick.

Originally covering 96,000 acres when someone first measured it, the Bonneville Salt Flats are now less than 30,000. At least one third of the shrinkage is due to mineral extraction, mostly potash, potassium-rich salts that are used as fertilizer.

A century ago, there was plenty of thick hard salt as far as the eye could see, said an organization of racers called savethesalt.org. As the years unwound, the damning game of give and take, the salt giving and man taking, knocked the natural balance out of whack, causing the salt surface to not only thin, but the perimeter to slowly shrink... The land speed racing community is now facing a daunting ecological emergency.

In 1997 a deal was worked out wherein potash miners would replenish the salt flats by pumping salt-heavy brine back onto the flats after extracting potash from it. This seemed to work. For a while. Now, however, it doesnt rain as much, the extraction goes on, and the salt continues to shrink. So various government agencies have agreed to study the problem.

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The Utah Geological Survey (UGS), in collaboration with the University of Utah, Bureau of Land Management, Intrepid Potash, and the land speed racing community (as represented by the Specialty Equipment Market Association [SEMA]), is working to collect scientific data to understand the effects of climate, racing, salt laydown, and potash mining on the Bonneville Salt Flats salt pans growth, salt dissolution and sustainability, read a statement from the Utah Geological Survey.

The study is funded by $1 million from the state of Utah. The BLM added $125,000. Last fall, UGS installed climate and hydrologic monitoring equipment to collect data focused on the continuing salt laydown process (wherein they pump brine back onto the salt), and its effects on the salt crust and the underlying and adjoining brine aquifer, the Utah Geological Survey said. In the coming months, UGS said, Intrepid Potash will lay down up to half a million ton of salt brine in critical areas of the salt flats. The effects of the laydown will be monitored and analyzed for potential impact on the salt flats.

Will it be too little too late? Is merely studying the problem like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? SEMA, representing the racers, sounded optimistic.

In working with Intrepid Potash, the volume of salt laid down on Bonneville will be increased by updating and improving the efficiency of the current pumping infrastructure and water conservation efforts, which include rebuilding water wells, covering ditches and installing new pipes and pumps, SEMA said. Great efforts to use water more efficiently will help achieve the goal to increase the volume of salt returned to the salt flats. It will likely take several years to upgrade the infrastructure and gradually increase pumping volumes.

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SEMA offered specific details on what will happen next.

The summer 2021 installation of the new water well and equipment to measure water evaporation rates and collect scientific data represented a tangible start to the ambitious restoration effort. The program will seek to identify the best ways to take advantage of the salt laydown and study the effects on the salt crust and underlying brine aquifer. For example, the program will consider ways to contain the salt within the large pumping area. If current research proves beneficial, efforts may be extended into the future upon funding availability. Stakeholders are now identifying projects to be pursued in 2022 and beyond to continue increasing the volume of salt being pumped.

If you want to help, consider a donation.

While the bulk of the program funding will come from federal and state appropriations, both industry and the land speed racing community will voluntarily help pay the costs. Financial contributions from the racing community are gratefully accepted at http://www.savethesalt.org, a 501(c)(3) organization.

And pray for rain in western Utah.

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Is It Too Late to Save the Bonneville Salt Flats? - Autoweek

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Tile Edge Trim How to Choose It and Install It - Forbes

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