When shopping for new floors, two popular and visually striking options are COREtec’s Cairo Oak and Calypso Oak luxury vinyl plank floorings. Both mimic the look of natural hardwood with embossed wood grain textures, delivering warmth and elegance throughout any home.
Though similar at first glance, these COREtec flooring lines have some notable differences when it comes to construction, performance features and color options worth considering.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Aspects | Cairo Oak | Calypso Oak |
| Construction | Rigid Core LVT | Rigid Core LVT |
| Thickness | 5mm | 5mm |
| Attached Cork Underlayment | Yes | Yes |
| Waterproof | 100% | 100% |
| Scratch Resistant | Yes | Yes |
| Pet Friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Mold & Mildew Resistant | Yes | Yes |
| Installation Method | Glue, Loose Lay | Glue, Loose Lay |
| Warranty | 12 years light commercial | 12 years light commercial |
Both Cairo Oak and Calypso Oak flooring are Rigid core LVT (luxury vinyl tile) with an overall thickness of 5mm.
Rigid core LVT is highly durable, scratch and dent resistant flooring constructed in layers fused together under heat and pressure.
The rigid middle core adds structure and stability, allowing the planks to better resist indentation while locking out moisture.
An attached cork underlayment provides additional comfort and sound absorption for footsteps.
This integrated pad eliminates the need for a separate underlay purchase and installation step.
As 100% waterproof flooring, both can withstand spills, pet accidents and heavy household use while inhibiting the growth mold, mildew and bacteria within the planks. This makes COREtec suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements.
With identical 12-year commercial warranties, Cairo Oak and Calypso Oak deliver reliable performance perfect for busy households with kids or pets. Their durable, nonporous surfaces allow for easy cleaning as needed.
While these lines share several performance similarities, there are also some notable differences between Cairo Oak vs Calypso Oak worth highlighting before making a final flooring decision.
Cairo Oak Pros & Cons
Pros
- Widest variety of color options in stable and drifting styles
- Features distinct grains and knots for added realism
- Can simulate a site-scraped appearance
- Easy matching across planks with random lengths
Cons
- Color consistency between production runs can vary slightly
- Small amount of recycled content (only 5%)
Cairo Oak provides one of the widest selections of color options among COREtec flooring lines with 21 oak hues currently available. With both “stable” solid finishes and multi-toned “drifting” styles mimicking naturally weathered oak, there are looks suitable for nearly any design vision.
Visuals lean towards realistic with distinctive grains, knots, texture variation between planks and even touches of creativity like wire-brushing or colors layered atop embossed wood patterns.
The Shape, Worn Saddle and Salvaged Oak options stand out for appearing gently timeworn, with character nicks, scrapes and dimensional grooves as if reclaimed from an old home or barn. This adds antique allure, bringing warmth and heritage to rooms.
Random length planks between 18 to 58 inches ensure natural randomness once installed, aiding the authentic hardwood illusion.
Unpredictable variations and impressed wood textures camouflage obvious repeat patterns for floors that better imitate solid oak. With multiple dye lots mixed within cartons, getting perfectly matched seams or borders requires swapping out pieces during installation – adding a minor challenge for DIYers.
While Cairo Oak offers extensive style diversity, production runs can see subtle coloring shifts over time which doesn’t always guarantee perfect uniformity if expanding a floor or needing tile replacements later.
With only 5% recycled content, it is also not the most eco-friendly COREtec line – though still long lasting and repairable which prevents landfill waste.
Calypso Oak Pros & Cons
Pros
- Uniform coloring consistency across planks
- Mix of light, medium and dark monochromatic colors
- Highest recycled content (30%) among COREtec flooring
- Most scratch resistant option
Cons
- Less overall color variety vs. Cairo Oak
- Visuals lean more basic without dramatic grains/knots
- Not as skilled at imitating a reclaimed antique look
For those favoring modern, seamless visuals with less variation between planks, Calypso Oak offers a well-curated selection of 8 primarily monochromatic colors. These lighter blonde oak visuals provide clean, contemporary aesthetics able to brighten up any space with luminosity and natural depth.
While mainly single solid hues rather than multi-flecked driftwood blends, there are light, medium and darker options like Linen White Oak, Silver Birch Oak and Smoked Chestnut catering to diverse personal styles. Tones skew towards greyish undertones but with hints of beige, brown and charcoal elegantly woven throughout.
Without overdone rustic elements and a more uniform appearance overall between planks, Calypso Oak will not distract with obvious fake wear, tear or coloring inconsistencies.
Light reflective technologies enhance surface luminosity and a smooth texture hides the signature embossing seen in many COREtec lines, keeping the gaze focused fully on its modern oaky aesthetics. Those favoring a sleeker, contemporary style floor will appreciate Calypso’s curated color palette and fuss-free finishes.
Of all COREtec flooring, Calypso Oak contains the highest level of recycled content at 30% ensuring an eco-friendly footprint. Unique aluminum oxide coatings also boost scratch resistance, maintaining attractiveness even in the busiest household settings long term.
With relatively consistent dye lots across production runs, new flooring additions or repairs years down the road are less likely to stick out awkwardly.
On the downside, Calypso’s relatively uniform colors and falta of dramatic wood grains or knots give it a flatter more generic oak look than Cairo’s driftwood options. Without the latter’s textures or signs of intentional aging/patina, the luxury vinyl plank appearance reads more obviously as a basic faux.
Therefore it generally won’t impress those wanting to replicate an convincingly antique reclaimed visual in their new floors.
Calypso Oak Pros & Cons
Pros
- Uniform coloring consistency across planks
- Mix of light, medium and dark monochromatic colors
- Highest recycled content (30%) among COREtec flooring
- Most scratch resistant option
Cons
- Less overall color variety vs. Cairo Oak
- Visuals lean more basic without dramatic grains/knots
- Not as skilled at imitating a reclaimed antique look
For those favoring modern, seamless visuals with less variation between planks, Calypso Oak offers a well-curated selection of 8 primarily monochromatic colors. These lighter blonde oak visuals provide clean, contemporary aesthetics able to brighten up any space with luminosity and natural depth.
While mainly single solid hues rather than multi-flecked driftwood blends, there are light, medium and darker options like Linen White Oak, Silver Birch Oak and Smoked Chestnut catering to diverse personal styles. Tones skew towards greyish undertones but with hints of beige, brown and charcoal elegantly woven throughout.
Without overdone rustic elements and a more uniform appearance overall between planks, Calypso Oak will not distract with obvious fake wear, tear or coloring inconsistencies.
Light reflective technologies enhance surface luminosity and a smooth texture hides the signature embossing seen in many COREtec lines, keeping the gaze focused fully on its modern oaky aesthetics.
Those favoring a sleeker, contemporary style floor will appreciate Calypso’s curated color palette and fuss-free finishes.
Of all COREtec flooring, Calypso Oak contains the highest level of recycled content at 30% ensuring an eco-friendly footprint. Unique aluminum oxide coatings also boost scratch resistance, maintaining attractiveness even in the busiest household settings long term.
With relatively consistent dye lots across production runs, new flooring additions or repairs years down the road are less likely to stick out awkwardly.
On the downside, Calypso’s relatively uniform colors and falta of dramatic wood grains or knots give it a flatter more generic oak look than Cairo’s driftwood options. Without the latter’s textures or signs of intentional aging/patina, the luxury vinyl plank appearance reads more obviously as a basic faux.
Therefore it generally won’t impress those wanting to replicate an convincingly antique reclaimed visual in their new floors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The main differences between Calypso Oak vs Cairo Oak are in their aesthetics, colors and realism.
Calypso Oak features contemporary solid hues focused on grey undertones in light, medium and dark monochromatic oak shades. Visuals are more uniform between planks with less dramatic embossing and wood graining effects. Its cleaner white oak looks aim for a sleek modern allure.
In contrast, Cairo Oak focuses on realistic multi-toned colors in 21 driftwood-inspired options full of wood knots, varying grains and signs of intentional aging like wire brushing for time worn appeal. Multiple lengths with distinct texture variations between planks better imitate genuine solid hardwood flooring.
COREtec Calypso Oak shares the same 5mm thickness dimensions seen in all COREtec rigid core luxury vinyl floor tiles and planks. Its durable construction includes a 1.5mm wear layer fused onto a rigid polymer composite core and attached cork underlay then finished with coordinating imagery layers on top to create the total 5mm profile.
New 2023 color additions to COREtec rigid core LVT flooring lines include:
Cairo Oak: Weathered Slate, Retro Pink Pepper Plus: Coastal Birch, Frosted Walnut Originals / One: Rustic Pine, Bleached Elm, Golden Thunder Oak
These expand popular existing flooring collections with on-trend light, medium and dark driftwood visuals. New styles offer fresh rustic to modern looks combining multi-tones, monochromes, wire-brushing, knots, mineral streaks and realistic wood grain embossing.
COREtec Plus features upgraded imaging technology and added scratch, stain and scuff protection making it the best option for busy households. It offers added durability including a 20 mil commercial grade wear layer and patented SECURA wear loss warranty.
COREtec Original provides a quality budget-friendly alternative with slightly less vivid imaging definition and 12 mil wear layer. Both share a similar cork attached underlayment, waterproof construction and long warranties. Plus emphasizes heavy duty performance while Original focuses maximizing style and value.
Closing Remarks
When choosing between COREtec’s Cairo Oak vs Calypso Oak rigid core luxury vinyl floors, consider your decor goals and lifestyle needs. Do you prefer bold, rustic wood visuals or clean contemporary oak aesthetics?
Will the floors see heavy family use or remain sleek display spaces?
Cairo Oak stands out for convincingly realistic multi-tones, reclaimed styling and extensive colors while Calypso Oak shines with luminous monochromes and a uniformly modern vibe. Both deliver on durability, longevity and waterproof resilience for years of attractive, easy-living performance.
Whichever direction you select for your home’s beautiful new floors, COREtec Cairo Oak and Calypso Oak present two stellar options blending cutting edge construction with the elegance of natural woodgrain style.
