Vinyl Vs Laminate Flooring Pros And Cons – Learn about the unique vinyl vs laminate flooring pros and cons and which one we used for flooring in our new home!
When we bought our new house the first thing we did before moving in was to install new flooring.
Vinyl Vs Laminate Flooring Pros And Cons
In the beginning, the house used to have a white carpet that didn’t fit well, so we removed it. And the entryway had old flooring that was removed.
Carpet Vs Laminate Flooring
The kitchen and laundry room had old, cheap vinyl sheet flooring and our new floor ended up being installed over it.
The cost of a whole house’s new flooring and technical installation is expensive and a big investment (thousands of dollars). So, I knew I had to do enough research to make the best choice for the type of floor for us.
I quickly eliminated real wood and engineered wood because of the high cost. My final choices were luxury vinyl plank or laminate flooring because both offer durable and affordable options that look like real wood.
I have used both high quality vinyl flooring and laminate flooring in our past homes. We used laminate flooring in our son’s nursery makeover and you can see my Pergo laminate flooring review for more information.
What Are Laminate Floors?
Then, in our first house we used scrap vinyl tiles that looked like real slate in our guest bathroom makeover.
After doing a lot of research, I learned a lot and I want to share what I learned if you are considering two types of flooring for your home.
So, I will provide an overview of both (including differences and similarities), as well as luxury vinyl vs laminate flooring pros and cons, and which one we decided to use in our new home.
One of the key differences between laminate and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is the type of flooring. Laminate flooring has wood byproducts in the core (such as MDF or HDF).
Laminate Vs Vinyl Flooring
They all have a certain level of wear or scratch resistance and images printed on the surface to look like real wood or stone. The underlayment and protective coating on each can vary depending on the type and quality.
A laminate floor is usually a floating floor that is installed with interlocking tongue and groove (click and lock). Luxury vinyl can also float or can be glued down.
Both have options available that can be placed on top of the existing bottom. We were able to get ours installed over the old vinyl sheeting in the kitchen and laundry room but we had to remove our carpet.
The price of both is affordable when compared to engineered hardwood and real hardwood floors. There are many different types, so you can find inexpensive LVP on laminate and vice versa.
Difference Between Laminate And Vinyl Flooring
However, based on the high quality products I wanted for our floor, I found that laminate flooring was more affordable vs. the luxury vinyl.
One of the great things about luxury vinyl plank that I kept seeing in my research is that LVP is 100% waterproof. But I don’t think this word is 100% correct haha!
Although the materials that make up LVP are not waterproof, there are inexpensive luxury vinyl planks that are only waterproof and not actually waterproof. For example, this very expensive TrafficMaster Luxury Vinyl Plank is only waterproof.
The same thing happened when I was looking for a laminate floor, except that many articles said that laminate is waterproof because of its wood grain. But, there are really good quality laminate floors that are waterproof, like this Pergo laminate flooring.
Vinyl Vs. Laminate Flooring: What’s The Difference?
So, just be careful when choosing a floor, no matter what type, that actually says waterproof if that’s what you want!
Both types of flooring have good options for waterproofing areas such as kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. I combined them both in my bathroom under the budget guide.
Off gassing is the amount of chemicals or VOCs released from the new floor from the cutting and installation process. Sometimes you can smell it, sometimes you can’t.
Honestly, off gassing of flooring was not something I had in mind at first when looking for our new floors. But, a reader pointed it out and I started researching it and realized that it is a difficult thing to find information on as a consumer.
Vinyl Plank Flooring
You may see terms like phthalate and formaldehyde free or FloorScore Certified. But both LVP and laminate are still off gassing, just how much varies by product.
I came across this very helpful guide to non-toxic flooring that has some guides on non-toxic laminate flooring and non-toxic premium vinyl as well that goes into a lot of detail about which brands of flooring he found were non-toxic.
Both high quality vinyl planks and laminate planks are durable. So they are pet friendly, kid friendly, and durable. Again the level of strength will vary greatly by brand and quality. This is where reading customer reviews really helps!
My last two luxury flooring options that I chose were the Lifeproof Luxury Vinyl Plank and the Pergo Outlast Laminate Flooring. Both are excellent options with comparable features, good reviews, good color options, waterproof, and very durable.
Is Laminate More Scratch Resistant Than Luxury Vinyl Plank?
I decided to go with Pergo Outlast Laminate Flooring in Marigold Oak in the end because of the affordable price and the fact that I could get the same features as LVP, including waterproofing.
$2.99/sq. ft. vs $3.29/sq. ft. it adds up quickly when you’re buying thousands of square feet and paying by the foot to install! Plus just looking at the bottom you can’t tell the difference easily, they are all beautiful and have a real wood look.
Furthermore, we have used the Pergo Outlast before in our old home (in Vienna Oak color) and we really liked it and the durability. You can see my previous Pergo Outlast review here.
This time around though we hired the installation rather than DIYing it since it was for our whole house! One of the best features is that it comes with a bonded underlayment so that the installation process is quick and inexpensive.
Laminate Vs Vinyl Flooring: How Do They Compare
I chose different models in the store and I liked the Marigold oak color in the natural and artificial color of our house.
I like that it has colors and character colors, as well as a big board too, it looks really good.
After it was installed, it immediately improved the look and feel of our entire home and I was very happy with both the color and the look.
Although we didn’t put it in our bathrooms since I like to use tile in bathrooms but we put it everywhere including all of our high street areas: kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, closets, entryway, and more!
Laminate Or Vinyl Flooring: What’s The Difference?
Only had it for a few months but so far it has been very durable, scratch resistant, and waterproof. We are rough on our floors, especially with a dog and a toddler, and it has been great and still looks like new!
I hope this unique vinyl vs laminate flooring pros and cons and explanation of why we chose laminate flooring was helpful and saved you time when looking for a new floor!LVP, EVP, LVT – oh my! All acronyms, but what’s the difference and which one is better? If you are wondering about the difference and want to know which is better – vinyl or laminate flooring – check out our guide below!
Neither vinyl nor laminate is “better” than the other. They both have their own unique benefits, which we will explore in this article.
Faux wood floor products like LVP are very popular and for good reason. Most LVP and many laminate flooring products can provide you
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Vinyl Plank Flooring?
LVP stands for Luxury Vinyl Plank and LVT stands for Luxury Vinyl Tile. Luxury Vinyl Planks look like wood while LVP looks like Tile (eg ceramic or porcelain stone). LVP and PVT are similar in the sense that they are both pieces of vinyl, but not paper.
LVP or “vinyl planks” often resemble hardwood, or attempt to mimic the look of hardwood. While LVT or “vinyl tile” often tries to mimic the look of tile. However, the manufacturing process and materials used are the same for all products.
The first premium vinyl plank products from the late 1990s and early 2000s were only available in glue down form. These vinyls can be glued down directly to a concrete subfloor or plywood. They were very thin and were attached directly to the concrete floor, without being covered or fastened.
Years later, manufacturers began to introduce vinyls that were not directly attached to the subfloor. This process is considered a “floating” bottom product. Floating means that the floor was not attached to a concrete slab or plywood subfloor. Another benefit is that installing a floating floor is easier for homeowners to complete, than hiring a flooring company. So, instead of calling a subcontractor, you can dig up your old subfloor and watch a YouTube video for installation tips!
What Is The Difference Between Laminate And Pvc Flooring?
LVP
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