Laminate vs Vinyl Flooring Buying Guide

• Durable: Laminate flooring’s supreme durability makes it a good option for high-traffic areas or homes with kids and pets.
• Scratch resistance: Laminate has a strong wear layer that protects the floor from scratches, dents, wear and staining, all the things pets love to test our floors on.
• Realistic wood and stone looks: Laminate floor planks often have some surface detail to further mimic a natural hardwood look and can have the look and feel of a hand-scraped hardwood, embossed wood, distressed hardwood or come in textured or smooth. Unlike real hardwood, you’ll see consistent quality across all laminate flooring boards.
• Can resist some water: Advances in construction are improving laminate’s water-resistant capabilities. While it’s still not as waterproof as other wood-look options like vinyl flooring, most new laminate floors can withstand topical moisture. Proper installation helps keep water from seeping through the planks.
• Can be installed over radiant heating systems: You won’t find this feature with most hardwood flooring options.
• Easy to clean and maintain: Simply mop or sweep up messes as needed. No floor waxing is ever necessary.
• Easy to install: Laminate flooring is designed to be installed as a floating floor, meaning that it is not secured to the ground underneath, but rather “floats” by the means of an interlocking design.
• Easy to stand on for longer periods of time: Most laminate installations include underlayment, which can make the floor feel more comfortable underfoot.
• Cost effective: Laminate floors are an affordable alternative to hardwood floors. And when it comes to laminate vs vinyl flooring, laminate wins in the price category.

 

 

 

 

• Not as water-resistant as vinyl flooring: While laminate flooring has come a long way in its water-resistant capabilities, it still cannot tolerate standing pools of water. Unlike vinyl, laminate’s water resistance works from top to bottom rather than bottom to top. If you have moisture issues with your subfloor, you’ll still need a vapor barrier.
• Not recommended for full bathrooms or basements: Since these areas are prone to leaks and flooding, you’ll want a more water-resistant floor. You can make your laminate floor more water resistant by installing an underlayment and vapor barrier as well as using the glue-down installation method.
• Sound: If installed poorly, laminate floors can create a hollow, empty sound. Every product comes with thorough installation instructions, and if you’re really worried, you can always hire an expert. Plus, a good underlayment can make for a quieter laminate floor.

 

 

The layers of vinyl are actually really similar to laminate, just using different materials. Vinyl is also typically comprised of 4 layers*

*Can vary between manufacturers.

1. Backing layer: Again, the backbone of your plank.
2. Solid vinyl core: The solid vinyl core accounts for most of the flooring. This high-density core layer is moisture resistant, durable, and built to last.
3. Print vinyl layer: Similar to laminate, this is where you get your gorgeous photo imagery that makes the vinyl look (nearly) identical to natural materials like stone and wood. As technology improves, you will see even more interesting vinyl looks, including leather, pebbles, chevron and more! For a long time, vinyl wasn’t able to produce anything that looked even remotely as realistic, beautiful or expensive as laminate, but times they are a-changin’!
4. Wear layer: Just like with laminate, the wear layer is like your bodyguard; it helps protect your floor from dents, scratches, etc. The thicker the wear layer, the buffer your bodybuilder, you feel me? Thicker wear layers offer more protection, so make sure when you’re looking at vinyl flooring to look not just at plank thickness, but wear layer thickness as well.

• Realistic wood and stone looks: Seriously, vinyl is changing. Rapidly. The top-end vinyl floors are able to more realistically mimic natural materials better than ever before. WPC vinyl is the best of the best, which means the looks are usually incredibly convincing and beautiful.
• Easy, DIY installation: Most vinyl planks and tiles offer an easy interlocking or “floating” installation, perfect for most homeowners to do on their own without the help of an installation professional.
• Realistic wood and stone looks: Laminate floor planks often have some surface detail to further mimic a natural hardwood look and can have the look and feel of a hand-scraped hardwood, embossed wood, distressed hardwood or come in textured or smooth. Unlike real hardwood, you’ll see consistent quality across all laminate flooring boards.
• Easy to maintain: Vinyl flooring is super easy to take care of. Most options are water-resistant and many are fully waterproof. Just make sure you choose a thick wear layer to prevent scrapes and scratches.
• Zero maintenance: All you need is the occasional vacuum and damp mop to keep your WPC looking fabulous.
• Resilient: It’s true, you could just get a wood- or stone-look tile and it would also be waterproof. But tile is hard. Standing on a tile floor all day isn’t great for your joints or feet. Vinyl is more resilient and much more comfortable.
• Waterproof options: Yes, 100% waterproof. They are awesome!

 

 

 

 

• Doesn’t feel like real wood: To the touch, vinyl feels pretty different from solid hardwood. This feel is important to some homeowners.
• Price: As you move onto waterproof and luxury options, this can run you more than other wood-look options like laminate. But they come with a whole lot more bells and whistles!
• Low-quality planks scratch and dent easily: If you want a vinyl plank that can stand up to high traffic, family and pets, you’ve got to go with a high-quality plank with a thick wear layer. The cheaper options just won’t hold up.

Honestly, for vinyl flooring vs laminate…it depends. I know…rude, right?

Well, there is a wide range for both laminate and vinyl flooring products. However, I will say that for the top end luxury vinyl, you may pay a little more than for the top end of laminate. That is because the highest quality luxury vinyl often includes a waterproof core** and ultra thick wear layer.

For the middle of the road, beautiful and good quality options, they are honestly pretty comparable, and I would say that vinyl has a wider range on both ends of the spectrum. It is also important to discuss installation costs with your installer. One may cost more for the install and that could alter which flooring is less expensive in the long run.

**Fun fact: There was a little experiment conducted with our luxury COREtec vinyl planks. They were submerged in water for six months and the flooring did not swell at all!

As far as looks go in laminate vs vinyl flooring, you can find ultra-realistic wood looks in both types. The feel? That is a different story. Laminate, when installed poorly, can also create a hollow, empty sound which can be a deal breaker for many homeowners.