Looking for durable, cost-effective, and attractive floor material for your home that you can install by yourself? Laminate and vinyl flooring are both budget-friendly choices for any remodeling project, but which of them is best for your home? Like so many other questions in home improvement, the answer depends.
In this article, we will compare vinyl vs. laminate flooring to help inform you as to which is best suited for your home and the rooms within it.
Vinyl Plank Flooring vs. Laminate: What Are the Major Differences?
A new floor can make a dramatic impact by changing the look and feel of a room. Still, the end result will depend on the type of flooring you choose. Many people love the look of traditional stone tiles or hardwood, but savvy homeowners choose beautiful, budget-friendly materials: laminate and vinyl that come in a wide range of shades and styles.
If we compare vinyl vs. laminate flooring, both flooring types are similar in many ways, providing an alternative to solid wood or engineered wood flooring. They cost about the same, they look about the same from a distance, and they both are easy to install. Both floors work very well with most underfloor heating systems. But they also have many differences. Let’s discuss these differences as well as the pros and cons of each popular option.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is a 100-percent synthetic material consisting of multiple layers of polyvinyl chloride or PVC. This composition gives it superior moisture resistance. Water won’t damage the surface when it sits on vinyl floors, even for extended periods. Luxury vinyl tiles and planks can be fully immersed in water for a long time and then dried out and reused, completely unaffected. That’s why vinyl flooring is an excellent choice for rooms prone to moisture, such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements.
Vinyl can be a cost-effective, hassle-free floor and offers a variety of methods of installation, for example, snap-and-click, peel-and-stick, glue-down, and floating installations. At our online store, you can find vinyl click flooring that is available in wood grain, stone, marble, and fabric look and glue down vinyl plank flooring that creates a more stable and long-lasting floor.
Now, vinyl is available in a surprisingly sophisticated range of designs, and due to advanced embossing techniques, modern vinyl looks more expensive than it really is. The vinyl floor is easy to clean and maintain, and it stands up well to many of the everyday stresses that compromise other materials. It’s okay to use a wet mop on these floors, and you can scrub them with safe cleaning products for stubborn messes. This type of flooring is also known to be durable and resilient and can stand up well up to 20 years.
Vinyl is less expensive than other flooring materials like hardwood or porcelain tile. Still, vinyl can get more expensive as you explore the luxury flooring options.
Laminate
The core of laminate flooring is made from wood byproducts bonded with resins. The top surface is a hard, transparent plastic wear layer that covers the printed design layer. Laminate is popular with homeowners who like hardwood but want to spend less money on flooring as it is budget-friendly with an easy installation process and simple maintenance.
Laminate flooring feels comfortably underfoot, and due to a thicker composition that includes wood content, it also feels warmer and slightly soft. And besides, it is typically installed over a soft, cushiony layer of foam. It is also highly scratch-resistant and works well in high-traffic areas and homes with children and pets, but it does not perform well in moisture. This material is not recommended for use in any space with exposure to moisture and humidity. Although there are waterproof laminate flooring products, they can still become damaged over long periods of water exposure.
Laminate flooring uses a click-and-lock installation method, and the installation is relatively simple and convenient as you can lay it over an existing floor. It’s perfect for DIY projects. Cleaning laminate floors can be a more delicate process because it has a limited moisture resistance. When it comes to maintenance, laminate floors should be dry-mopped regularly to keep them clean. If you need to wet-clean such types of flooring, you should use only a damp mop that feels almost dry to the touch. Laminate flooring is strong and durable, and its warranties typically range from 10 to 25 years, but it depends on maintenance.
Laminate vs. Vinyl Flooring: Which Material Should You Buy?
We have compared laminate vs. vinyl flooring, and as you see, neither type is universally better or worse than the other one. Both laminate wood flooring and vinyl flooring are great options for people who want a DIY project and are searching for affordable, durable floors, and they come in endless colors, patterns, and styles.
When you’re deciding which flooring material to install in your home, it’s best to consider the needs of your home and the room you’re renovating. Vinyl is moisture-resistant, so it’s best for wet bathrooms, laundry rooms, and mudrooms. And laminate works well for dry areas.
If you’re making repairs and renovations around your home, at Stone and Tile, you can find a lot of stunning materials for your flooring replacement, including
wide plank laminate flooring that makes rooms look more spacious and
luxury vinyl plank flooring that is known for its warmth and comfort underfoot. With a wide variety of flooring materials and colors, you can remodel your space to match your existing decor. We also have a wide range of wood and
vinyl trim molding pieces to add a finishing touch to your new floors.
