Vinyl flooring clearly is a better choice in high-moisture environments than laminate flooring, making it an excellent choice in bathrooms. But for whole-house installations, laminate flooring often makes sense because it offers a wide range of choices.
While costs are similar, the value of premium vinyl far exceeds that of laminate based on quality and value. Unlike laminate, premium vinyl is durable and stable, resistant to moisture and climate, and is easy to install and maintain. Laminate is restricted to light traffic and low moisture applications.
Vinyl stands up the best against excess moisture and spills, and it can be less expensive than laminate. However, laminate gives a more realistic wood look to enhance the design aesthetic in your home.
Vinyl is a soft material: One of its advantages is also its greatest weakness: its lightness. Heavy furniture can dent and mark vinyl floors, while sharp objects can pierce the upper layers. Discolouration: LVT flooring can suffer from sun damage if laid in conservatories or near south-facing doors/windows.
LVT will never look “cheap” — it will make your life easier and enhance the look and comfort of your home.
While luxury vinyl flooring has come a long way from its creation and has increased in durability and visual appeal, unfortunately vinyl may decrease your resale value in the long run. It's important to recognize that while you may spend less on vinyl vs. hardwood, the ROI may be less.
Even the high-end residential market discovered LVP floors last year. It works in wet areas such as bathrooms and laundry rooms as well as living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, and anywhere in the house except for stairs.
Not 100% Moisture Proof:
Although laminate flooring is moisture resistant, it is not moisture-proof. A major spill or excessive water exposure could seriously damage your floor. This can lead to warping and even the need to replace flooring planks or a complete floor re-install.
Manufacturing vinyl flooring requires the use of toxic chemicals, and after installation, vinyl floors have been known to emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Off-gassed VOCs can adversely affect health and an indoor environment, particularly without windows or ventilation, will lead to higher concentrations.
For a short time after installation, vinyl flooring emits what is known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These are gasses that can have a long-term impact on your health and are also dangerous for the environment. They can be especially hazardous to those with respiratory problems.
Vinyl flooring, especially when installed with an underlayment, can minimize impact noise and provide a softer and more muted sound when walking or dropping items. Laminate flooring, without an underlayment, may produce a louder and hollower sound due to the nature of its construction.
When comparing vinyl plank to laminate, it's a close race as to which is easier to install. However, the installation of vinyl plank requires fewer tools and steps, so it's the superior choice in this category.
Luxury Vinyl Tiles are durable. LVT tiles contain plasticizers that do not break down over time, making it tough against damage.
Pro: LVP Is Affordable
Plus, luxury vinyl flooring is much cheaper to maintain and keep clean, unlike carpet that harbors dirt, dust, and other disgusting things and will require replacement more often. And, even more, money savings can be appreciated if able to install right on top of an existing floor.
Durability. Laminate and LVT/LVP flooring are both extremely durable, but they have their weaknesses. Laminate is prone to scratches and chipped corners over time, so vinyl is probably a better choice for your home if you have pets. LVT/LVP is scratch-resistant, but it's more vulnerable to denting and tearing.
Some LVT even has a texture that resembles real wood. High-quality LVT goes one step further to ensure your final installation looks exceptionally realistic: It's manufactured with a variety of patterns, so not every vinyl plank is going to look identical.
Will the sheet vinyl flooring trend last in 2022 and beyond? For sure, you're going to see sheet vinyl making a big come-back in the years to come. It's durable, easy to install, and versatile enough to come in tons of styles, patterns, and colors.
If your old floors are in bad shape, any new flooring will help. While solid hardwood flooring would add more value, laminate will give your home the look of hardwood at a much lower cost, will look good for years, and your return on investment should be solid.
While laminate flooring has many strong points, its most significant downside is its poor resistence to water. Laminate flooring can tolerate some water on top surface but it should not be allowed to pool and remain for long. Otherwise, the water may seep below and affect the sensitive core layer.
Laminate flooring is often considered to have a lower resale value than solid wood or engineered wood. Resilient flooring tends to rate even lower than laminate flooring, though categories start to overlap with better types of resilient flooring like thick rigid core luxury vinyl plank.
LVP vs. LVT. LVP comes in a plank shape and often offers the look of real hardwood with realistic scraping or embossing. LVT comes in the traditional tile squares, features more stone and concrete looks, includes surface texture for a lifelike look, and can even be installed with grout.
Maintenance and Longevity
In general, you can rely on vinyl flooring to last anywhere between 10 and 25 years.