Choosing Between Laminate and Vinyl Plank Flooring

I often hear people interchange names for laminate and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring. They can look and feel similar, but there are some important differences to be aware of. It’s one of those things that doesn’t matter until you need to know which product aligns with what you want in your home.

Some things they have in Common. They both fall under a shorter life span floor (15-30 yrs). They’re installed as “floating” floors meaning they have a locking mechanism and aren’t adhered to the subfloor (some LVP’s are glued down).  Because of this, they are less labor intensive to install/ remove i.e. cheaper from a labor standpoint.

Differences

Product Pricing

*Laminate is usually cheaper. Low end starting at $0.70/ft, middle at $1.50/ft, and higher end at $3.00/ft.

Lvp in comparison. Low end at $1.50/ft, middle at $3.00/ft, and higher end at $5.00/ft. That’s twice the cost!

Water Resistance

They do make some higher end, water resistant laminates now…but laminate in general doesn’t do well with water. It will bubble and the top layer will chip off.

*Lvp is waterproof! It will hold up in entry ways with wet shoes, bathrooms, and if a spill is missed in the kitchen it won’t ruin your floor. Also, if your basement floods, it can often be removed (so the water can be cleaned up) and be put back down. Not many other floors can be salvaged after a flood.

Scratching and Overall Wear

Felt pads under furniture legs are recommended for both floors. A common way for your floor to scratch is just having some loose dirt/tiny rocks around. Imagine a chair leg or even a heavy foot then dragging over those. Comparing middle grades of both products, I’d give laminate a slight edge on scratch resistance. Some Lvps have a softer top vinyl layer that does scratch/ indent easily.

Sound

Laminate is more hollow sounding. Walking across it will usually be louder than Lvp.

Overall Lvp is typically seen as superior to laminate, mostly because it’s waterproof. That factor alone allows it to be installed in places like bathrooms, which laminate would not be a good fit for.