Laminate flooring vs. Luxury Vinyl Planks?

amother

Coral

Sun, May 28 2017, 1:54 pm

We are getting the flooring re-done in our house (on a budget). Our two choices both have the same oak effect look though vinyl is supposedly much better due to its waterproof properties. We are leaning more towards laminate because of the cost difference though is the extra expense for the vinyl planks worth it (because it can last longer)? And is there anyone here who is very happy with laminate (even in kitchen area)?

All opinions and advice welcome!

amother

Copper

Sun, May 28 2017, 2:07 pm

I would do vinyl in the kitchen itsmuch more durable. I made mine recently and I'm so happy. It's practiical and you can get it in wood look. It's not cheap but so worth it. It's comfortable too. Check this one. Builddirect.com I did exactly this one. I love it. It washeslike a dream. You can use a knife to get anything stuck on and no scratching. It's the best thing. I'm so happy I did it. I feel like anyone that has little kids could enjoy this. No high maintenance and easy to install. It's the click type. So don't need gluing. It gets installed very easily if your handy.

amother

Coral

Sun, May 28 2017, 3:16 pm

Thanks. Which installation is cheaper when done professionally - vinyl or laminate?

Any one else can weigh in on their experience with these two?

tigerwife

Sun, May 28 2017, 8:05 pm

We did vinyl in our kitchen and laminate in our dining room. We actually found both for around the same price on sale in Lumber Liquidaters. Check if they have any memorial specials! Installation was done by the hour so I'm not sure which was cheaper. If you are hand you may even be able to install on your own- the vinyl can be a giant 'sticker' that goes on top of your old floor.

saralem

Sun, May 28 2017, 8:09 pm

I put high end vinyl plank in my kitchen. Very happy with it. I was mostly concerned about it being waterproof. It is a kitchen after all. It's worth it. I would use laminate in a bedroom or non- wet area.

amother

Olive

Sun, May 28 2017, 8:13 pm

We did vinyl. We had laminate in our previous kitchen. After living there for 8 years, it had scratches and the only way to fix it is to replace the entire floor. Now we put in vinyl wood-look tiles. Gorgeous. Practical. Hides dirt well. Washes like a dream. No scratches a year in.

Get the more expensive vinyl. The store explained to me that it costs only a few dollars more but you're getting way better quality. The thickness of the protective layer is like 3 times as much for about 1.5 times the price. ($7 versus $5 per square foot installed IIRC). An acquaintance told me that she had vinyl tiles in her kitchen for 20 years and finally replaced them because they had faded. You wouldnt know that it faded but she knew what it looked like originally and it bothered her. Otherwise perfect condition.

amother

Smokey

Sun, May 28 2017, 8:29 pm

Looking into luxury vinyl tile, which brand did all of you get? does anyone have a number of someone who installs it in Brooklyn? Also are there cheap places to buy it besides lumbar liquidators?

amother

Yellow

Mon, May 29 2017, 1:15 am

We rebuilt our entire home after a fire and we have vinyl floor throughout the entire house. I bought industrial vinyl with a 30 year guarantee it looks exactly like wood. we had it professionally installed- they had to lay down plywood first to make sure that the entire house was level and flat.
We kids and a dog and it looks great- six years later....

shanie5

Mon, May 29 2017, 10:59 pm

I have both in my house. The laminate in the kitchen-didn't do much research before my son installed it, and vinyl in the living room and dining rooms. So far I like both equally. The laminate floor is a little over a year old and still looks great. The vinyl floor is only a few weeks old and looks terrific. I chose vinyl for the newer floor because it is my front entrance too and wet shoes and snowy boots are there all the time. And since vinyl can handle the water better, we chose that.

The vinyl floor also has a lifetime warranty on it. (The laminate we just bought the supplies at a discount store and my son installed it, so no warranty).

tigerwife

Tue, May 30 2017, 1:56 am

amother wrote:

Thanks for all the responses.

@tigerwife, which one are you happier with of the two?

While I don't favor either as of yet (they're in for only around a year so they both still look new), I do see that the laminate has a few scratches already.