Cost and maintenance are the two biggest factors in choosing hardwood flooring. Various types of natural hardwood have different qualities that can affect cost and maintenance. Depending on the location of the floor and the type of action the floor may have to endure, sometimes looking away from natural hardwood and considering a laminate or luxury vinyl option may give you just what you need, both in style and in substance.
Luxury vinyl and laminate flooring from Evoke Flooring.
Luxury vinyl vs. laminate
Flooring in the laundry room, bathroom, and kitchen may require a little extra durability and versatility than natural hardwood. Luxury vinyl and laminate floors are just as versatile and classically beautiful as real hardwood. Of course, now that you’ve discovered luxury vinyl and laminate that perfectly mirror real hardwood, right down to the grain and the texture, you need to choose between the two materials. So, let’s look at the differences and similarities between luxury vinyl and laminate hardwood inspired flooring.
Similarities of luxury vinyl and laminate flooring
Both luxury vinyl and laminate flooring share many qualities like durability and versatility. You can get both types of flooring to look like any type of hardwood, even matching the natural hardwood flooring in the rest of your home. Just like real hardwood, replacing a damaged piece of flooring is simple. Vinyl and laminate flooring will come in tiles or planks, just like hardwood, so you can replace individual planks or tiles without having to replace the whole floor.
Installation
Laminate and luxury vinyl flooring is versatile in color, texture, and style.
The tongue and groove assembly mechanism make both luxury vinyl and laminate flooring easy to install. You won’t need to nail or glue down your subflooring. The floating floors will also allow for radiant heating or another type of floor heating under your laminate or luxury vinyl floors.
Differences between laminate and vinyl
Laminate flooring tends to be a bit more rigid than luxury vinyl. The construction of luxury vinyl makes it a bit more flexible, making it more resilient to changes in moisture. Just like natural hardwood, luxury vinyl has the ability to expand and contract without damaging. This makes luxury vinyl flooring better able to handle rooms like the laundry room, kitchen, and bathroom where the humidity may change frequently.
Since luxury vinyl is much more water-resistant than laminate floors, they are quickly becoming the preferred material.
Check out our flooring catalog to see samples of our waterproof luxury vinyl and laminate flooring options. Or visit a T&G Flooring showroom to talk to a flooring expert.