Laminate Flooring VS Vinyl Plank Flooring
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2023
- In this video we will look at 10 points of comparison between laminate flooring and luxury vinyl plank flooring. These are two of the most popular categories of flooring today, and both have some wonderful offerings. I will discuss how they compare on some of the most commonly asked questions that my own clients present me with, and give my honest opinions based on my experiences and those of my clients. Although I do mention a few brands by name throughout this video, I will not be making direct comparisons between brands but an overview of the product categories as a whole. I am not sponsored nor am I being paid for mentioning any brands. If you have any additional questions I do try to answer them in the comments every chance I get.
Below are some links to products I recommend, related to laminate and vinyl maintenance. I do earn a small commission on qualified purchases when using these links so it is a great way to support my channel if you could benefit from any of these products.
Amazon Affiliate Links:
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Vinyl Plank Scratch Concealer: amzn.to/3rO4NeL
I thought you did an excellent job on this video. Good comparisons and to the point. I really appreciate your time in sharing your expertise with those of us who are researching before our projects. Thank you!
Thank you for making this video. You did an excellent and fair job of breaking everything down.
I appreciate the feedback!
This is an excellent video. People in the comments getting caught up in the terminology you can just Google it it's really hard to cover all that in a brief video but he did an excellent job of explaining. With the new laminates coming out this year it's going to be even higher for laminate.
This was super helpful. Thanks a million Robert. There are several rooms we still have to remodell and this gave a quick and very good overview!
Thanks so much for watching and for the feedback. There is always so much to cover and trying to balance giving enough info with not rambling on is always a challenge for me 😂
Informative and honest. Thank you for making this video. I’d gladly hire you to do my floors.
Confirmed the facts. I looked at several sites and they kept pushing Vinyl. Saying it was more resilient to scratches and other things but there was nothing backing it. They are pushing vinyl and not stating the facts. You also pointed out what happens when water gets underneath which is very common. Water doesn’t always stay on top of your flooring, baseboards bad caulking and that water gets trapped with vinyl. High humidity areas might want to avoid vinyl.
Very helpful and informative.
Great video Robert! You cut to the chase and discussed all the key elements of choosing between flooring choices.
This video was incredibly helpful. I would love to see a video that goes into the detail of how the two types of floors are constructed including what types of materials are incorporated into the floor and which floors are more environmentally friendly.
This was so helpful. Thank you!
Im so glad to hear this, thanks for watching!
Thank you, this was very informative.
Good video. Fair comparison. Thanks.
This was very helpful thank you
Good video thank you for all the information
Thank you. Very helpful.
This is a great video - but you really mixed me up and had me confused at times when you used the word LVT ( or something like that) why not call them Vinyl and Laminate.
Probably because "LVT" is what you will see when you go shopping for it.
LVP luxury vinyl plank …LVT luxury vinyl tile. Both are vinyl. The LVT is made to look like large pieces of floor tile. LVP usually looks like wood.
That too I had to keep looking at the title lol It’s just a co-op rental that hasn’t been renovated which it will once I move out. Of course.
I’ve lived in two before and was on the board member etc. even won one a $125,000 park through home depot But this one no one does anything. So it doesn’t need to be the best tiny bathroom and with no budget anyone have a suggestion lol lol.
What about those big pieces you cut to size And place down. Aren’t they the cheapest?
Too much talk! Get to the point.
Thanks for sharing 👍👍👍
Robert, great video. I'm going to point my customers to it. This topic is among the most debated issues when presenting LVP or Laminate to a customer. Most come to the issue based on past experience with a product like old Pergo or comments from parents and older friends. More difficult are the discussions with older professionals in the construction trades; most won't touch Laminate. Yet, nearly every installer and flooring salesperson that I've talked to is 100% behind Laminate.
Thanks so much for watching and the feedback. It is definitely one of the most common questions that we get in our business and there are so many factors to discuss when starting to not only compare categories, but the individual brands and all options in each.
I put down some laminate in my basement and have watched a lot of install videos of both laminate and LVP... and I have to say, the fact that you can cut LVP with a box cutter instead of having to use a saw is a huge plus.
There's a reason why you can't cut Laminate. It's much harder. I have Pergo Timbercraft Laminate on my entire main floor and Lifeproof LVP in my basement and I like the Laminate much better. The LVP seems a little soft to me.
He used the word 'undulations'. I'm in love.
😂😂😂
Really great information here!
Thanks so much, I assume from the profile name you are an industry peer?
Yes! Hi! We are a family owned flooring store in Ohio, soon to be 55 years in the biz. Check out our fun storytelling Shorts videos all about flooring.@@RemodelWithRobert
Very cool. Ill check them out!
Thanks for the video, Robert! Could you rate Laminate VS Vinyl based on floor heating? Which one would you recommend and why?
If you mop a lot, you will definitely want LVP instead. I had water resistance laminate floor before, after couple years, you will eventually notice some bubbling around some edges. It is very ugly to look at once you noticed them. Also for LVP, you can install same flooring through out entire house for a consistent look (it actually make your house look bigger too). You can install it in bathrooms without issues. Even though it is waterproof, make sure don't flood the floor with water...
As far as installation cost, I have found that hard laminate flooring such as Pergo Wet Protect wears out saw blades about 3 times as faster compared to vinyl flooring. This can add an extra $200 in materials for a project depending on its size.
Diablo makes blades specifically for laminate and vinyl flooring and still, I have found the laminate blade starts "smoking" in 1/3 the time.
Robert, thank you! I bought laminate flooring recently from LL Flooring. No one told me that this Flooring has to be installed in the SAME direction without having to withstand thick "transition" pieces in the doorways! Please include this information in your videos. It will be helpful for your viewers. Your channel is great. I have learned quite a bit. Wish I had tuned in, before I made my purchase! Thanks for great information!
What are you saying? You do or don't have to have transitions in doorways with laminate? I had imagined my entire place would have one solid floor without ANY transitions because it would all go in the same direction. How is laminate different from vinyl in this instance?
@@bre.j It's not. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to start in one location and lay one continuous floor across an entire house. You end up going backwards when you transition into some rooms, end up with very small edges periodically if your layout does not match in that room so transitions are quite common. I did a 1200 square foot downstairs and ended up with 3. 1 in the transition into the laundry room, 1 at the bathroom and one in a closet. It took half a day for layout to make it work. I won't do it like that again. I'll do transitions. Faster, simpler, and if you put it under where the door closes, it's invisible. If you don't want a transitions, it's hard to do on one floor especially with a floating floor.
Hello I have question regarding stairs, I have carpet that has to go and want to use the same on the stairs and the same in the upstairs bedrooms and hallway. Any suggestions for the stairs? Padding ?
Thx man
What about in terms life expectancy? Looking for something for my rental. I’ve heard some iffy stories about Vinyl from people but would love to hear what you think
Excellent info, thanks so much! Now a video needs to be done on how people can psychologically get over the guilty feeling of being cheap or tacky if they don't use real hardwood instead.😆
I have ALWAYS lived in a home with hardwood floors and they look beautiful after 30 years. But I would never put wood floors in a bathroom!
on groundfloor i have already chipboard on top of the concrete, should i use underlayer ?
Tried DuPont brand laminate mid price chipped very easily upon install and not pleased installed vinyl and went together no problem. The laminate after installation was however very scratch resistant southeast Texas pier and beam lots of moisture also
I would like to know the cost of installing carpeting vs. Laminates.
Hi what underlayment brand / product do u like to use for karastan laminate ? The flooring store said the generic brand is just as good. Do u agree ?
Underlayment for these situations? 1) In a wetprotect bathroom 2)an upstairs floor that needs noise reduction because there is a bedroom below 3) walk out basement moisture protection. Can I use same underlayment for all three ?
do you think the coretec 5.2mm cairo oak LVP is a good choice for 4.09CAD/sqft? or do you recommend a different product for similar pricing?
I had to look up what is LVT. Your title didn't match what you were talking about. For all that don't know here it is: Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is a type of vinyl flooring
Good info! Trying to make up my mind . Have you done a video on waterproof Engineered hardwood ?
I have done one actually! You should be able to find it in my video list
It would likely fall into the Laminate category for most comparisons, but depends on the manufacturer and how it is constructed.@@RemodelWithRobert
What would you recommend for wheelchair use?
Great video! Very helpful….
Very informative!! what is your recommendation for the bathroom, next to toilet and shower??? Is it better to do Laminate or VP or Tiles? This is for apartment building with renters who have kids.
I would do tile for the bathroom if you are only doing the flooring in the bathroom. It will be the most renter proof option.
I’m going with hardwood 😝😝
We bought laminate it is stronger or more resistant to scratches
no way laminate is more durable than LVP. I took several samples of LVP home and hit them with a claw hammer and left no visible marks then took an off cut of the flooring I had installed and did the same just to make sure the samples were real samples and no visible marks with the claw end or the hammer end. I tried the same with many laminate flooring offers and all had bad dents and scratches. Just get stone core LVP not wood core! Try it yourself, samples are free everywhere!! I love my LVP flooring I got my whole house done and I now have zero transitions, my old laminate flooring had transitions everywhere that I would move a chair or something and hit or hit with my feet, those days are over now!!! I had transitions living room to bathroom, living room to kitchen all over and now all seamless monolithic no transition flooring and I would never put laminate in a wet area like laundry room or kitchen or bathroom but LVP is no problem in those locations just remember PVC baseboards in those areas!
Great job. Iv'e been in flooring business 34 years and Laminate has gotten a bad wrap over the years. Laminate wins every day in my opinion.
Funny
Thanks. I appreciate your input. I feel like my purchase of laminate was a waste after watching some other videos. I couldn't afford LVP and needed flooring. Elderly woman on a budget. Hopefully, I will be ok. Not much traffic in my home.
What’s your opinion on Pergo Timbercraft? We had it in one home and with great results. We built new last year, builder used LVP (brand Aqualok) and we don’t like it. It’s cold, hard and plastic. Nail pops pushed up. Hubs wants to rip it out and put down Laminate. Or can we install it over existing LVP? Only good thing is LVP is so easy to mop clean. We like the Timbercraft but I’m having trouble finding a color I like now.
I installed Pergo Timbercraft Laminate on our main floor and Lifeproof LVP in our basement and I think the Pergo Timbercraft is much better.
I'm looking to get new floors. I'm tired of this ugly ass tile flooring. Thanks for this informative video.
This really helped me decide! Laminate it is 😅
Don't get laminate. It's trash. Lvp is 10k times better.
@@ubergsxr01 . . . Not even close. I installed Pergo Timbercraft Laminate on most of our main floor 900sq ft and was able to install it with no transitions and it was easier to take apart and put back together. I then installed Lifeproof LVP in our basement 650 sq ft and it was more difficult to install. The click lock system is brittle and is very difficult to take apart if you need to redo an area. The planks are softer and I think they look a little plasticky. They don't feel as good or solid as the Laminate.
@republitarian484 I've installed hundreds of thousands of feet of laminate and lvp. I actually own a flooring company. It just takes practice to do it right. I'll do 1k ft of lvp by myself in 1 day. I don't even mess with laminate anymore, we won't even sell it anymore. Laminate was all we had until lvp came out about 10 years ago. Laminate is just compressed cardboard.
@@ubergsxr01 . . . I installed both of the above myself and I found the Laminate was much easier to install and easier to take apart put back together if you needed to. And that was 4 years ago and it's holding up very well. I even put a scrap piece of the laminate in a bucket of water for a few weeks. Pulled it out and let it dry and it never even affected it. The LVP I installed downstairs is OK. It bends so it contours to some of the curvature of my concrete floor. I know. . you need a level floor within 3/16" every 10 feet. . .bla bla bla. I just made sure any profiles were grinded down and that the slope was smooth and reasonable. It has formed down against the floor pretty well. The click/lock seem a little brittle and less forgiving too. Anyway, I find the LVP a little soft and plasticky looking and it seems to scratch easier.
Pergo and Mohawk both made in USA-Pergo made by Mohawk
We have laminate and I’ll never have it again. Any type of mildly sharp edge takes the top layer off, leaving the light underneath exposed. It was an expensive floor and has not held up well at all.
Injustice bought Lifeproof 22mill disk cherry vinyl .. I feel a little sad bc the laminate version of Lifeproof is so more rigid and high quality feeling be vinyl flooring floppy but I guess that’s normal - hoping the 22 mil Lifeproof quality lasts it was for 2000 sq feet entire house
Why not get the laminate?
4:20 more moisture issues with vinyl. Laminate more scratch proof 5:25 stain, tie 4:50 installation 7:00 care, tie; repair, laminate better 8:35 sound, vinyl 9:25 value, laminate
Every flooring company in this town suggests to LVP over laminate, I visited four of them and none of them suggested me to use laminate 🤷♀️
Hi do you recommend laminate or vinyl for residential bathroom’s floor?
Stick with Linoleum or you will end up dealing with warping and swelling.
I'm disappointed that "general feel under your feet" wasn't covered. That's my biggest concern when deciding. Does vinyl have a plastic feel to it? Does laminate simulate wood better? I mean, that's what both are trying to do. Simulate wood. I'd be curious which one does that better.
I have a bunch of plank samples of both vinyl and laminate here, and I can tell you right now that Robert was on point about vinyl finish feeling more "plasticky", and from my side I will add -- from experience with the samples I've got here -- that your feet will also feel the same. Laminate feels more like wood, in fact it's impressively quite like wood. Vinyl, while looking like wood from most angles, has decidedly more specular reflections (which wood normally does not have until heavily lacquered) in certain incidental light angle(s), also feels much more like plastic under your feet. It's going for a different vibe though, since it's got its advantages over laminate, like superior sound insulation (unless your vinyl core is e.g. HDF, like in case of some of Parador flooring) and superior water proofing. But if you want wood but for some reason exclude actual wood like parquet or solid wood flooring, then laminate is the thing to lay.
Looking at Revwood Select or Premier, question, what about weight, we have antique piano and very heavy but I need a floor that will allow a professional steamer, that we use to use in our home in Phoenix, now in Atlanta, we know we need a water vapor barrier..
NO steam mops on laminates!
@@toddhall5380 we can adjust temp this is a high end steamer from Germany
@@toddhall5380aquaguard laminate says steam mop is OK...
Whats the color of the Revwood on the right?
In the video? Coconut Oak
Great, video. How about thicknesses? What thickness to use? What are pros and cons of thin vs thick thicknesses? I wished someone talked about that. I'm split between getting 8mm or 10mm for my second floor condo.
You don’t really need a 10mm wear layer unless you have expect to face lots and lots of foot traffic, just fyi
@@Steasyp Thank you.
Thickness doesn't matter too much as long as you stay in a certain range. 8-12mm for laminate, 5-8mm for vinyl plank. More important are wear layer which is typically shown in (mils). If you're on a second floor I'd suggest a pad. The pads on the backs of the planks are just to stop the floor from "clapping" because it's a floating floor, if you want actual sound deadening, comfort, insulation you need a additional pad.
do you have a video comparing waterproof engineered hardwood vs waterproof laminate? in your opinion which one is better? its worth to pay double for engineered wood floors?
I dont but considering maming a video to compare all wood look options and the reasons to buy each. Would love to hear if you think that would be a helpful video!
@@RemodelWithRobert Yes, it will be helpful! I am having a hard time trying to decide between Woodura waterproof engineered wood floors and Mohawk RevWood Plus laminate flooring. The first option is doble the price, don’t know if is worth.
Is LVT toxic as they say on google?
I wish this vid had come out a year ago...
Haha, its been a long time coming for this one
Had laminate for 10 years and trust me id not pet & kid resistent or if moving furniture too often
Would go for porcelan tiles if i could keep everyone out of the kitchen and livingroom for 24h
Hello sir from which country are you making video I am in Malaysia I have 15 years experience certificate on this job and I am a Bangladeshi, thanks
👍👍😉
Number one is which product looks more realistic and you say laminate but you're showing a coretec LVP which is not a laminate as i understand it. Can you expand on this please?
Yes, on number 1, I show a Mohawk Revwood laminate and as compared to a coretec. These are both leaders in their categories.
@@RemodelWithRobert thank you!
Do you know what is best over radiant heated floor? I’m installing tubing under subfloor. Additionally the tubing is in the concrete basement. Thank you.
CAN YOU INSTALL LAMINATE OVER OLD VINYL TILE?
We installed it over original old hardwood and older vinyl sheet in a kitchen. Done beautifully and held up.
If the vinyl is well adhered to the floor, smooth and level, then floating over the top of it can definitely be considered. I would not float laminate over a floating vinyl plank.
Can you put laminate in bathrooms? Anyone?
We do it all the time, making sure all perimeter expansion joints are sealed off so that water doesn't seep in from the sides.
Laminate crap in basement. All the joint will bevel over the year. Lvt all good laydown is even better
Are they both Toxic
😅
it's LVP not LVT
LVT (luxury vinyl tile) is the original term for the broader category. LVP (luxury vinyl plank) was adopted to differentiate the expanded offerings in wood-look vinyl tiles. Both terms are commonly used today somewhat interchangeably. Vinyl planks, as referenced in my thumbnail, are more specific to longer format products like the wood looks or even some long stone looks. I hope that clarifies. Thanks for watching!
Thumbed down for LVT. Wtf is that?
Lvt is luxury vinyl tile
Lvp is luxury vinyl plank
I know laminate is very popular now but it still looks fake..hence the title laminate.
Laminate is garbage. Lvp is better in every way. Lvp is way more durable, waterproof, and much easier to install than Laminate. Lvp also feels 10x better underfoot than Laminate. I've installed both for over a decade and I would never recommend Laminate. It's compressed cardboard and will swell up with almost any water contact. Laminate is 100% the worst flooring product ever designed.
its like comparing dog shit to cat shit😂😂
luxury plastic flooring😂😂😂