How do you pick laminate/vinyl flooring?
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Posted May 20, 2020, 1:51 AM UTC
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We have vinyl plank in our house. Ice falls onto it from the freezer door? It’ll dry. Markers from the kids doing drawings on the floor? Wipe em off. We’ve had ours for 5 years now and they look identical to how they originally did. They cost about 1/4 of wood, and we ran the numbers, it’s cheaper to replace than to refinish a wood floor. With small kids, we figured we’d probably have to do one or the other when they got old enough. Haven’t had to yet.
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I was more wondering about which to get. Like thickness and brand. It ranges in price from as low as like .70/sqft to 3.50. The ones I posted were in the middle and I was wondering if they were decent choices.
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The lumber liquidators stuff intrigues me more. 20yr warranty, waterproof (vs resistant), looks more textured. However, I’m more partial to the look of the Home Depot stuff. I’m not into the rustic look personally. But if you like either, they’re probably both fine.
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I’m having the same issue in terms of picking. There is a newer (2018) technology I think I’m going to go with which is SPC which is basically Vinly plank but the core is made of crushed stone instead of wood so it’s little more rigid. This helps with flex and sound is my understanding so it’s better if your floor is uneven. I’ve been seeing it as maybe .50 cents a square foot more depending. I’m still doing more research though, I never thought there’d be so much technology in floors lol.
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Right? A buddy of mine did his "man cave" area and it got me wanting to do parts of my house but I want to get the best thing that isn't overpaying.
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I’m currently looking to do it for 2nd floor of a duplex I’m planning on living in and then rent out, so yes I’m really trying to find that sweet spot of getting a good value and not getting cheap shit. I’m probably going to have to go to a couple of local flooring stores and get samples along with Home Depot Lowe’s, there’s a good amount of brands out there making SPC and other LVP that aren’t at Home Depot and Lowe’s but are definitely price competitive with them.
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Do you have pets? Vinyl doesn't absorb cat vomit or urine accidents like laminate joints do. Sometimes the joints can pucker or swell. (Speaking from experience.) ...Or spilled drinks at a kids birthday party that no one noticed for a couple of hours... Vinyl has a thicker wear layer that can take scuffs better as well. Our laminate was middle of the road 13mm German-made stuff.
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Vinyl plank is the superior product. It's cheaper, more durable, waterproof and easy to install.
Try to find a flooring supplier by you, they might have better prices. Generally try to get the thickest you can afford. Costco usually has lvp at a great price.
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We've done laminate in our rental properties, and engineered wood in our current and previous houses. The difference b/w laminate and engineered wood is not too much in price, but you can definitely tell the difference once you put it on.
I always look for a European or North American manufacturer of the flooring, and a minimum thickness of 13mm with a wider board (6-8"). I find that these flex less, and are a much better look overall.
Also, we go for a 'wood' that has 'imperfections' built into it, so that it's easier to keep clean, and does not show every stain/mark on it. A lighter shade will always make the place look bigger and more open, as well as hide scratches better than a darker wood shade. Try to get a more matte finish, as the shiny / gloss of laminate will wear faster and show dents/wear/scuffs much more easily then the matte. Also, laminate chips much easier than engineered wood in my experience. This is our experience, and that of all our family members that get this type of wood. YMMV.
EDIT: To answer your question, I prefer the first one. But make sure you see it in person, feel it, and see how it is as photos don't mean anything. And as I said...darker looks nicer, but dust, scratches, dents, all show up very clearly and very quickly on a dark floor. Especially laminate as the colour is only on the surface, and you have a light material underneath so any scratch will show up very clearly.
13mm? The thickest I have seen is like 7mm.
Then that's super thin/cheap. I'd never go below 12mm. Our last house had the 13.8mm (approx) and honestly had no issues with them at all. Looked great outside of some scratches from furniture and kids, but our current one also has a thicker engineered wood floor and we love it. Much lighter than our previous house, and really opens up the space.
This is in Canada, but this store sells 12mm laminate and nothing thinner...
https://www.aafloors.ca/product-category/laminate-flooring/
Only time we didn't buy from them was when HomeDepot had very similar flooring but at 0.50/sqft cheaper than AA. It was a discontinued line and we loved the look and quality (still do).
Interesting. It's not like a regional thing where one is measuring the top layer vs the whole thing or something is it? I'm looking at Home Depot and such as well as actual flooring stores and can't even find anything that thick.
Hold on. Maybe that's laminate vs vinyl. I do see laminate that thickness but just about everything I've read says vinyl is better. Hence my post.
In general, laminate thickness matters - vinyl less so. Laminate you’ll want 12mm+