When you are looking for a flooring option that provides the beautiful look of hardwood but at a fraction of the cost and with far less upkeep and susceptibility to damage, the two leading options are laminate flooring and luxury vinyl plank, LVP. Both imitate the look of wood, offering a range of tones, stains, and widths to help you get the wood-like appearance that you want.
They have several differences that can make one choice better than the other when you are looking to install new floors at your home, and understanding their construction methods, costs, and expected maintenance is important when choosing your floors.
Differences Between LVP and Laminate Flooring
Luxury vinyl plank is a newer option that has become available due to advances in vinyl in recent years. Each plank is multi-layer with a vinyl core that provides support, an embossed vinyl design layer that gives the plank its appearance, and a hard plastic protective layer.
Laminate flooring also has several layers but utilizes different materials from LVP. The core of laminate is high density fiberboard, a layer that contains a printed image for appearance, and a plastic layer to protect the floor. Like vinyl, laminate has also undergone many advances in the past decades that make today’s products look beautiful and last.
The two flooring options share many similarities including an affordable cost, a range of colors and styles available, and long wearing surfaces that require little maintenance. Some of the reasons that either LVP or laminate may be better for your space include:
- LVP Is Waterproof – Vinyl is impervious to water, so these planks will not deteriorate after contact with water. The wood core in laminate could begin to warp or rot. This makes LVP a better choice for bathrooms, kitchens, and mudrooms, although both floors can face problems like buckling if water seeps between planks so care should be taken to wipe up spills.
- Laminate Is Quieter – Laminate dampens sound better than vinyl, so it might be the better option in high traffic areas where noise could be a concern.
- Laminate Is Eco-Friendly – Laminate flooring is greener than LVP since it is made primarily of wood as opposed to plastic. It also emits fewer VOCs for a healthier environment.
- LVP Is More Durable – This factor depends largely on the product you get as the more durable laminates will surpass the less durable vinyl plank. But as a plastic product, LVP tends to be slightly more resilient than laminate at a similar price point.
- Cost Comparison – The price of laminate and LVP vary based on the brand and quality of the flooring product. Both are available at low costs, although LVP can be a few dollars more per square foot on average.
The benefits of laminate flooring and luxury vinyl plank have made these two flooring options the leading choices in most new homes, as well as preferred choices for updating homes, although options like carpet, hardwood, tile, and others still remain in demand and can often be combined with LVP or laminate in different areas of your home.
If you are considering upgrading your floor with any of these flooring types, Christian Construction can provide flooring installation in Staten Island. We can install LVP, laminate, and more for your home. Contact us to learn more about the different options available and get a quote.
