Everybody loves the feeling and look of hardwood flooring. The trouble is that it is expensive to buy and even more expensive to have installed by professionals. Those on a budget seem to be relegated to wall to wall carpeting or worse, linoleum flooring.
Luckily, this isn’t true at all. There are a lot of budget options these days for flooring with the advances in laminate and vinyl flooring. They are both inexpensive to buy and easy enough for you to install it yourself. Even if you are not a handy person. They are also both readily available in stores such as this Edmonton flooring store and many others.
Which is the better option? It depends on a few factors, of course. In this article, we will go over which one will be best for you based on your needs and circumstances.
The similarities
The planks of both laminate and vinyl flooring are synthetic and feature a design that looks natural. They attach by interlocking together along the side and end of the plank. They are made of several layers of material with the design in the middle and then coated with material that allows for wear without damaging the look of the flooring.
You aren’t limited to the look of wood with either one of them as there are also options for stone, and tile.
As far as the cost goes, it depends on what you buy that counts for both. You can spend as little as $1.00 per square foot for laminate as well as vinyl. And both can exceed $5.00 per foot for thicker variations. Vinyl tends to have more of the cheaper options than laminate however, so you are more likely to find a wider variety of budget flooring there.
Lastly, both last anywhere between 20 and 25 years. This highly depends on the thickness of the flooring and the type of wear layers that cover the print. And, of course, it also depends on the foot traffic on the floor and how often it is exposed to things like water and dirt.
Water and heat resistance
Where the differences begin are with their water and heat resistance. They are both synthetic so should do a better job at repelling water than a wood floor, in theory. Laminate is made with a middle layer of fiberboard, however. If there is enough space between where the planks are locked, then water cna get into this core and damage the plank.
Vinyl flooring does not have a similar core so they should be able to withstand water much better. New versions are specifically formulated to resist water so they can be used in bathrooms with better results than laminate.
There is less heat transfer with laminate than with vinyl so your floor will feel cool to the foot in the summer if there is no basement beneath. If you are looking to install underfloor heating, however, then vinyl is a good option as it will transfer the heat well.