Are you faced with an unpleasant choice: vinyl or laminate? They both look good. Both are easy to maintain and install. In addition, the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably as laminated vinyl. But make no mistake about it. If you take a moment, you’ll soon notice that vinyl and laminate are two very different worlds.
Compared to traditional parquet, laminate and LVT floors have many advantages. They both offer easy installation, many pattern possibilities, easy maintenance and a more affordable price. Here is the difference between Laminate vs vinyl flooring.
This is the most obvious difference between classic laminate parquet and an LVT floor. Laminate has emerged as an attractive alternative to wood floors which are difficult to lay, expensive and limited in their patterns. It experienced a very remarkable boom in the 90s, because the laminate offers easier installation, a cheaper price, and a richness of its ranges. Concretely, the laminate is composed of overlay, a protective resin for the wear layer, of melamine paper decor sheet, of an HDF panel, of a counterbalance which reinforces the stability. Optionally, an acoustic underlay can be added to this composition.
Laminated vinyl?
There is no such thing as “laminated vinyl”. It is or laminate which is constructed from a core of wood fiber (MDF) or vinyl which takes advantage of all the advantages of plastic.
Ease of installation
Vinyl floors and laminates share exceptional ease of installation. You can easily lay both types of flooring yourself. But where you still need a lot of specialized hardware to be able to sclip laminate planks, rigid vinyl floors only need a good Stanley knife to cut planks as needed.
In a Nutshell:
- An underlay that protects your floor against incipient humidity and possible deformation of the panels.
- A glued HDF board (High Density Fiber Board) made of dried wood fiber highly resistant to compression.
- A decorative layer with wood or other patterns, such as marble or stone.
- A transparent resistant layer that guarantees the durability of your laminate.
Resistant to humidity
Laminate flooring is moisture resistant. You can therefore clean it with a damp cloth. Make sure your soil is not flooded. In more humid rooms, we recommend a vinyl floor or ceramic tiles.
Placement on existing ground? No problem
Ideally lay your laminate on an underlayment to increase moisture resistance, sound insulation and limit any imperfections in the floor.
The Vinyl Floor
The vinyl floor, also known as Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) is flexible PVC and resistant composed of different layers:
- An underlay that forms a buffer against rising moisture.
- An additional layer of fiberglass to protect and strengthen your floor.
- A decorative layer, and finally a final transparent protective layer.
An integrated underlay? Yes
One of the strengths of vinyl is its integrated underlay. This offers several advantages, such as faster placement, better sound insulation, fewer possible imperfections and better moisture resistance.
100% water resistant
The vinyl floor is 100% water resistant. You can therefore place it in damp rooms such as the bathroom or the kitchen.
Ideal for renovations
The vinyl has a maximum thickness of 5mm (including underlay). It is therefore the ideal material for your renovation projects: no need to replace your floors, place your vinyl on the existing floor while keeping your doors.
