Introduction: Luxury Vinyl Tiles vs Laminate Flooring
When it comes to choosing the perfect flooring for your home, the options seem endless. However, when it comes to hard flooring two contenders stand out: luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and laminate flooring. Both offer an affordable and visually appealing alternative to traditional hardwood or stone flooring. With their distinct characteristics, declaring a “winner” can be tricky. However, by exploring each floors strengths and weaknesses across five categories, we hope show you that there is a clear champion of this particular flooring battle.
Battle #1 – Appearance
One of the key factors that distinguishes luxury vinyl tile from laminate is the realism of its appearance. Advanced printing technology allows LVT to mimic wood and stone with remarkable accuracy in terms of both sight and touch. Despite laminate flooring offering a wide range of wood-inspired designs, its repetitive patterns often betray its artificial nature. Laminate often lacks depth and texture compared to luxury vinyl tiles. In terms of appearance, there is a clear winner here. LVT 1 – Laminate 0.
Battle #2 – Durability
When it comes to durability, luxury vinyl tile takes the lead over laminate. Luxury vinyl tiles are made up of multiple layers, including a PVC core and a protective top layer that provides a robust shield against scratches, stains, and daily wear and tear. This makes LVT flooring an excellent durable option for households with pets and children. On the other hand, laminate flooring whilst fairly durable by flooring standards is no match. The core of laminate flooring is typically composed of high-density fibreboard (HDF), which just is not as robust as a PVC core. LVT 2- Laminate 0.
Battle #3 – Water Resistance
Again, LVT takes the crown. Luxury vinyl tiles are inherently resistant to moisture, thanks to its PVC core and protective top layer, making it an ideal choice for spaces prone to spills, such as kitchens and bathrooms. In contrast, laminate with its wood-based core, can be susceptible to water damage, especially at the seams and should be avoided in kitchen and bathroom spaces as it can swell and warp in wet areas. Not looking good for laminate… LVT 3 – Laminate 0.
Battle #4 – Installation
Both luxury vinyl tiles and laminate flooring are known for their ease of installation meaning that both are DIY-friendly. This is partly thanks to click-and-lock systems making installation a breeze. Also, both materials are fairly straightforward to cut meaning a savvy DIY enthusiast could install these floors to a good standard with a few basic tools. Here, it is an honourable draw between the two flooring types. LVT 4 – Laminate 1.
Battle #5 – Maintenance
Both luxury vinyl tiles and laminate flooring require minimal maintenance, with regular sweeping and occasional mopping sufficient to keep it looking pristine. However, more care is needed when mopping laminate because of its HDF wood core, excess water can lead to swelling and warping in your floor. This is not a problem for luxury vinyl tiles with its PVC core, giving LVTs the slight edge in this battle. LVT 5 – Laminate 1.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that luxury vinyl tiles are the clear winner of this battle. Their superior appearance, durability, water resistance, ease of installation and maintenance when compared to laminate allows them easily take the crown of this battle. That being said, laminate flooring is widely considered cheaper than LVT per square meter, so if cost is a concern laminate may be the choice for you. However, spending a bit more on quality LVT flooring is definitely worth the invest in our opinion.
ENDS
