VINYL VS LAMINATE FLOORING: WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOUR HOME?

Within the span of one year, 37% of homeowners in the United States completed a flooring project in their homes.

Are you searching for home flooring options? Perhaps you're remodeling or need to replace old, worn floors in your home.

Laminate flooring and vinyl flooring are popular choices, but it can be hard to choose between the two if you don't know enough about their similarities and differences.

To learn more about vinyl and laminate flooring, keep reading below and find out about the benefits of each flooring type.

Benefits of Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring is created by combining synthetic materials. You can get it in tile, sheet, or plank form.

Vinyl floors can mimic the textures of stone, wood, or tile so that they appear to be the real thing. This type of flooring is almost always water-resistant or waterproof. This is because it's created with synthetic, man-made materials.

Vinyl is installed with an interlocking system so that it never actually gets attached to your floor. This means easy installation and easy removal.

Vinyl flooring is also very durable, so it is great to use in areas that get a lot of foot traffic in the home. Since it is water-resistant as well, you may want to use this in areas like bathrooms or basements.

Some vinyl options will come with an extra layer added for protection against marking or scratching. In addition to that, most vinyl flooring options have a padded bottom, which makes it a little softer to step on.

Benefits of Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is made of fiberboard. Generally, this is composed of specific types of hardwood made from dense recycled materials, and it comes in layers. It was the first flooring that was man-made and designed to be an alternative to real wood.

It's not real hardwood, but laminate is usually created to imitate hardwood floors. There are technologies available, including printing or imaging, designed to make laminate have grooves and textures that mimic natural wood or stone.

Laminate is easy to install because it locks into place around the floor. Instead of being secured to the ground, it floats over the top.

Because laminate flooring does have some wood in it, it is not water-resistant. Even so, however, it is very firm and durable, so it can go in high foot traffic areas as well. Because it is so firm, walking on it feels more like walking on real wood than when you walk on vinyl flooring.

Laminate flooring comes with a layer on top to provide additional scratch resistance.

Another major benefit of laminate flooring is that it is usually cheaper than vinyl flooring (or real hardwood).

Main Similarities Between Vinyl and Laminate

Laminate and vinyl flooring have many similarities, but the main differences come down to their unique benefits.

Both of these flooring types can mimic the look and feel of wood, which is one of their biggest draws.

They are also both very easy to maintain. Cleaning is a breeze, especially for vinyl flooring, since waxing is never going to be necessary.

Each flooring type is durable, can be scratch-resistant, and is more cost-effective than other alternative flooring types.

Choosing Between Vinyl vs Laminate Flooring

When deciding between vinyl vs laminate flooring, it comes down to what room you want to use it in and how much you want to spend.

Consider all of the benefits and similarities between these flooring types before you make your decision.

If you are searching for flooring options, we have you covered. Contact us today to learn more about our selection, and let us do the hard work for you!