Let’s talk Laminate Flooring Vs. Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors – When selecting the flooring for your home you’re essentially choosing the foundation that everything else will be built upon so it’s important to get things right the first time. This applies for home builders and renovators alike, but with so many options on the market, finding the right one for your home can be a complex process.
That’s why today we’re comparing two popular options – Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring and Laminate Floors.
A Brief Overview – Laminate Flooring Vs. Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors
In order to provide a fair comparison between Laminate Floors and Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring, it is first important to understand what each type of flooring actually is. Although they’re both designed to provide a beautiful foundation for your design, they tend to serve different purposes and are often installed in different areas of the home.
We suggest checking out the below blogs before continuing if you have any questions about what Luxury Vinyl Plank Floorboards or Laminate Flooring actually are:
Comparison – Laminate Flooring Vs. Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors
Now that you’ve got a better idea of what each type of flooring actually is, it’s time to get into our comparison. As noted above, Laminate Floors are often laid for different reasons to Luxury Vinyl Planks, so we’ll be comparing these two flooring types based on seven overarching factors, rather than as a whole: Durability, Design, Comfort, Installation And Repair Processes, Maintenance Requirements, Warranty and Sustainability.
Durability
One of the most important factors to consider when selecting flooring for your home is how durable each floorboard is going to be. Floors are not a design feature that is intended to be changed often so you’re going to need to select an option that will stand the test of time.
At Imagine Floors by Airstep we place a lot of value on our floors being both beautiful and functional, so you’ll receive tough floors no matter which option you select. For instance, our Luxury Vinyl Planks and Laminate Flooring are both resistant to staining, denting and fading and neither will be bothered by being installed in a high traffic area.
Having said that, they do have different strengths, so the better option for your home will depend on your lifestyle as well as where you are wishing to install your new floors.
Laminate Flooring, for example, is less likely to succumb to scratching over time and is often hailed as the toughest material on the market. This makes it the perfect option for those who have boisterous pets who may run around the home at the speed of light.
If you’re looking to create a cohesive design throughout your entire home, however, Luxury Vinyl Plank Floorboards would be the clear winner for your preferences as all Imagine Floors by Airstep Vinyl Flooring is 100% waterproof.
Yes, this means our Luxury Vinyl Planks can be installed in even the wettest areas of your home – including the bathroom.
Design Options
When it comes to deciding whether Laminate Floorboards or Vinyl Plank Flooring are better in terms of design options, it really does come down to personal preference.
If you’re after wide plank floorboards, or extra-large flooring options, for example, our Eucalyptus Steps XL, Alira XL and Adare ranges have you covered on the Laminate Floor front. On the other hand, for Vinyl Flooring of this format, you would select a décor from our Naturale Plank 5.0 collection.
The Eucalyptus Steps Collection
Adare
Alira
Naturale Plank 5.0
Looking for the perfect, true-to-life finish? Many would argue that Vinyl Plank Floorboards outshine Laminate Flooring in this department.
By the same token, however, those wishing to install Chevron or Herringbone Flooring within their home would be best off making their selection from our Masterpieces range of Laminate Floors.
Either way, with over 50 décor options in our Laminate range, and 30 within our Luxury Vinyl Plank collection, we’re confident that we can provide the perfect floors for your home.
Comfort
Comfort is a subjective term but for the purposes of this article, we’ll use it to refer to how your new floors will feel when you’re wandering around your home barefoot.
In this instance, Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring is the clear winner in this debate as our Vinyl Floorboards are specially designed to be softer underfoot and provide a gentler foundation for your design.
Installation And Repairs
This is possibly the section where you will notice the most significant difference between our Laminate Flooring and Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors as they have two distinct installation methods which each have their unique advantages.
Our Laminate Floorboards are installed via a click lock system, making them a true floating floor and great DIY project for those who want to be a bit more hands on when renovating their homes.
Our Vinyl Plank Flooring, on the other hand, utilises a stick down method of installation. While this is slightly more complex and time consuming while you’re originally laying your floors, it comes in handy if you ever need to repair or replace a floorboard as you simply peel up the single Plank rather than having to unlock your entire floor until you reach the piece that needs replacing.
Maintenance Requirements
While we cannot speak for other brands, both our Laminate Flooring collection and our Vinyl Plank Floorboards are easy to clean and maintain. They also feature a low allergen tick of approval, and the completely sealed surface of our Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring offers superior hygiene.
Warranty
In terms of warranty, all Imagine Floors by Airstep Flooring features significant coverage when your floorboards are correctly cared for.
Warranties vary based on which collection your new flooring falls under, however, the shortest domestic warranty that you will enjoy on our Laminate Floors is 15 years, while you can enjoy lifetime coverage on our Masterpieces collection of chevron and herringbone flooring.
When it comes to our Luxury Vinyl Planks you can rest easy at night knowing you’re covered for 20 years with flooring from the Oatlands collection, while our Naturale Plank 3.0 and Naturale Plank 5.0 ranges both offer a 25 year domestic warranty.
Sustainability
Finally, in terms of sustainability, there is little to no difference between our Laminate Floors and Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring as we are proud to craft all options sustainably. Not only does this mean that you’ll enjoy minimal VOC release and low allergen flooring in your home, but it also means that our Vinyl Planks and Laminate Floors are recyclable at the end of their lifespan so if you decide to remodel in a couple of decades, you’ll be able to do so guilt free.
Got more questions about our Laminate Flooring or Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors? Get in touch with your local flooring specialist to discuss design, installation and more.
