Vinyl Vs. Laminate Flooring - Which Is Best For You?

If you confuse vinyl flooring, especially vinyl plank, with laminate flooring, you might have a hard time deciding which to purchase and install. This is not your fault: manufacturers equally promote both as barely distinguishable durable, budget-friendly, do-it-yourself products.

That is where the similarities end.

Materials, thickness, comfort level, and resistance to moisture are different. Base materials are at the core of the differences. We can begin with two simplifications:

At the Core: Vinyl and Laminate Defined

Vinyl Flooring: 100% plastic.

What This Means: Superior resistance to moisture. You could submerge vinyl flooring in water for days, with no ill effect.
Features: Forget the ugly vinyl tiles of the past. Plank shapes that are long and narrow, mimicking real wood boards; "click" joinery, allowing adjoining boards to snap together; and improved embossing techniques, vinyl flooring is gaining in popularity once again.

Laminate Flooring: 99% wood product.

What This Means: Reasonably moisture resistant if planks remain firmly locked together. Will not be resistant to water in the event of flooding, such as dishwasher overflow.
Features: Laminate flooring gained its foothold on the modern home--especially kitchens--for one reason: it was the first truly wood-look flooring that homeowners could install by themselves.

Vinyl vs. Laminate Flooring - Which Is Best For You?

At the Core: Vinyl and Laminate Defined