LVT vs Laminate Flooring

Here, we discuss the key differences between luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and laminate flooring, this will help you decide which is best for your home!

At first, they can both seem pretty similar but below the surface there are actually a fair few differences between them.

What is laminate flooring made of?

Laminate is made from High-Density Fibre boards - tiny pieces of recycled wood pulp pressed together under extremely high pressure. This is a very environmentally friendly method of production which makes laminate practical and affordable.

What is LVT made of?

LVT is made from PVC-based materials, which makes it incredibly tough. Because of this, LVT often has longer warranties and is generally quieter and warmer underfoot when compared to laminate floors.

Which is waterproof?

Whilst there are ranges of laminate floors which are guaranteed waterproof including these Quick-Step waterproof laminates, all other laminate boards can be damaged from water sitting on them for prolonged periods of time so it's best to mop up spills as quickly as possible.

Every LVT range is made from PVC which is 100% waterproof - it's why they're so popular in bathrooms. This also gives you more freedom over design choice.

Durability

LVT and laminate flooring are both extremely durable. Both floors are brilliant at resisting scratches thanks to the tough wear layer that each board/tile is coated with. This means both floors are perfect for areas with high traffic.

The difference between the two is that it is possible to completely recoat a LVT floor with a new wear layer, which isn't possible for laminate floors. However, in most cases, if you scratch or dent a small area of it's often possible to replace that tile or board.

Is LVT water resistant?

Every LVT floor at FlooringSupplies.co.uk is fully waterproof. The PVC simply won't react with the water - so it's the ideal floor for all those indoor water fights!

Is LVT scratch resistant?

Our luxury vinyl floors are incredibly resistant to scratches and dents. If the tile picks up wear and tear over the years, it's fairly easy to refinish the floor and bring it back to life. If you manage to somehow damage a tile beyond repair, it's often possible to simply replace the individual tile easily and cheaply. We'll tell you all about that in our refinishing LVT section.

Visit our refinishing LVT section

Installing LVT vs laminate flooring

All laminate floors are joined using a built-in locking mechanism and laid over an underlay (known as a floating floor system) with no need for glue or nails. This makes installing laminate floors a potential DIY job. Vinyl floors, meanwhile, are mostly glued down, which is a more involved process that needs a lot more skill - therefore we recommend a professional fitter for LVT.

Room suitability

Vinyl floors, meanwhile, are mostly glued down, which is a more involved process that needs a lot more skill - therefore we recommend a professional fitter for LVT.

Read our full Room Suitability guide.

Insulation

We all know how cold stone or ceramic floors can be. Opting for a LVT is a great way of having a floor that gives the desired effect of tile but is much warmer under the feet. Adding an underlay will give that extra touch of warmth.

As for laminate flooring, choosing a thicker laminate will result in a better insulated floor.

For more information, see our guide on How to Insulate Your Floor.

Which is suitable for underfloor heating?

Both floors work very well with most underfloor heating systems and can resist floor temperatures of up to 27 Celsius.

For more information, see our Underfloor Heating guide.

LVT and laminate flooring effects and styles

We have a great range of LVT style options and laminate styles and effects available. With both laminate floors and LVT, the design you see on top is actually a high-definition photograph designed to replicate natural materials. This is printed on the tile/board before being covered with the scratch-resistant wear layer. Both floors have the option of bevelled edges and a textured finish, too.

The only real difference here is that laminate floors predominantly replicate wooden boards, whereas LVT has a much wider selection of both wood and stone tile designs. Because of this, your floor can have almost any design imaginable, making LVT and Laminate floors popular choices for the design-conscious.

Important tip

Important tip: it's standard to add an extra 5% on to your area to allow for the usual wastage that occurs during installation. To calculate this, you'll need to multiply the total area by 1.05. However, parquet and tiled floors where the installation starts in the middle of the room require 7-10% wastage as it's likely you'll have to cut more boards than with a regular, strait-lay design.

Measuring for Carpet

First, you'll need to measure the length & width of your room. You'll also need to allow for extra material for the installer to "cut in". When carpets are fitted, they need to run at least 5cm up each wall so they can be trimmed more accurately to fit against your skirting boards.

The most common widths for carpets are 4 & 5 metres. The width always refers to the width of the carpet, and the length is the other measurement, be it longer or shorter than the width. For example, if your room is 2.7 x 3.9 metres, you would opt for a 4-metre width carpet and purchase 2.75 metres in length, giving you 11m2 in total. If you want the design of your carpet to be in a lengthways direction, you'd need to purchase 4 metres of the 4-metre-wide carpet, giving you 16m2 in total.

Measuring Carpet for Stairs, Hallways & Landings

Draw a detailed plan of all of the flat areas involved, including any rooms that you intend to do in the same quality and colour as your hall, stairs and landing (HSL). Write each measurement against each wall.

Make a note of how many straight stairs you have and measure the width of these stairs. We recommend allowing 50cm extra in length for each straight step.

Make a note of any ½ landings, winders & kites that you may have (kites and winders are triangular-shaped stairs that create a curve in your staircase). Measure the length and width of each of these steps remembering that the length is the measurement that runs over the nose of the step and the width is the measurement running from side to side as you look up the staircase.

You'll need to decide whether to use 4.00 or 5.00-metre width carpet. Make sure you check which widths are available in your chosen carpet before you make this decision as you don't want to work it out in 5.00-metre width to realise your carpet only comes in 4.00-metre width!

Now the fun part! Draw a rectangle on your piece of paper and write the width at the top of the page and then try and fit all of the pieces that you need into that rectangle, ensuring that all of your relevant measurements will work within the space you have allowed. Diagram 1 shows an example of a HSL plan.

Remember, if you are carpeting some rooms in the same carpet that you intend to put on your stairs then you can use waste material from the rooms to use on the stairs, this may mean buying less carpet for your HSL.