Laminate vs vinyl flooring....

[ferniesnow]

Coming to the "S&M experts" again for worldly information. Did the salesman pitch yesterday for basement flooring and yes I understand the sales pitches. Apparently, the big deal now is vinyl. We are not concerned about trends. We want a decent floor for a reasonable price. We don't need the newest, bestest flooring. What have my buds, "the S&M experts" found out with regards to laminate vs vinyl for flooring over a dry, smooth concrete pad? It is a basement with a walk out from a family/rec room, 2 bedrooms, and a hallway that will have the flooring installed. Yes, we are doing this ourselves and it is about 1000 sq.ft. Thoughts and information please......

 

[HighSpeedLowDrag]

I had vinyl flooring in a basement. It trapped moisture underneath which probably grew all kinds of bad smelling nastiness. I replaced it with carpet so it breathes and stays dry, is cleaner , quieter, and better in every way.

 

[Bnorth]

Are you going directly over concrete or putting down a subfloor?

 

[NoBrakes!]

we have "loose lay" vinyl in our rental condo for a few years. great stuff, right on the concrete. pull a panel out of the middle of the floor to change it if necessary. no glue, easy install

 

[Jorg Jorgenson]

I am in the process of doing a basement reno and was just at HD looking at flooring options. There is a tongue & groove vinyl that has a thin rubber pad on the bottom side to help with sound absorption / provide cushy warm feeling under the feet etc. No glue just work your way starting at one corner. I have like 350sq.ft of space in my basement so the up-charge going to this vs the thinner vinyl seems like a no brainer. I would also install right on the concrete, grind out / level any high / low spots first.

 

[ferniesnow]

Are you going directly over concrete or putting down a subfloor?

If I go with laminate, there will be an underlay. Quieter and a moisture barrier but I am confident that there is no moisture.

 

[maxwell]

i link the VinLoc Floor, lay down, replace pieces if needed, built in sub floor, Airspace for air to circulate, if the basement floods no problem. Installed in our office, commercial grade version. Absolutely bulletproof


https://www.windsorplywood.com/wp-c...167-winchester_extra_toasted_sell_sheet_1.pdf

 

[neilsleder]

Put vinyl plank in my house a few years ago. It’s glued down. I will never put laminate floor in again. Vinyl is so much easier, less mess because you cut it with a knife instead of a saw.

 

[Bnorth]

Our main floor is all glue down vinyl and after 5 years is holding up well. It is all high traffic areas with toddler and dog abuse and it is standing up very well. I prefer the softer feel of vinyl to laminate. I assume you are talking about the photo-veneer style laminate and not an engineered hardwood.

 

[Chump]

I'd say vinyls are going to take over laminates. Alot of laminates dont handle moisture as good as a vinyl floor will, and typically move around more with climate changes. You really get what you pay for in flooring. Lots of the thin 4mm products are garbage and not good over plywood or OSB, better over concrete but still typically cheaper products. I would look for a vinyl that's at least 8mm and has a cork backing instead of foam. If you ever have any questions Doug, feel free to give me a call!

 

[S.W.A.T.]

Have vinyl in main living room and you can't wreck it. Our sits directly on the concrete but its also a heated floor so don't know if that makes a difference. However I wouldn't put anything that could possibly warp below grade. No moisture today doesn't me there wont be one day. Just the nature of a basement

 

[Ridgeclough Ron]

I would say stay away from laminate and if you go with vinyl plank over carpet don't cheap out. Watch for a sale. Vinyl plank scratches easily. we've had problems with people moving furniture and complaining about the scratches but the same goes for hardwood and lino.

 

[09 arctic cat m8]

I do this for a living and I don’t understand why people don’t just lay down Lino, who wants a thousand joints to come apart or break or bend, I’ve seen all kinds of troubles with laminate and vinyl flooring, things don’t lock right the tongue or groove break cause the machine sliced them to thin, if you want stuff I say don’t spend cheap cause that is what you’ll get,

 

[vegamark]

I also do this for a living, have seen just asmany problems with lino,

 

[X-it]

No doubt lino patterns are impressive these days. I would love to some testing for radon gas mitigation using lino only, just to see how much the levels drop, i am more less out of that rat race trade now so i cannot see that happening.

 

[gibsons]

Wouldn't vinyl be cold on concrete? That would drive me nuts if I was spending lots of time down there.

 

[LUCKY 7]

we used dri-core under our carpet in the basement and it seems to be good after many years

 

[Couch]

All crap. Hardwood or porcelain tile. Done!

 

[ferniesnow]

Wouldn't vinyl be cold on concrete? That would drive me nuts if I was spending lots of time down there.

Area rugs for color punch and warmth Travis whether it be vinyl or laminate.

 

[ferniesnow]

Over the years we have done hardwood, vinyl, various quality of carpet, tile (ceramic and porcelain), and have been happy with their applications. Other than the bigger carpet jobs, I have done it all myself. This time around, it will either be vinyl plank or laminate. Good prices on laminate as vinyl plank has made some big in-roads into the market. This will not be a heavy traffic area nor a heavy use area. Temperature will be quite consistent as summer sun doesn't penetrate and the heat is very even in the winter.

Thanks for all the information and all your input.