Laminate vs vinyl flooring....

[team dirt]

I just put a vinyl composite down. It’s vinyl and stone mixed. It’s nice stuff. Way better than the laminate I had.

 

[rmk600700]

All crap. Hardwood or porcelain tile. Done!

the 90’s called they want their flooring back . JK I have hardwood and tile all throughout my house but next won’t have any hardwood or tile in it.

to the original poster hard to beat carpet in basement but definitely go vinyl plank over laminate, better in every way from what I have seen.

 

[Beer Slayer]

the 90’s called they want their flooring back . JK I have hardwood and tile all throughout my house but next won’t have any hardwood or tile in it.

to the original poster hard to beat carpet in basement but definitely go vinyl plank over laminate, better in every way from what I have seen.

lol...

Had carpet, also had some moisture issues many years ago. So I did Ceramic tile and a throw rug...glad I did.
Dishwasher hose split while at work and flooded whole basement. Washed the tile and dried the rug, done.

You ask ten people, you'll probably get ten different answers... and none of them wrong, what works for you.

 

[Couch]

the 90’s called they want their flooring back . JK I have hardwood and tile all throughout my house but next won’t have any hardwood or tile in it.

to the original poster hard to beat carpet in basement but definitely go vinyl plank over laminate, better in every way from what I have seen.

Sorry but carpet - the original dirt collector.. absolutely the dirtiest flooring choice possible - go pull up some "clean" carpeting ...disgusting....

Infloor heat with hardwood is hard to beat ..durable, easy to clean, usually highest resale.
Other good option is infloor heat with finished concrete / epoxy but harder on the feet.

 

[lilduke]

carpet feels nice on the feet.. I like carpet.

 

[doorfx]

It doesn’t have to be vinyl plank , there is also vinyl tile. They use grout between the joints just like ceramic tile. Looks good and feels great on the feet.

 

[52weekbreak]

Like you Fernie, we have had every kind of flooring and for the most part have done many of the installations myself with the exception of lino and wall to wall carpet which require a little extra skill and experience to do well.

We tend to own our homes a long time and have had our acreage since 1990 and the second house in town since 2010. Both have been renovated top to bottom with the acreage being done several times over the years as time and heating technology changed.

I have used a couple different types of laminate and vinyl flooring and new products continue to be introduced. The first vinyl I installed floats and has glue edges - it is still available at Home Depot. It worked OK and is still down in my basement - about 1400 square feet of it. It is directly over the concrete with nothing underneath. The floor could get a damp feeling but this has not been a problem in the 10 years since it was installed. There is also no smell or anything growing as I recently redid an area when we replaced all of our mechanical (furnaces and hot water tank). It is an early generation so is quite thin but the concrete floor does not feel cold to bare feet when walking on it.

I have a newer vinyl plank in the bedrooms downstairs installed in the last year. I recommend you ask for and buy the installation kit which has a properly designed piece for tapping the piece home. Makes the installation much quicker and the fit of the joints better.

Apart from that, buy the least expensive you can find - the latest stuff we bought was from Lowes and was $1.25 square foot and is as durable as the stuff we paid $2.75 square foot for. Most of the product is very durable and you will want to change it because you are tired of it before it will wear out.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[ferniesnow]

Like you Fernie, we have had every kind of flooring and for the most part have done many of the installations myself with the exception of lino and wall to wall carpet which require a little extra skill and experience to do well.

We tend to own our homes a long time and have had our acreage since 1990 and the second house in town since 2010. Both have been renovated top to bottom with the acreage being done several times over the years as time and heating technology changed.

I have used a couple different types of laminate and vinyl flooring and new products continue to be introduced. The first vinyl I installed floats and has glue edges - it is still available at Home Depot. It worked OK and is still down in my basement - about 1400 square feet of it. It is directly over the concrete with nothing underneath. The floor could get a damp feeling but this has not been a problem in the 10 years since it was installed. There is also no smell or anything growing as I recently redid an area when we replaced all of our mechanical (furnaces and hot water tank). It is an early generation so is quite thin but the concrete floor does not feel cold to bare feet when walking on it.

I have a newer vinyl plank in the bedrooms downstairs installed in the last year. I recommend you ask for and buy the installation kit which has a properly designed piece for tapping the piece home. Makes the installation much quicker and the fit of the joints better.

Apart from that, buy the least expensive you can find - the latest stuff we bought was from Lowes and was $1.25 square foot and is as durable as the stuff we paid $2.75 square foot for. Most of the product is very durable and you will want to change it because you are tired of it before it will wear out.

Good luck and have fun.

Interesting post Kevan. I am tending to go with a cheaper covering (sales are good and laminate is on rock bottom clear-out prices now) just because of our life style; no pets, no abusive children, and no water damage. Any water damage would be covered by insurance so I don't need something water proof. Very sandy property with great drainage. I have looked around for that special tool but so far it only comes in the kit and I don't need the wedges, end pieces, etc.. So I will keep looking. There will always be newer and better but that doesn't bother me. Whatever we decide to buy will work and we will appreciate the upgrade from concrete. The bathroom will be tile and the gear room, furnace room, and storage room will be the concrete with some fancy paint on it!!

Thanks again for all the information. Flooring will be a lot more fun than drywalling, so let the fun begin!

 

[CUSO]

Laminate is the best way to de-value your home.

Vinyl flooring is the best bang for the buck. If you damage a spot, it's easily replaceable. It's more moisture resistant and does not swell up like laminate.

 

[Cyle]

A lot depends on the use of the house. Forever home, selling in a few years, rental, etc. When I built my house I went hardwood, ceramic tile, and carpet, it's the only options for a high end house you want good resale from. As good as vinyl may be, there is many people who see it as cheap. Laminate is the cheap version of hardwood, no matter how nice it looks. Now if you will live in the house for 20 years you only care what you think. One of my rentals has laminate on the main floor, it's a starter house so it's expected to be cheaper flooring, it's 9 years old and still looks great despite a ton of abuse. Hardwood would be so scratched up by now it would need to be replaced. Just finished basement in one rental and went carpet for a few reasons, the floor is so unlevel i'd spend days grinding and leveling it to put anything else down, and trying to do stairs in anything but carpet is very expensive or very time consuming, not worth it in a rental. Overall I prefer it for a basement without infloor as it's way warmer then anything else and just so much easier.

 

[Bikeswithtrax]

I much prefer vinyl over laminate or tiles, so about 2/3 of the upstairs and basement are done in vinyl.

 

[ferniesnow]

I decided to go with laminate. It was originally $3.00/sqft and reduced a couple times to $1.56/sqft. On the day I got it, I got a 15% discount special but only for 15 items (so that was 15 boxes). Price was a big factor and it is a good looking floor covering. Had to wait a week for the remaining material to come in. 900 sqft in total. Going to be a rewarding job!

Electrical done, drywall done, painting done, and doors are done (still have the casing to do). Flooring and base board to do.

 

[LUCKY 7]

then time to ride

I decided to go with laminate. It was originally $3.00/sqft and reduced a couple times to $1.56/sqft. On the day I got it, I got a 15% discount special but only for 15 items (so that was 15 boxes). Price was a big factor and it is a good looking floor covering. Had to wait a week for the remaining material to come in. 900 sqft in total. Going to be a rewarding job!

Electrical done, drywall done, painting done, and doors are done (still have the casing to do). Flooring and base board to do.

 

[TylerG]

I decided to go with laminate. It was originally $3.00/sqft and reduced a couple times to $1.56/sqft. On the day I got it, I got a 15% discount special but only for 15 items (so that was 15 boxes). Price was a big factor and it is a good looking floor covering. Had to wait a week for the remaining material to come in. 900 sqft in total. Going to be a rewarding job!

Electrical done, drywall done, painting done, and doors are done (still have the casing to do). Flooring and base board to do.

you should have taken Bev with you, you buy 15, she buy 15 then you save even more!