Guide
LVT or laminate: how to choose
These two are the most common shortlist we are asked to settle. They look similar in a photograph and behave very differently in a house.
What they actually are
Laminate is a photographic layer over a high-density fibreboard core, sealed under a tough melamine wear layer. The core is wood-based, which is why water is its weakness.
Luxury vinyl is plastic all the way through: a printed film over a vinyl body, protected by a clear wear layer. Water does nothing to it. Glue-down LVT is flexible and bonded to the subfloor; SPC has a rigid mineral core and clicks together.
Water
This is the deciding factor in most homes. LVT and SPC are waterproof and can be mopped, flooded and left. Standard laminate resists surface spills but swells if water reaches the core through a joint, and once a laminate board has swollen it never goes back.
If the room is a kitchen, bathroom, utility or hallway in a wet county, that alone usually settles it.
Underfoot
LVT is warmer and quieter. Laminate is harder and, without a good underlay, noisier: the hollow click of a cheap laminate is almost always an underlay problem rather than the boards.
Both work over underfloor heating. LVT transmits heat slightly better because it is thinner and denser.
Durability and repair
A good AC4 or AC5 laminate is extremely scratch resistant, arguably more so than a mid-range LVT. LVT is better at resisting dents and impact, and a damaged glue-down tile can be lifted and replaced individually, which is a real advantage in a kitchen.
Neither can be sanded. Where a floor needs to be refinishable in twenty years, that is what wood is for.
Cost
Laminate is generally the cheaper of the two, particularly at the entry level, and the gap narrows as you go up the ranges. Glue-down LVT also costs more to fit because of the subfloor preparation it needs. We quote both so the comparison is on the whole job rather than the material alone.