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Flooring or repairing a house is no small task, and getting the right floor covering is an important decision. While the carpet can be replaced every few years, the likelihood that wood, tile or laminate will remain in place for ten or more years.
Hardwood floors, engineered wood, tile and even stone have their place, but they are expensive and have problems in terms of strength, cost and heat; so it is not practical for many families.
Laminate has been a popular choice of flooring over the past few decades, it is usually inexpensive, when taking into account the service life, looks good and can be equipped with those with DIY skills.
Another type of flooring that is best known for the two largest brands of Amtico and Karndean is Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT). Luxury vinyl tile was traditionally a dry product, glued with glue on high-quality plywood or flattened concrete floors. Today, LVT is available with a click, with installation similar to most laminates, making it easier to install. Most posting specialists will still recommend gluing the product, since it is considered more reliable and usually works cheaper than its counterpart.
Luxury vinyl tiles are usually more expensive than laminate flooring, but while the two most famous brands are on the more expensive end of the market, hundreds of other brands and manufacturers are selected at all ends of the spectrum.
While laminate can be cold underfoot, luxurious vinyl tiles are warmer, can provide excellent texture and are not limited to wooden planks, but can provide long-lasting and more practical effects from stone, marble and tile. For many, the most important characteristic of an LVT floor is that it is waterproof. While laminate consists of layers of wood or particle board, LVT consists of high-resolution PVC layers. Because of this, it is structurally more stable, and water ingress will not cause it to swell or warp, which makes it not only ideal for working with spills, but can also be used in bathrooms and kitchens, which means that one type of flooring can be used throughout the house. The technology of some of the more advanced luxury vinyl tiles and plans allows them to be embossed and textured to follow the natural grooves, waves and knots that can be found in real wood, stone or tile. Laminated plates, although thick from top to bottom, usually have thinner layers of wear, while LVT plates and tiles can have not only internal but also commercial warranties from 5 to 20 years.
While installing laminate and LVT can be done by a competent DIY person, laminate is a bit more forgiving. Luxurious vinyl requires an underfloor floor that is smooth and flat, small bumps or flaws hidden by the laminate, if they are large enough, will be displayed on a semi-basement floor made from vinyl and the corresponding cost is higher.
Thus, both laminate and LVT have advantages over wood, tile and stone floors, as well as on top of each other.
Laminate:
In general, cheaper than other types of flooring
Relatively easy and cheap to install
Stain resistant
Relatively hard wearing
Easy to clean (although care should be taken to get too wet)
However, it has some drawbacks:
Can be cold under your feet
Does not process water or moisture well
Limited to wood exposure
Has a lower wear layer
Luxurious vinyl tiles:
Warm underfoot
Provides excellent and realistic texture
Offers the effect of stone, tile and wood
Can be customized to create borders and designs, such as herringbone, baskets, chevron and more.
Thicker wear layer makes it more durable
Easy to clean
Waterproof
But it has some drawbacks, including:
More attractive or expensive installation costs
As a rule, more expensive laminate (although cheaper ranges are available)
Not relevant to flame
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