Waterproof Vinyl flooring kitchen Buying Guide
Now for the home team in this laminate vs vinyl flooring match. Vinyl flooring is also man-made with looks resembling natural materials (wood, stone, etc.), but it’s a completely different animal with a whole lotta variety. For the sake of comparison, we’re going to stick to the wood-look vinyl planks that people typically mistake for laminate.
Vinyl flooring kitchen is a mixture of reclaimed wood, recycle plastic and a small amount of adhesive. Now it becomes an ideal building material for residential and commercial use.
Doesn’t feel like real wood: To the touch, vinyl feels pretty different from solid hardwood. This feel is important to some homeowners.
Price: As you move onto waterproof and luxury options, this can run you more than other wood-look options like laminate. But they come with a whole lot more bells and whistles!
Low-quality planks scratch and dent easily: If you want a vinyl plank that can stand up to high traffic, family and pets, you’ve got to go with a high-quality plank with a thick wear layer. The cheaper options just won’t hold up.
Realistic wood and stone looks: Seriously, vinyl is changing. Rapidly. The top-end vinyl floors are able to more realistically mimic natural materials better than ever before. WPC vinyl is the best of the best, which means the looks are usually incredibly convincing and beautiful.
Easy, DIY installation: Most vinyl planks and tiles offer an easy interlocking or “floating” installation, perfect for most homeowners to do on their own without the help of an installation professional.
Zero maintenance: All you need is the occasional vacuum and damp mop to keep your WPC looking fabulous.
Resilient: It’s true, you could just get a wood- or stone-look tile and it would also be waterproof. But tile is hard. Standing on a tile floor all day isn’t great for your joints or feet. Vinyl is more resilient and much more comfortable.
Waterproof options: Yes, 100% waterproof. They are awesome!
Realistic wood and stone looks: Laminate floor planks often have some surface detail to further mimic a natural hardwood look and can have the look and feel of a hand-scraped hardwood, embossed wood, distressed hardwood or come in textured or smooth. Unlike real hardwood, you’ll see consistent quality across all laminate flooring boards.
Easy to maintain: Vinyl flooring is super easy to take care of. Most options are water-resistant and many are fully waterproof. Just make sure you choose a thick wear layer to prevent scrapes and scratches.