[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Sabella

Laminate requires special cleaning no wet mop

I use a steam mop on my laminate on the "dust" setting so it doesn't use much water at all. The heat from the steam dries the floor right away so no streaks are left behind. You have to work fast to not let any water accumulated on the floor.

Wish I had water proof flooring, that's for sure. When we purchased our home, wide plank laminate is the flooring that was put in by the previous owner where all the carpet was. I do really appreciate not having any carpet at all in our home so that is a great improvement over all other homes we have owned.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by Tvflguy

I am planning to remove carpeting in one bedroom due to allergies etc. And planning to either install myself vinyl plank or laminate flooring.

Would appreciate some input and recommendations before we shop at Lowe’s this weekend. I have installed laminate flooring before, never vinyl plank. I assume that it’s much easier.

Priority for us is-

1 Appearance
2 Ease of install.
3 Cost.
4 Durability.

TIA

The link below answers your questions pretty well, comparing the products side by side. There are excellent choices for both laminate and vinyl. In a bathroom, better vinyl than laminate, but in a bedroom, it doesn’t really matter. Whichever you choose, remember that cheap material shows, and the money you save now you may lose if prospective buyers don’t like how it looks.

Also, if allergies are a problem, be aware that both laminate and vinyl can off-gas noxious gases that could exacerbate allergies. There are vinyl flooring products that meet a high level of safety, but they may cost a bit more. If I were you, I would definitely look for one of those brands.

I’m buying a used courtyard villa and having the cheap 11 year old carpet and linoleum replaced with the top vinyl siding available from Roberto’s. The entire house. Installed, that comes to $10 per square foot. That would mean probably around $2,000 for your bedroom. $90 per square yard. One could also have an excellent carpet installed for that price.
Vinyl vs. Laminate Flooring: What's the Difference?
Choosing a Non-Toxic Vinyl Plank Floor - My Chemical-Free House

[rsmurano]

Engineered wood. We just did the same thing yesterday, replaced the carpet in 1 bedroom with engineered wood. You can’t beat the looks of real wood. Luxury Vinyl is nice but it is so 1 dimensional looking. Real wood has more texture, has real grooves, and doesn’t look like a print. We glued this floor down but we also looked at doing a floating floor too

[paulat585]

Yes, could you recommend the installer? Thanks

[jeanlouh]

Our house had laminate in the entry, hallway, living room, dining room and den when we bought it. We found it was easily damaged. You can’t let water sit on it for more than a few minutes. The final straw was when we flushed a toilet and went out to get something from the car. The toilet hose broke and flooded the hallway, which buckled within two minutes. We replaced all of our flooring, including carpet and kitchen and bathroom sheet vinyl, with vinyl plank. After six years, it still looks great. It’s easy to clean. We love it!

[john352]

Originally Posted by Tvflguy

I am planning to remove carpeting in one bedroom due to allergies etc. And planning to install either vinyl plank or laminate flooring.

Would appreciate some input and recommendations before we shop at Lowe’s this weekend. I have installed laminate flooring before, but never vinyl plank. I assume that it’s much easier.

Priority for us is-

1 Appearance
2 Ease of install.
3 Cost.
4 Durability.

TIA

I am currently in the process of recovering from a flooded floor in my master bedroom, which has carpet. The cause is a leaking hot water pipe under the concrete slab in the master bathroom. Several sections of the wood baseboards have to be replaced due to water damage. If I have to replace the carpeting, I will not use anything that can be damaged by water.

[Janie123]

From an associate in Home Depot where we bought ours LVT. Use vinyl planks in Florida. When the power goes out and it’s humid with no AC running, laminate flooring will absorb all the moisture from the air and swell and buckle and you will need to do it all over again.

[Two Bills]

The best vinyl flooring you can afford.
In this case, price matters.
Looks good, quieter to walk on, east to keep clean, and more durable.
JMO.

[lawgolfer]

In a wall to wall remodel last year, we had laminate installed, primarily because it looked more natural. In that respect, we are pleased.

What we are not pleased with are the sounds. If you drop anything except a pillow on the floor, it sounds "hollow" and drum-like. There are several spots, such as the transitions to the tile in the wet areas mentioned by another respondent, where it "pops" or "cracks" when stepped on.

These result from three things:

1. The planks are laid over a 1/8" foam pad and "float". At the edges, a slight gap with the wall will be left and covered over with baseboard or quarter round. This is so the flooring can actually shift ever so slightly.

2. Concrete slabs are never perfectly flat or level. There will be both low and high spots in all slabs (think of puddles of water on the floor when you hose-out your garage. When you step on a low spot, the flooring will flex and there will be a crack or pop. The only way to eliminate these areas is to "float" the slab with "Quickset", a lightweight cement product, before laying the flooring.

3. The thin foam pad lends a drum-like quality to the floor.

I don't know why a vinyl floor would be any different. The only differences I know between laminate and vinyl are that vinyl doesn't look as natural and that you can pour water on vinyl. One poster said you can't "wet mop" laminate. If by that he means you can't flood the laminate and then mop up the water, he is correct. However, we regularly clean our laminate with a damp mop and have found the "Swifter" pads to be superior to a regular mop or sponge.

If I ever replace our laminate or remodel another house, I would, first, have the slab "floated" with Quickset and have the flooring material we chose glued solidly to the surface. Personally, I prefer "manufactured wood", which is laminate but with a top surface of real wood. Admittedly, this flooring can be damaged. If it is, it is fairly simple to repair by cutting out and replacing the damaged plank. It can be cleaned with a damp mop (again, Swifter works best). Plus, nothing but real wood looks as good.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

Originally Posted by Tvflguy

I am planning to remove carpeting in one bedroom due to allergies etc. And planning to either install myself vinyl plank or laminate flooring.

Would appreciate some input and recommendations before we shop at Lowe’s this weekend. I have installed laminate flooring before, never vinyl plank. I assume that it’s much easier.

Priority for us is-

1 Appearance
2 Ease of install.
3 Cost.
4 Durability.

TIA

We have had both in tow different houses. The big difference is how they feel when you walk on them. The vinyl is very think and on the concrete slab it does not feel good. The laminate looks better and feels better. As for the other items you listed they are all a wash although vinyl is very durable you will never wear out laminate either. The only plus for vinyl is water will not effect it but if your house floods you will be tearing it out anyhow.

Go premium Laminate!

[PoolBrews]

I self installed vinyl plank in 3 bedrooms and a living room in our Avondale home right after purchase, and just before moving everything in. It was a VERY busy 3 days!

Installing was quite easy - a few items I would recommend - while you can use a box cutter, you can get a good vinyl plank cutter (looks like the old paper cutters at work) for around $50, and it's worth every penny! They do have cheaper ones, but I found that the cheaper one at $30 didn't last for more than about 2 boxes of cuts. I returned it and got the better one - it lasted for the whole job.

One thing I would change - I got vinyl planks with no padding underneath - I would definitely get planks with padding on the underside - my old feet really don't like constant hard surfaces.

I see several folks mentioning it is easy to replace/repair a section - curious as to how. All the planks interlock, so it seems I would have to start at one side of a room and remove planks until I reached the damage, replace the damaged piece, then put everything back in. Doable, but I wouldn't call it easy. Is there another way to do this?

[chrissy2231]

Laminate! I had Pergo in NY. Loved it & got many compliments.

[DonnaNi4os]

I have “luxury vinyl planking” and I love it. The disadvantage to laminate is that if it gets wet it bubbles up and cannot be fixed. It also makes a lot of clicking noises especially if you have a pet. The vinyl planking looks like real wood and is durable and so easy to clean, especially when my puppy was potty training.

[kendi]

Originally Posted by Sabella

Laminate requires special cleaning no wet mop

Not true.

[airstreamingypsy]

i have had dogs that will not walk on laminate, Prego style, floors. I think because of the click or too slippery. They wouldn't say why.