Laminate vs. Vinyl: Home Flooring Comparison

It’s the pay per view fighting event of the year! Well, not literally. But the debate about whether laminate or vinyl flooring is better for your home has been ongoing for years. Many flooring options are available to you, but DIY laminate flooring and DIY vinyl flooring often come out on top in terms of cost-effectiveness. 

In this blog, we’ll explore all the factors that could impact your choice between laying laminate flooring or vinyl flooring, including how easy each is to DIY, the cost of materials, and the durability of both options. We’ll also sprinkle in tips and tricks for installation and go over Hirepool gear that can help you get the job done. 

There’s a lot to consider when weighing up laminate flooring and vinyl flooring, so let’s lay out the pros and cons. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide: 

What is laminate flooring made of?

Can you lay laminate yourself?

How long does laminate flooring last?

What are the pros and cons to laminate flooring at home?

What is vinyl flooring made of?

Can you lay vinyl flooring yourself?

How long does vinyl flooring last?

How much is vinyl flooring?

What are the pros and cons to vinyl flooring at home?

What is laminate flooring made of?

You may have used a laminator before to laminate paper or cardboard. When it comes to laminate flooring, the idea isn’t too dissimilar. Laminate flooring is multiple layers that are fused through the lamination process. What these layers are made up of will depend on the quality of your product. But, the flooring will often feature four layers:

1. Wear layer or overlay
   
   
2. Pattern layer or décor layer
   
   
3. A layer of high-density fibreboard (known as HDF)
   
   
4. Backing layer or balancing layer

These four layers will be compressed together to make laminate flooring relatively thin. 

Top tip: Some laminate even has textures on the wear layer to mimic timber.

Can you lay laminate yourself?

Although the process is often done by a professional, many people successfully DIY laminate flooring. If you aren’t confident in doing the whole job yourself, you should be able to do a lot of the prep work, at least. Hirepool has a range of hire gear to make light work of DIY laminate flooring and general subfloor prep, including: 

• Floor stripper

A floor stripper will probably be the first cab off the ranks when prepping the subfloor. This piece of kit does the bulk of the work removing your old flooring like lino and tiles

• Floor sander 

A floor sander or belt sander can smooth things out after you’ve removed your flooring. The process of sanding will remove all grit and adhesive. Hirepool has a range of floor sander hire options. Read our guide on sanding a wooden floor for advice on using this gear 

• Concrete grinder

A concrete grinder is more applicable if you’re removing old cement-based adhesives. Like a floor stripper, a concrete grinder does a lot of the leg work to prep your subfloor. Hirepool has a range of options when it comes to concrete grinder hire 

• Concrete breaker

If you are removing old tiles to prep for laying new laminate, a breaker tool can make the job easy

• Jigsaw 

A jigsaw is essential for cutting laminate to shape. Hirepool has a range of saws available depending on the size of your project. For advice on cutting laminate, read our guide on how to cut curves with a jigsaw. 

• Moisture meter

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It’s important to acclimatise your laminate for 3 or 4 days before you lay it. A moisture meter can help with this process. 

As well as ensuring you have all the right equipTment to do a good job, you can’t forget about safety. Although the safety requirements may vary depending on which piece of equipment you are using, here are general safety items you will need to prep subfloor for laying laminate:

• Hearing protection like ear muffs
  
  
• Eye protection like glasses
  
  
• Clothing that covers your whole body
  
  
• Mouth covering like a face mask
  
  
• Hand protection like thick gloves
  
  
• Foot protection like covered boots

When pulling up and laying new flooring, it’s also a necessary time to check for asbestos. This nasty stuff may be present in old glue or flooring materials. Asbestos makes wearing a mask essential for all floor prep. 

How long does laminate flooring last?

Several variables could impact how long your laminate lasts, including:

• The quality of laminate you buy to begin with
  
  
• Whether you have kids or pets that could damage the laminate
  
  
• How you maintain and clean your laminate flooring

Laminate flooring can last anywhere between 15 to 25 years if looked after correctly. This isn’t as long as some other flooring options like hardwood. 

What are the pros and cons to laminate flooring at home?

Each type of flooring has its pros and cons, and laminate is no different. Finding out all the pros and cons of each flooring option you are considering is the best way to make an educated decision.  

Laminate flooring pros

There are many reasons why laminate flooring is a good option for your home, including: 

• It’s affordable
  
  If you choose to do all of the work yourself, laminate flooring is often seen to be a lot more cost-effective than other options like hardwood or vinyl 

• Scratch-resistant
  
  Although you can never say that any flooring is entirely scratch resistant, most laminate flooring holds up pretty well. This is thanks to its wear layer or overlay

• Stunning patterns
  
  Laminate flooring comes in a range of patterns to suit your taste. Most laminate flooring does a really good job of mimicking the look of timber. You’d probably be fooled at a distance!

• Easily to clean and maintain
  
  Laminate flooring is simple to look after, unlike hardwood flooring, where you’d need to polish occasionally. Besides regular sweeping or vacuuming, laminate just requires a deep clean with a specialist laminate cleaner or soapy water from time to time.

Top tip: Try not to use too much water when deep cleaning your laminate flooring. This can cause the laminate to swell or bubble.

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Laminate flooring cons

We’ve touched on the positives of laminate flooring. Now let’s look at why it wouldn’t be good for your home. Downsides of laminate flooring include:

• It’s not great with moisture
  
  Laminate is not great with too much moisture. This means it’s often not suited for rooms like your bathroom or laundry. You can still install it in these areas, but you’ll need to seal it properly. Too much moisture can cause swelling

• You can’t refinish it
  
  Unlike hardwood flooring, where you can sand it back and refinish it, you’re stuck with laminate flooring. If you want a change, you’ll need to pull it all out and start your flooring again from scratch 

Whether it’s laminate flooring, vinyl flooring, or any other kind of flooring, read our 5 quick tips for choosing the right flooring for your home for more advice. 

What is vinyl flooring made of?

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Now we move on to vinyl flooring. There are many types and styles to choose from when choosing vinyl flooring. The main two options are sheet vinyl flooring (vinyl roll flooring) and then vinyl plank flooring (luxury vinyl). All vinyl flooring is 100% synthetic and often made up of four layers, being: 

1. A surface wear layer, often with a UV coating
   
   
2. A layer of print
   
   
3. A rigid centre layer usually made of vinyl
   
   
4. A backing layer to stick to your adhesive and subfloor

These layers will depend on the quality and type of vinyl flooring you purchase. 

Can you lay vinyl flooring yourself?

Similar to laminate flooring, you can install vinyl flooring yourself. If you’re not confident, you can certainly at least do most of the prep work before getting a contractor in. Whether it’s vinyl plank flooring or sheet vinyl flooring, vinyl is often seen as one of the easiest options for DIY flooring. There are several reasons why people often think this, including: 

• You don’t need an adhesive
  
  Most vinyl flooring only requires either glue or is floating

• It’s simple to cut
  
  Most sheet vinyl and vinyl planks can easily be cut with a craft knife. For thicker vinyl, you may need a mitre saw. Read our handy guide on using a mitre saw the right way for advice on how 

• It snaps into place
  
  One of the biggest appeals of DIY vinyl flooring is that the vinyl planks simple snap together

When prepping your subfloor for laying vinyl, much of the gear you require will be the same as what we’ve already covered when discussing prepping the subfloor for laying laminate. Because of this, a lot of the safety equipment required is also the same. And, just like laminate, you will need to acclimate your vinyl flooring for 3 to 4 days before you lay it. Read our how-to-lay vinyl and lino guide for an in-depth look at the process. 

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How long does vinyl flooring last?

Vinyl plank flooring can last anywhere up to 25 years if looked after correctly, just like laminate. In saying that, vinyl flooring is usually more durable than laminate. If you didn’t look after both options correctly, vinyl would look better and last longer. 

How much is vinyl flooring?

Vinyl flooring is a cost-effective option costing less than $100 per square metre on average. Both vinyl and laminate flooring are relatively cheap flooring options, but vinyl flooring is often seen as easier to DIY. Being able to lay vinyl flooring yourself from start to finish easily often leads to homeowners saving more money.

What are the pros and cons to vinyl flooring at home?

Weighing up the pros and cons of vinyl flooring at home, there are some key differences to laminate. Some good and some bad. 

Pros of vinyl flooring at home

Reasons why vinyl flooring is better for your home include:

• It’s more durable
  
  Given the synthetic materials it’s made from, vinyl flooring is often seen as one of the more durable flooring options. Although it’s not 100% scratchproof, it is very resistant to minor damage like scratching or chipping 

• Easier to install
  
  As we’ve covered already, vinyl flooring, especially vinyl plank flooring, is easy to lay. This is because there is often no need for adhesive, and the planks easily snap into place 

• Water-resistant?
  
  It's completely waterproof, given the materials it’s made of. This means Vinyl is great for rooms in your home with more moisture, like your bathroom or laundry

• Simple to look after
  
  Other than regular vacuuming, vinyl flooring simply requires the odd mop. You also don’t need to worry about drenching it, given its waterproof

Top tip: It’s often best practice not to use a steam mop on vinyl plank flooring as it may damage it.  

There are many reasons why vinyl flooring is great for your home. Each type and style of vinyl flooring will also have its own benefits, so it’s well worth asking your supplier about any extra pros to consider. 

Cons of vinyl flooring at home

No flooring is perfect. There are several reasons why vinyl flooring perhaps wouldn’t be ideal for your home, including: 

• Colours fade
  
  One of the negatives to vinyl flooring is that its colours may fade over time in the sun. This can be an important factor to consider if you’re tossing up laying vinyl in rooms with large windows where the floor will be exposed to constant sunlight 

• Bad for the environment
  
  Since vinyl flooring is 100% synthetic, it’s not great for the environment. If you take vinyl flooring out, unfortunately, it will require an expensive trip to the dump

• You can’t refinish it
  
  Similar to laminate flooring, you can’t sand back and refinish vinyl flooring. If you’ve had enough of it, you’ll need to pull it all up and start fresh
  These are just some of the potential downsides to vinyl flooring. It’s always helpful to do more research about the specific brand of vinyl you are considering. 

Top tip: When laying new vinyl flooring, it can be a good idea to keep some extra in your garage. If your vinyl flooring is damaged in the future, it can be handy to have available for repairs. 

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Ready to lay laminate or vinyl flooring yourself?

After all is said and done, is laminate flooring or vinyl flooring better for your home? Ultimately that is up to your lifestyle, budget and DIY ability. While laminate flooring is cheaper to buy, it’s harder to DIY, meaning you may need to pay for a contractor. Vinyl flooring may have a higher upfront cost, but it’s easier to do the work yourself for free. Read our 5 quick tips for choosing the right flooring for your home for more advice. 

Time to prep your subfloor or lay new flooring? Head over to our flooring and tiling hub for other great tips and a range of helpful hire gear. Otherwise, the friendly staff at your local Hirepool branch are available to answer questions and advise on the equipment you need to get the job done.