Vinyl Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring: Which Is More Suitable for Your Home?
When examining flooring options for your home, you can be overwhelmed with choices. Everyone wants something different as long as it’s high-quality at a good price. Vinyl flooring and hardwood flooring are two incredibly popular options, but there are some key differences. Here are some important things to know about vinyl flooring vs hardwood flooring.
What is the Difference Between Vinyl vs Hardwood Flooring?
The main difference between vinyl flooring and hardwood flooring is fairly obvious as the materials they are composed of are very different!
Vinyl flooring is a synthetic material, unlike natural hardwood. Vinyl flooring is essentially layers of a wood-plastic composite (WPC) or a stone-plastic composite (SPC) on top of a core. Vinyl flooring will have a photographic layer at the top to give the illusion of whichever material you prefer. This gives you plenty of options for your home’s interior design.
When it comes to wood you have a few options! Solid hardwood flooring is exactly that—real hardwood or Engineered hardwood which is a man-made composite of natural hardwood and plywood. The decorative layer of this type of wood flooring is real wood with a core board made of durable materials.
Which Is Better? Vinyl Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring
To compare vinyl flooring vs hardwood flooring, you need to understand the characteristics of each type and the goals of the flooring to make your decision.
Water Resistance
Vinyl flooring is great if you need a water-resistant flooring option. It’s a great option for bathroom and kitchen flooring because of its moisture resistance. Wood can withstand moisture damage pretty well.
If there are spills, you can easily wipe them away. For unexpected floods or prolonged water damage, only some boards may need replacing. Engineered wood, however, is not waterproof.
Scratch Resistance
Vinyl flooring generally has a high scratch resistance, making it perfect for busy homes, especially if you have kids and pets. This makes it perfect for high-traffic areas. Natural wood flooring is less scratch resistant.
Hardwood floors can be scratched, but you can use a finish to protect the wood. Shallow scratches on the surface can be refinished with a screen coat, but deep scratches may need a board replacement.
Design
Hardwood flooring is revered for its beautiful design. Natural wood is unique, and no two boards are alike. This is part of what makes them so alluring and a great value add for homes. The natural grains and texture also make a home so much more warm and inviting.
You can find more custom patterns with hardwood. However, because of this, you will find them less dimensionally stable, and they are usually available for up to 5 inches wide and shorter lengths unless you get a custom order.
Engineered wood is a more dimensionally stable alternative to hardwood and you can get up to 10-inch wide boards with longer lengths. Because they are manmade, you can find more design options and variations to choose from.
Vinyl flooring is typically available in wider widths from 7.5 to 9.5 inches. The photographic layer on top allows you to choose from various designs and styles. Vinyl flooring will have much more design options and a wider variety of colors for you to choose from. They are also much more consistent in terms of shape, so you can easily swap them out should you need to replace a board.
Cost
When comparing vinyl flooring vs hardwood, the cost is something you should consider. Hardwood floors tend to be much more expensive because they are difficult to produce compared to vinyl flooring.
At Wholesale Woodfloor Warehouse we specialise in budget friendly vinyl and wood flooring options and we make it affordable to select the flooring of your dreams.
Hardwood flooring can also add resale value to your home. Vinyl flooring is the more economical option, but it is extremely durable, so you are getting a good deal if you need flooring for high-traffic areas.
You need to keep in mind the amount of flooring you’ll need when considering the cost of vinyl flooring vs hardwood flooring in your home. Many people opt for vinyl flooring in high-traffic areas or areas that are prone to water contact while using hardwood flooring in other parts of their homes.
Installation
Vinyl flooring is a click-together flooring, so installing a new vinyl floorboard is as easy as unclicking the damaged one, replacing it, and then clicking the new board back in. This simple click-together technique makes it hassle-free to replace any damaged sections. However, vinyl flooring is only made to be clicked once or twice.
Hardwood floors need to be installed on a plywood subfloor, and they must be installed above grade, at least 18 inches above the ground. Engineered flooring is much more forgiving as it can be installed above, on, or below grade.
Browse our wide selection of wholesale hardwood flooring products. Visit one of our showroom locations in California or give us a call 855-356-6786 to review shipping option to get your flooring directly to you!