﻿Laminate and luxury vinyl flooring are two of the most popular flooring options
in residential construction. In this video, we’re going to look at how they are made,
their main differences as well as their pros and cons.
Let’s start with laminate flooring. It was invented in 1977
by Swedish company Pergo as an alternative to hardwood floors. It consists of several layers
fused together under high heat and pressure. * The underlayment can be cork or foam. It acts
as a vapor barrier, absorbs impact, evens out any surface irregularities, and distributes moisture
away from the bottom layer of the flooring. * The bottom layer is a melamine or paper backer
that provides foundation and water resistance. * The core layer is the most important and
largest part of the flooring. It is made of MDF or medium density fiberboard or
HDF which is high density fiberboard. * Next is the pattern layer.
It is created using a high resolution 3D photograph of real, natural wood grain.
* Lastly is the topcoat or wear layer which is a mixture of aluminum oxide powder,
melamine and urethane. The finish is dried instantly through "flash curing". The aluminum
particles are suspended in the resin to create a clear and shiny finish. If allowed to "air dry",
aluminum particles can float to the surface and dull the topcoat with a hazy finish. The top coat
protects layers underneath, resists fading caused by UV rays, abrasions, everyday wear, and stains.
It can be a smooth high gloss or textured finish to mimic the imperfections of a genuine wood
surface like hand scraped or wire brushed. The wear layer and paper are cut to size and
added to the HDF Core. The sandwich is put in a press and cooled. After cooling,
the planks are cut and the edges are milled. The most popular laminate flooring brands are
Pergo which you can find at Home Depot, Shaw, Mohawk, Armstrong and Tarkett.
Every laminate flooring product has a different level of durability and resistance to abrasion,
impact, stains and burns. To categorize them, producers developed an Abrasion Rating System
with Abrasion Criteria or AC ratings. * AC 1 is good for light traffic in
bedrooms or guest rooms. * AC 2 is good for moderate
traffic in living or dining rooms. * AC 3 is good for heavy traffic in entryways
* AC 4 is good for light commercial traffic in offices and cafes.
* AC 5 is good for heavy commercial traffic in department stores.
Now let’s look at how luxury vinyl planks are made. Vinyl or polyvinyl chloride or PVC was
developed in Akron, Ohio in 1926 by blending it with various additives. It soon became the world’s
third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic. About 40 million tons of PVC are produced
every year for: pipes, packaging, medical devices, roofs, windows, fabrics, records, and flooring.
The basic raw materials for PVC are derived from salt and oil. Electrolysis of salt water
produces chlorine. Chlorine is then combined with ethylene that has been obtained from oil.
The resulting element is ethylene dichloride, which is converted at very high temperatures
to vinyl chloride monomer. These monomer molecules are polymerized
forming polyvinyl chloride resin. The layers of luxury vinyl flooring are
similar to those of laminate flooring. * The underlayment can be cork or foam. It
evens out any subsurface irregularities. * The bottom layer or backing can be
made of rigid fiberglass. * The core layer provides
structure. It can either be SPC or stone plastic composite which is made of calcium carbonate,
PVC and plasticizers or WPC or wood plastic composite which is
made of a PVC mixture and wood flour. * The pattern layer is a high resolution
digital image of wood, stone or tile. * Lastly, the topcoat or wear layer
is a clear, urethane based coating that makes the floor scratch and stain resistant.
The top wear layer and the pattern film are cut into sheets.
Vinyl powder is heated, flat rolled and also cut into sheets.
The layers are stacked and heat pressed together. A polyurethane coating is added and cured.
The luxury vinyl is cleaned and cooled in a water bath.
Finally, it is cut into planks, inspected and packaged.
The most popular luxury vinyl flooring manufacturers are Lifeproof which you can find
at Home Depot, Shaw, Mohawk, Cali and Armstrong. The thickness of the top layer determines
the categories of luxury vinyl flooring. * Standard residential spaces: 12-mil or thicker
* High-traffic residential spaces: 20-mil or thicker
* Commercial spaces: 28-mil or thicker Before we continue with the properties of
laminate and luxury vinyl flooring, I’d like to introduce the sponsor of this portion of
the video. Brad Hedges is an architectural sales consulting company based in Georgia. They help
designers specify terrazzo, stair treads, railings, pavers and resin wood laminates
for architectural applications. They specialize in high end commercial and residential projects
like the Lynn Student Center in Florida. Designed by Gensler, this Center features a white on white
micro terrazzo floor with precast terrazzo stair treads. Head to bradhedges.com to check
out their detailed, exquisite work and contact them for your project. Back to the video.
In essence, laminate flooring is mainly made of wood fibers and vinyl is pure plastic. Let’s look
at some other differences between the two. * Appearance - Laminate is also thicker so
standing on it can feel warmer and softer but Vinyl can have a deeper
embossing and look more realistic. * Cost - Laminate flooring is usually
cheaper than luxury vinyl plank. Waterproof Pergo laminate flooring costs $2.69 per sqft,
while Lifeproof vinyl flooring costs $3.29 per sqft at Home Depot.
* Ease of use - They are both DIY friendly and affordable with an easy click and lock
assembly. The tongue of one plank is fitted into the groove of another at an angle
and folded down. This draws the boards together. * Acclimate - Laminate flooring needs to acclimate
to the inside of a home for at least 48 hours before installation. It has to get used to the
new temperature and humidity levels to avoid expansion or contraction. Vinyl flooring
doesn’t need to acclimate at all. * Tools - Laminate flooring is cut
with a circular saw or table saw. Luxury vinyl can be scored with a utility knife,
bent back and snapped into two. It can also be cut with a circular saw or table saw.
* Installation - Laminate is usually installed as a floating floor, while luxury vinyl can be
floating, loose lay or glued down. * Scratch resistance -
The scratch resistance of laminate flooring depends on the thickness of the top layer and
ac rating, which we discussed earlier. Luxury vinyl shows better scratch resistance. However,
neither product is scratch proof. Dragging heavy furniture across the floor will scuff it up.
* Water resistance - Water puddled on the surface of this laminate flooring
and did not penetrate the top coat. Luxury vinyl showed the same water resistance.
However, when soaked in water for a long period of time, the laminate flooring will swell up while
vinyl flooring can be dried out and reused. * Uses -
New, water resistant laminate flooring can be installed anywhere in a building, but flooring
that isn’t water resistant shouldn’t be used in bathrooms, mudrooms or kitchens. Luxury vinyl
is waterproof and can be installed anywhere. * Care - It is better to clean laminate flooring
with a dry or slightly damp mop. If not, it will delaminate over time, like the flooring in my
home has. Vinyl flooring can be wet mopped. * Fire resistance - The foam underlayment on
laminate caught on fire easily and melted away. The MDF core charred but didn’t burn.
Vinyl flooring melted and gave off very strong fumes.
* Lifespan - Both laminate and luxury vinyl flooring can last 10-20 years
if taken care of properly. * Health concerns - They also
use phenol formaldehyde resins and glues that off-gas. In high concentrations,
this can be a serious health concern. * Environment - Laminate flooring can use recycled
material for its inner core. While the top plastic surface and melamine resins can’t be recycled,
the remaining 85% of mass can be. Vinyl flooring can technically be recycled,
but it may not be economically attractive given the low cost of plastic production.
If these flooring has been glued down, recycling them can be more difficult.
In conclusion, laminate and luxury vinyl are two of the cheapest and most DIY friendly flooring
options available. They are stain and scratch resistant, but not scratch-proof. The durability,
water resistance and lifespan of both of these products are constantly being improved.
They do not catch on fire easily, but they release dangerous fumes when burnt.
They aren’t very eco-friendly because they last only 20 years and cannot be easily recycled. If
you are sensitive to VOCs, these might not be the best product for you. Let me know what you
think about these products in the comments below and if you prefer one over the other.
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