Flooring advice - laminate vs vinyl

[FlightlessDuck]

We are replacing our downstairs kitchen/laundry room/half bath floor. We were originally going to go with Pergo Portfolio with "+ wetprotect technology". The marketing says it's waterproof. We like the color we picked out as well as the texture. The finish feels like wood.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pergo-Port...ossed-Wood-Plank-Laminate-Flooring/1000855570
Our contractor says It's not waterproof and we should do with vinyl planks instead.

Has anyone had experience with this? What have you put in your kitchen? If it was pergo, have you had any problems with warping from spills?

 

[mrs. magoo]

We have laminate in our kitchen. It is now almost 15 years old and we have had no problems at all. I do have vinyl planks in my family room though since the door to the pool is there and when the kids were little they would track in so much water. I just did my kids rooms in luxury vinyl plank flooring since I could use a utility knife to cut it. It was not the easiest stuff to work with but it turned out pretty good not nearly as nice as the laminate though. Maybe you do the vinyl in the laundry room and the laminate in the kitchen.

 

[cabanafrau]

We have old school Pergo in our kitchen from about 15 years ago. Still looks like the day we installed it. Ours was finished to look like natural cherry.

I would raise an eyebrow at waterproof claims. Honestly can't say I'd want what we have in a laundry room situation, despite never having any issues in our kitchen over all these years.

ETA: Checking out your link, our finish looks just a slight touch redder and does not have quite such prominent wood grain look.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

We had Pergo in our last house and yes, lots of issues with warping. Small spills that were cleaned up immediately weren’t a problem but any significant amount of liquid (leaking fish tank, dog having accidents, spilled water bowl, burst water pipe), especially if it went unnoticed for a few hours, led to puffy raised edges along the boards. We, thankfully, had tile and concrete in our kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry — I can’t imagine using Pergo in those areas. Granted, this was regular Pergo and not the supposed waterproof version, so I can’t speak to how that would perform. In our new house, we put vinyl planks in the basement. They look nice and seem durable. The only noticeable difference is that the floor is less padded so it feels and sounds a bit different when you walk on it, but it’s very slight and you get used to it quickly. The previous owners put hardwood in the bar area and if that ever gets damaged we’ll replace it with vinyl planks.

 

[lovemygoofy]

We put Pergo in 3 and half years ago all through our first floor which is 2200sqft. That includes the kitchen, powder room, dining room, family area and all through the storage closets/pantries.
Water pools on top of the flooring but I don't see how anything can be totally water proof. We haven't had any warping and my husband isn't the most careful about not spilling. I did put down some rugs in front high water areas (dishwasher, in front the sink, powder room sink) just for a little more peace of mind.

I don't know if you intend to lay any padding underneath but that made all the difference I think for our flooring. We laid upgrade padding to help preserve warmth and reduce noise. I love the flooring. We are having conversation now about if we want to take out bedroom carpet and replace with this flooring upstairs.

 

[kdonnel]

LVT and LVP are very much in at the moment.

Whoever managed to put Luxury and Vinyl together and make people happy is a marketing genius!

We have 1200 sq ft of LVP in our basement. It has been there almost a year now. It is in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, closets, bed rooms, and living rooms. No issues what so ever with water, wear, or comfort.

I would pick out an LVP product that has the wood look you like.

 

[Dismrk155]

LVT and LVP are very much in at the moment.

Whoever managed to put Luxury and Vinyl together and make people happy is a marketing genius!

We have 1200 sq ft of LVP in our basement. It has been there almost a year now. It is in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, closets, bed rooms, and living rooms. No issues what so ever with water, wear, or comfort.

I would pick out an LVP product that has the wood look you like.

What about oak flooring. Tore out what was in the kitchen...put down oak....yes

 

[kdonnel]

What about oak flooring. Tore out what was in the kitchen...put down oak....yes

I have traditional site finished oak strip flooring for my entire 1st floor. Given a choice now I would go with LVP.

It is time to refinish my oak flooring, 17 years old and showing significant wear under the eat in kitchen table in particular. Several neighbors have refinished their floors and it has always been problematic. Long lasting smells for the poly, instant scratches in the new poly because they could not move out long enough to truly let the ploy cure, etc.

17 years from now if we are tired of the LVP, we just pull it all up, and put down whatever is the in product.

 

[megsters]

We have new LVP in all the bedrooms, hallway, kitchen/dining, entry way, and basement. I also have bought matching stair treads for the stairs into the basement, but they're on backorder. We adore them. Bought the soft head attachment for our cordless Dyson, so upkeep has been a breeze.

A friend of ours put laminate in his kitchen shortly before we did, and the fridge leaked. Floor is absolutely destroyed. He wants to replace with LVP.

We got a sweet deal at Lumbar Liquidators. I'd give them a look as well.

 

[Minniesgal]

I would not recommend laminate anywhere where there is water. We have compressed vinyl which is laid like wood planks or tiles and it is fabulous.

 

[Diznotyzed]

The laminate we had put in our kitchen around 15 years ago still looks almost new, but there is one seam with a barely noticeable raised edge from a small refrigerator leak. We put LVP on the entire first floor of our beach house, so lots of sand, water and our kids dogs on it, and so far so good with the exception of some scratches from the metal feet of the couch.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We are replacing our downstairs kitchen/laundry room/half bath floor. We were originally going to go with Pergo Portfolio with "+ wetprotect technology". The marketing says it's waterproof. We like the color we picked out as well as the texture. The finish feels like wood.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pergo-Port...ossed-Wood-Plank-Laminate-Flooring/1000855570
Our contractor says It's not waterproof and we should do with vinyl planks instead.

Has anyone had experience with this? What have you put in your kitchen? If it was pergo, have you had any problems with warping from spills?

It is important when getting a "waterproof" hardwood that it be waterproof from both above and below. Many products are water resistant from above and advertise the heck out of it, but from below, they're not. You don't want any such product in your kitchen because the minute your fridge or dishwasher go, you're toast.

We installed wellmade optiwood which is both waterproof from above and below. It consists of a composite core which is water proof, followed by a wood layer, followed by a top layer which is also water proof. This comes with the padding attached and is far more dimensionally stable. So you don't have to lay a cork layer or anything. It can go right on your sub floor or right on an existing floor. The locking mechanism isn't overly complicated so it's fairly easy to install.
LVP has come a long way and I certainly wouldn't have any problems with it. The colors are getting better and better each year. It is naturally water proof because of what it's made out of. But we still like the look of genuine wood. And for the little bit extra this costs over laminate, It was worth it to us. It comes in fives or sevens. The more confined spaces you're doing the more you'll want to go with fives.
Little did I know it would get its first big test the very day after it was installed when the dishwasher went poof. It got hit both from above and below. Came right through it fine.
Home Depot sells it and claims it is exclusive to them. But to make it exclusive, they named the colors all different names at the home depot than they are named elsewhere.

Also note however, that just because your flooring is water proof does not mean your subfloor is. In fact, if it's not a slab, it very likely is not. So you'll still have to remove the floor next to the wall, squish the water out vacuum the excess with a shop vac and run a dehumidifier to take care of it. That's a lot less work than replacing a buckled floor.

 

[NYCgrrl]

LVT and LVP are very much in at the moment.

Whoever managed to put Luxury and Vinyl together and make people happy is a marketing genius!

We have 1200 sq ft of LVP in our basement. It has been there almost a year now. It is in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, closets, bed rooms, and living rooms. No issues what so ever with water, wear, or comfort.

I would pick out an LVP product that has the wood look you like.

Trust me they do make upscale vinyl flooring and it looks gorgeous. Google “ Amtico vinyl flooring” and be amazed.

As for the specific Pergo flooring The OP picked out,the manufacturer specifically states it’s graded for wet applications and given the mil it makes sense. I’d check the warranty to see what it covers to be on the safe side.

i Do think you’ll be fine with this type of Pergo flooring. When I lived in Central Europe it was quite common in newer homes bathrooms and kitchens.

 

[tvguy]

We put laminate in the kitchen and LVP in the bathrooms 7 years ago. Our designer and the contractor say laminate in the kitchen with water shouldn't be an issue and it hasn't been.....yet. I'll get back to you in 20 years when the 25 year warranty is up on the laminate.
We did have to replace the LVP in one bathroom last year because water destroyed it from a water leak UNDER the planks. According to the floor guy, the waterproofness of the top of the flooring may have hidden the water leak!

 

[tvguy]

Whoever managed to put Luxury and Vinyl together and make people happy is a marketing genius!

Right up there with Jumbo Shrimp.

Or if you are old enough to remember the Chrysler Cordoba commercials in the 1970's with Richardo Montalbán touting "Corinthian leather" seats. My MIL took the bait and bought a Cordoba. Two years she was paying to have cracked leather replaced because the upholstery shop said that while Corinthian Leather was nothing more than a marketing term for the lowest quality leather upholstery material.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In new build homes in my area most laundry rooms are tiled floors. Our bathrooms and our laundry room (upstairs) is tiled (quite common these days).

 

[spiders]

I can't common on vinyl but we have laminate and really like it. Our old house had engineered hardwood and it was terrible. When we moved, the new house had newly installed laminate and carpet upstairs. After a year, we ripped out the carpet and put the same laminate upstairs as well. I don't know about it being waterproof but I can tell you that it takes a beating from the kids and it still looks great.

 

[greg9x]

Have the Harmony laminate from Costco in the kitchen...last year the ice maker line popped and water got underneath the laminate for 1/2 the kitchen... pulled it up and tried to dry it all off as much as could, but a bunch of it still warped. I still had a couple extra boxes and was able to replace the majority of the warped boards. But lesson learned..no regular, or only water resistant on top, laminate flooring, especially in any water prone area's.

The water also ran down in to the downstairs bedroom and had to pull all the carpet out of there as it molded quickly.. I ended up going the LVP route and re-did the whole downstairs. It looks good, but can tell it's not wood when walking on it (slightly hollow sound when walking on, even with a sound absorbing padding underneath, but this is over concrete so may contribute)...doesn't bother me, but may others.

There's a lot of stuff out there that says 'Water resistant' or even 'Waterproof' but really isn't.... they rely on the boards being fully interlocked at the seams to prevent water from seeping between, but if water does get between or under the boards they will warp...they also depend on any spills being cleaned up immediately. Stick to 100% waterproof from all sides laminate, you never know what may occur .. if I had regular laminate in the downstairs bedroom, it would have been ruined also.

When do the middle floor in LVP, will defiantly redo the kitchen also.