Laminate vs Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring | Everything you need to know!

[Music] 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 caulk 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 top coat 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 it is allowed to air dry the aluminum particles can float to the surface and dull the top coat with a hazy finish this top coat also protects the layers underneath resists fading caused by uv rays abrasions everyday wear and stains it can be a smooth high gloss or a textured finish to mimic the imperfections of genuine wood surfaces like hand scraped or wire brushed the wear layer and the paper are cut to size and added to the core made of high density fiberboard 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 target 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 ac1 is good for light traffic in bedrooms or guest rooms ac2 is good for moderate traffic in living rooms or dining rooms ac3 is good for heavy traffic and entryways ac4 is good for light commercial traffic in offices and cafes ac5 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 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 made of caulk 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 which is put plastic composite that is made of a pvc mixture and wood flower the pattern layer is a high resolution digital image of wood stone or tile lastly the top coat or wear layer it is a clear urethane based coating that makes the floor scratch and stain resistant the top wear layer and 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 need 12 mil or thicker high traffic residential spaces need 20 ml thicker commercial spaces need 28 mil or thicker before we move on to the properties of laminate and luxury vinyl flooring i'd like to introduce the sponsor of this portion of the video brad hedges brad hedges is an architectural sales consulting company based in georgia they help designers specify terrazzo stair threads 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 the center features a white on white micro terrazzo floor with precast terrazzo stair threads head to bradhedges.com to check out their detailed exquisite work and contact them for your next 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 laminate is thicker so standing on it can feel warmer and softer but vinyl can have a deeper embossing so it can look more realistic laminate flooring is usually cheaper than luxury vinyl plank waterproof purgo laminate flooring costs 2.69 per square foot while lifeproof vinyl floating costs per square foot at home depot 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 then fold it down this draws the boards together 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 and contraction vinyl flooring doesn't need to acclimate at all 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 laminate flooring is usually installed as a floating floor while luxury vinyl can be floating loosely or glued down 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 puddled on the surface of the 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 laminate will swell up while vinyl can be dried out and reused new water resistant laminate flooring can technically be installed anywhere in a building but flooring that isn't water resistant shouldn't be used in bathrooms mud rooms or kitchens luxury vinyl is waterproof and can be installed anywhere 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 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 both laminate and luxury vinyl flooring can last 10 to 20 years if taken care of properly they also use phenol formaldehyde resins and glues that off gas in high concentrations this can be a serious concern laminate flooring can use a recycled material for its inner core while the top surface and the plastic surface and melamine resins can't be recycled the remaining 85 percent of mass can vinyl flooring can technically be recycled but it may not be economically attractive given the low cost of plastic production if this flooring has been glued down recycling it can be even more difficult [Music] in conclusion laminate and luxury vinyl are two of the cheapest and most diy friendly flooring options available they are stained 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 do release dangerous fumes when burned they aren't very eco-friendly because they only last around 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 two in the comments below and if you prefer one over the other don't forget to hit that subscribe button notification bell and the like button too i'll link my patreon page in the description if you can support me i'd really appreciate it a big thank you to everyone already supporting me thanks for watching see ya

Channel: Belinda Carr

Views: 1,449,906

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Id: qRe3llAAgfU

Length: 10min 15sec (615 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 16 2022