25 Jul Luxury Vinyl VS Hardwood: The Facts

Hardwood flooring is often regarded as the highest standard when it comes to flooring materials; while consumers often think of vinyl flooring as some of the lowest quality flooring options. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is outdated and quite flawed. Yes, hardwood flooring is beautiful and classic; however, modern luxury vinyl flooring can rival hardwood’s looks, effectiveness, and affordability. Stay with us to see how luxury vinyl compares to hardwood and why it could be the best option for your home.

Comparing Looks

Most people find a hardwood floor to have a classic beauty that cannot be surpassed by any other flooring option available on the market. However, when you look into getting hardwood flooring, you will find there is a limitation to the styles and designs available. It is harder to customize and get to match in each room. Additionally, if you want a look that is more exotic or harder to find with hardwood, you will often have to pay more for those extra design options.

In contrast, new luxury vinyl flooring is amazingly customizable. You can match colors exactly to wood that is already present in your home as well as choose a grain pattern that meets the look that you are trying to achieve. Today’s luxury vinyl looks so comparable to hardwood that many people do not realize that it is not genuine wood.

The customizable and realistic appearance of luxury vinyl is made possible by its printed image layer. This portion of the vinyl floor is made with digital photography. One of the ways that they use these digital images to help the vinyl look so real is by applying a texture or wear on the grains of the wood. This way, the flooring not only looks like genuine hardwood but also feels like it too.

Relating Durability

Because hardwood is a natural material, it is typically lower on the durability and stability scales. Because wood can be worn easily with constant wear and tear, it requires more maintenance to keep it up. Also, wood, in general, is very susceptible to water and moisture damage which can hinder its longevity.

Fortunately, new luxury vinyl flooring uses the highest quality synthetic materials. This means that it has been designed to be a more resilient floor. It withstands extreme wear and tear and has the ability to resist moisture and temperature changes. Because of the extra durableness of luxury vinyl, you will often be able to get more prolonged or extended warranties on this type of flooring.

Equating Sustainability

Since wood is a natural resource, it is easy to assume that hardwood flooring is more sustainable and eco-friendlier than a human-made or synthetic material. However, because of deforestation and the length of time it takes to grow most hardwood trees, luxury vinyl is actually the more sustainable flooring choice. Most vinyl flooring uses recycled materials, which also adds to its being a more ecological choice.

Another thing to consider when thinking of being eco-friendly is floor maintenance. Some of the options available for refinishing or cleaning hardwood can be pretty caustic and hard on the environment. Once you lay vinyl flooring, it never needs to be refinished or resurfaced and can be cleaned with gentle solvents made with natural ingredients.

Looking at Affordability

Even if the cost is not your biggest concern with the flooring that you choose for your house, it does typically factor into most people’s flooring choices. Hardwood usually costs anywhere from $8 per square foot to as much or more than $25 per square foot, where most typical luxury vinyl can be as little as $2 per square foot up to almost as much as the more expensive hardwoods. Like any other flooring, vinyl will cost more if you select a designer name brand. Another cost factor to remember when considering hardwood vs. luxury vinyl is the cost to maintain hardwood. Sometimes wood needs refinishing or repair, while new vinyl floor only needs to be swept and mopped.

Get Luxury Vinyl from Kuhn Flooring, Today!

In a competition between hardwood and vinyl, vinyl wins hands down for being more customizable, more affordable, and more durable. With the more modern technologies making vinyl almost indistinguishable from natural wood, there is no reason to choose hardwood flooring anymore other than personal preference.

Our friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced staff at Kuhn Flooring are the leading flooring experts in South Florida.  They make it simple to select a luxury vinyl flooring option that will both fit in your budget and meet all of your design and durability requirements. If you find you still have questions regarding your flooring choices, please do not hesitate to contact us. We not only provide luxury vinyl installation, but we also install carpet, tile, hardwood, and laminate! Our team can help meet all your flooring needs today!