ᐅ Engineered flooring as an alternative to hardwood - buying guide and manufacturers

Well then – if I were set on using luxury vinyl flooring, I would take a closer look at Classen. I examined this floor with my nose (and maybe my dog’s), because I find any material that smells unpleasant suspicious, and I don’t want that in my home – especially not with small children around.

jaenno1 schrieb:

Finally, someone in favor 😉. Do you have recommendations regarding manufacturers and types? I’ve heard both good and bad things about Parador Modular One.

We use 1200 Purline. ;-) For us, it was the best compromise! No petroleum, Blue Angel certification, very durable, large format, unfortunately not exactly cheap, and I have seen more realistic textures from other manufacturers. Still, it has a very good look and feel.

jaenno1 schrieb:

Despite local concerns, I would prefer a glued or floating vinyl or design floor.

I don’t quite understand floating vinyl. It’s usually on a fiberboard core. In that case, you might as well install laminate, since most of the advantages you mentioned are lost!

jaenno1 schrieb:

I prefer vinyl or design flooring. I don’t like vinyl because it lacks underfoot warmth. Even though I’m male, I’m quite sensitive here 🙂.

I don’t really understand that. Could you please explain it differently?

jaenno1 schrieb:

Could you elaborate on that? I don’t necessarily see it that way, I rather see the advantages of @RotorMotor.

First of all, the additional cost for luxury vinyl flooring compared to laminate is roughly 100%. You can get cheap options starting around 20 EUR, good quality at around 40 EUR, and the so-called premium range at 60 EUR and up. The last time I checked, laminate was really almost exactly half the price.

Now, the fact that a floor with a higher wear rating is always more durable applies to all materials, so that’s not really an advantage of the material itself. On the contrary, you often hear about scratches appearing quite early on vinyl, usually fine scratches that spread like a haze. This is simply because the top layer is also the decorative layer. With laminate, you have a transparent plastic layer, then the decorative paper layer (cellulose), and then the core board. This makes laminate visually less susceptible to slight scratches because the decorative layer isn’t scratched directly.

The claim that vinyl has no problems with water only applies to "solid vinyl" floors. That means only when it’s not installed on a core board. However, solid vinyl is normally much thinner and therefore more prone to irregularities in the subfloor. Also, as far as I know, such vinyl can only be glued down. The other type of vinyl, which uses an HDF core board, has the same issue as laminate does, but honestly only with water standing for a long time. While standing water won’t damage solid vinyl, it will still seep underneath and create a microclimate that can cause damage to the floor and walls.

I would doubt any claims about resistance to grease stains. I think that depends on the specific material. I’ve seen strange shiny spots on plastics due to grease exposure before. Admittedly, I haven’t experienced that with vinyl, nor with laminate. Anyway, compared to real hardwood flooring, vinyl offers no advantage because with hardwood you can oil and maintain it, which naturally integrates stains to some extent.

Thermal conductivity is indeed better than that of hardwood and laminate flooring, that’s true. The "soft feel" is often touted, but personally I don’t notice any difference compared to glued-down hardwood, and with laminate the difference is so minor that, for me, it wouldn’t be worth a 100% price increase.

So if you’re already considering replacing the floor after 5-10 years, I would recommend floating installation and then just go with laminate to save money. If not, then @hampshire’s advice makes sense and you should choose wood with a thick wear layer. But you have to be prepared to spend more for that. In that case, because of underfloor heating, I would probably recommend gluing it down.

jaenno1 schrieb:

I prefer vinyl or luxury vinyl plank flooring.

Here’s a simple question: What exactly is a luxury vinyl plank? Oh right, a vinyl floor is also considered a luxury vinyl plank. A PVC floor is both a vinyl floor and a luxury vinyl plank. Even laminate with special designs is marketed as luxury vinyl plank.

First, try to let go of the term "luxury vinyl plank." There is no single luxury vinyl plank or luxury vinyl plank material.

What is the goal? To buy flooring free of vinyl? Avoid plasticizers? Then please specify which material is preferred. "Luxury vinyl planks" can contain vinyl or layers of PET/PP (the same material used for plastic bottles). It’s possible to find products without harmful plasticizers or chemicals in any of these types.

Essentially, "luxury vinyl plank" is a very effective marketing term to sell vinyl floors (PVC/vinyl) or plastic floors (with PET/PP) at several times the margin of an identical product simply labeled vinyl flooring. Keep that in mind.

I prefer parquet-style flooring and chose smoked oak design planks. Completely free of plasticizers or other harmful substances. Pure natural material—except for the parquet adhesive.

Correct, luxury vinyl flooring is essentially just vinyl flooring, but in my experience, it is PVC-free and at least low in plasticizers. Completely plasticizer-free options do not exist, because without plasticizers, the plastic becomes so brittle that it breaks very quickly.

I wasn’t aware that laminate is also sold as luxury vinyl flooring, but you really can’t rule it out since it is not a protected or formally defined term anywhere.

Benutzer200 schrieb:

"Design flooring" is essentially a very effective marketing term used to sell vinyl floors (PVC/vinyl) or plastic floors (with PET/PP) at multiple times the price of an identical product simply called vinyl flooring. Keep that in mind.

Yes, that’s true. If something needs to be called "design," it often suggests that the design is otherwise not obvious...

In the end, it is always a matter of prioritizing different aspects. "Foot warmth" and "durability" are the main concerns for the original poster. If naturalness and health perception also play a role, then linoleum—a much more ecological flooring material compared to vinyl or PVC—comes into consideration. Today, linoleum no longer needs waxing as it once did because modern linoleum floors have a protective layer. Manufacturers like Forbo offer linoleum designs that resemble wood, so they do not remind one of old-fashioned school flooring.