ᐅ Laminate Flooring vs. Luxury Vinyl Flooring in an Energy-Efficient House 40
Created on: 7 Mar 2026 23:45
B
Boden321
Hello everyone,
We are currently building an energy-efficient house with underfloor heating and are unsure about which type of flooring to choose.
We initially ruled out hardwood flooring. Floating engineered hardwood was not recommended to us, and high-quality glued hardwood would be very expensive for our approximately 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) of living space. Additionally, since we have two children, we want a floor that is as low-maintenance and durable as possible.
Therefore, we are currently considering high-quality laminate flooring (e.g., Logoclic Ambienta), which the manufacturer claims to be very quiet and environmentally friendly. Because we have children, it is especially important to us that the floor does not contain plastic materials or harmful substances such as PVC or plasticizers.
During our research, we also came across luxury vinyl tiles/planks (LVT/LVP) that are offered without PVC and plasticizers. Compared to laminate, these floors seem to have some advantages: they are said to be quieter, more water-resistant, feel warmer underfoot, and, in some cases, work better with underfloor heating.
At first glance, these advantages seem to outweigh those of laminate. Therefore, we are wondering whether we should reconsider our decision to choose laminate and instead opt for luxury vinyl flooring. In both cases, we plan to install the flooring as a floating floor.
Could you tell us what advantages laminate would have over luxury vinyl flooring in our situation – apart from the fact that laminate does not contain plastic and is considered more environmentally friendly?
Best regards
We are currently building an energy-efficient house with underfloor heating and are unsure about which type of flooring to choose.
We initially ruled out hardwood flooring. Floating engineered hardwood was not recommended to us, and high-quality glued hardwood would be very expensive for our approximately 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) of living space. Additionally, since we have two children, we want a floor that is as low-maintenance and durable as possible.
Therefore, we are currently considering high-quality laminate flooring (e.g., Logoclic Ambienta), which the manufacturer claims to be very quiet and environmentally friendly. Because we have children, it is especially important to us that the floor does not contain plastic materials or harmful substances such as PVC or plasticizers.
During our research, we also came across luxury vinyl tiles/planks (LVT/LVP) that are offered without PVC and plasticizers. Compared to laminate, these floors seem to have some advantages: they are said to be quieter, more water-resistant, feel warmer underfoot, and, in some cases, work better with underfloor heating.
At first glance, these advantages seem to outweigh those of laminate. Therefore, we are wondering whether we should reconsider our decision to choose laminate and instead opt for luxury vinyl flooring. In both cases, we plan to install the flooring as a floating floor.
Could you tell us what advantages laminate would have over luxury vinyl flooring in our situation – apart from the fact that laminate does not contain plastic and is considered more environmentally friendly?
Best regards
M
MachsSelbst10 Mar 2026 08:58If you choose hardwood flooring, go for an oiled finish. Of course, you’ll find people who haven’t oiled their wood floors for 25 years and they still look like new... but they probably don’t have pets or children and don’t host parties where things might get dropped. We have all three, and if you look at the floor in sunlight, you’ll see that after just 3 years there are already many scratches, dents, and so on.
The easiest option is to install engineered hardwood flooring as a floating floor. Because sanding the floor after 15 years takes as much effort as simply removing it and installing new flooring. Maybe you’ll want a different color later on. Make sure to leave expansion gaps along the edges—that will prevent any issues.
Choose a thin engineered hardwood, 11 mm (0.4 inches) thick, to avoid problems with underfloor heating, which are more common if you glue down 14 or 16 mm (0.6 or 0.63 inches) boards, thinking you’ll sand them down at some point. Sanding should be done by a professional anyway; if a novice tries it, they’ll probably ruin it.
Remember to include baseboards in your budget. This is often overlooked and can get quite expensive, especially if you want them made of real wood. Nobody installs hardwood flooring and then uses MDF baseboards.
Oh, and don’t forget to order the BMW 5 Series. You don’t build a house worth hundreds of thousands and then drive a Golf 😉
Stories from the Paulaner Garden...
The easiest option is to install engineered hardwood flooring as a floating floor. Because sanding the floor after 15 years takes as much effort as simply removing it and installing new flooring. Maybe you’ll want a different color later on. Make sure to leave expansion gaps along the edges—that will prevent any issues.
Choose a thin engineered hardwood, 11 mm (0.4 inches) thick, to avoid problems with underfloor heating, which are more common if you glue down 14 or 16 mm (0.6 or 0.63 inches) boards, thinking you’ll sand them down at some point. Sanding should be done by a professional anyway; if a novice tries it, they’ll probably ruin it.
Remember to include baseboards in your budget. This is often overlooked and can get quite expensive, especially if you want them made of real wood. Nobody installs hardwood flooring and then uses MDF baseboards.
Oh, and don’t forget to order the BMW 5 Series. You don’t build a house worth hundreds of thousands and then drive a Golf 😉
Stories from the Paulaner Garden...
I would choose the flooring based on priority:
(low) Budget: Laminate (but really go for a cheap option, under 15 EUR/m² (about 1.40 USD/ft²))
Comfort/Appearance: Parquet (oiled; whether glued or floating depends on your skill level or budget—glued is better, but the difference is not huge)
Wet areas/Ease of maintenance/Highest efficiency with underfloor heating: Tiles
Durability: Epoxy resin
Kids: Cork
Sustainability/Durability/Kids: Linoleum
Extravagance: Marble or other natural stone
Appearance: A matter of taste, but there are wood-look tiles and with epoxy resin plus printed foil you can replicate almost any look visually
Sound insulation: Carpet (high pile)
Never vinyl, because it’s the biggest rip-off. Structurally, it should be cheaper than laminate, but it’s almost always more expensive. All the advantages vinyl has over laminate can also be achieved with wood. As @nordanney already pointed out, “design flooring” is just a marketing gimmick.
I wouldn’t glue laminate so you can replace it more easily later. Yes, it is louder then, but not in terms of footstep noise transmitted through the entire floor or vibrations—rather the sound of hard soles (or claws) hitting the surface. But if you walk barefoot and don’t have a dog, it doesn’t really matter. Honestly, I even find the claw tapping of our poodle upstairs kind of cute. It lets me know when he’s awake and walking from the boy’s room to mine. For some, that might be a trigger, so you have to judge that for yourself.
So just proceed according to the priority list above and your preferences, buy, live, be happy. Don’t get too worked up over any warnings. Just don’t get the idea to install laminate in the shower...
(low) Budget: Laminate (but really go for a cheap option, under 15 EUR/m² (about 1.40 USD/ft²))
Comfort/Appearance: Parquet (oiled; whether glued or floating depends on your skill level or budget—glued is better, but the difference is not huge)
Wet areas/Ease of maintenance/Highest efficiency with underfloor heating: Tiles
Durability: Epoxy resin
Kids: Cork
Sustainability/Durability/Kids: Linoleum
Extravagance: Marble or other natural stone
Appearance: A matter of taste, but there are wood-look tiles and with epoxy resin plus printed foil you can replicate almost any look visually
Sound insulation: Carpet (high pile)
Never vinyl, because it’s the biggest rip-off. Structurally, it should be cheaper than laminate, but it’s almost always more expensive. All the advantages vinyl has over laminate can also be achieved with wood. As @nordanney already pointed out, “design flooring” is just a marketing gimmick.
I wouldn’t glue laminate so you can replace it more easily later. Yes, it is louder then, but not in terms of footstep noise transmitted through the entire floor or vibrations—rather the sound of hard soles (or claws) hitting the surface. But if you walk barefoot and don’t have a dog, it doesn’t really matter. Honestly, I even find the claw tapping of our poodle upstairs kind of cute. It lets me know when he’s awake and walking from the boy’s room to mine. For some, that might be a trigger, so you have to judge that for yourself.
So just proceed according to the priority list above and your preferences, buy, live, be happy. Don’t get too worked up over any warnings. Just don’t get the idea to install laminate in the shower...
N
nordanney10 Mar 2026 10:55MachsSelbst schrieb:
If you choose hardwood flooring, go for oiled. Of course, you’ll find people here who haven’t oiled their floors for 25 years and they still look like new... they probably don’t have pets or children and don’t throw parties where things might fall... we have all three, and when you look at the floor in sunlight, the wood already shows lots of scratches, dents, etc. after 3 years... Don’t be so negative and generalizing. Much depends on the type of wood and its hardness.
P.S. A Bernese mountain dog and three small children were a sufficient test for oak flooring for many years. It passed with flying colors. Maple? Well, too soft and also changes color noticeably.
MachsSelbst schrieb:
Choose a thin engineered wood floor, 11mm (0.43 inches) thick, then you’ll have fewer problems with underfloor heating compared to gluing down 14 or 16mm (0.55 or 0.63 inches) floors, based on the illusion that you can sand it down later However, thin two-layer engineered wood flooring should definitely be glued down. It is not suitable for floating installation over underfloor heating (but compared to three-layer flooring, it is better suited for use with underfloor heating).
MachsSelbst schrieb:
This is often forgotten and can end up being quite expensive, especially if the baseboards are also supposed to be real wood... you don’t get parquet and then choose MDF baseboards. In fact, most people use white painted baseboards. These can be made of painted pine, or MDF with a painted surface or veneer. They don’t actually have to be expensive and start at around €3 per linear meter (painted wood).
N
nordanney10 Mar 2026 12:20Boden321 schrieb:
Then we would need a floor installer. Only if you don’t feel confident doing it yourself. It’s the same as click laminate – just with adhesive underneath. But please make sure the subfloor is suitable.
Boden321 schrieb:
If installed floating, is it comparable to click laminate or more complicated? Everything with a "click" system is basically the same (luxury vinyl plank, laminate, cork, parquet). Higher-quality (and therefore more expensive) products fit slightly more precisely. However, this is only noticeable during installation, not after the floor is laid.
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