Hello,
we will soon receive the handover of our new build and want to install vinyl flooring on the upper floors.
We plan to install the vinyl flooring ourselves and want to lay it as a floating floor (on the new screed).
We do not want to glue it down.
Unfortunately, it is not easy to find the right vinyl flooring.
What types of vinyl flooring are there and how do they differ? (I’m a bit lost here)
Rigid vinyl
Solid vinyl
Click vinyl
Rigid core vinyl
Are there any others?
(I will exclude the types that require gluing.)
Impact sound insulation:
All types of vinyl flooring are available with or without integrated impact sound insulation.
Vinyl with integrated impact sound insulation is easier to install, but what is really better?
Manufacturers:
Which manufacturers would you recommend?
In my search, I came across the following manufacturers:
HORI
Parador
Wineo
Are there other top vinyl manufacturers? What do you think of the brands mentioned? Is vinyl from these manufacturers reliable?
Please feel free to share more recommendations.
What else should be considered when buying vinyl flooring?
What should you look for in the locking system?
Thank you very much for your help.
we will soon receive the handover of our new build and want to install vinyl flooring on the upper floors.
We plan to install the vinyl flooring ourselves and want to lay it as a floating floor (on the new screed).
We do not want to glue it down.
Unfortunately, it is not easy to find the right vinyl flooring.
What types of vinyl flooring are there and how do they differ? (I’m a bit lost here)
Rigid vinyl
Solid vinyl
Click vinyl
Rigid core vinyl
Are there any others?
(I will exclude the types that require gluing.)
Impact sound insulation:
All types of vinyl flooring are available with or without integrated impact sound insulation.
Vinyl with integrated impact sound insulation is easier to install, but what is really better?
Manufacturers:
Which manufacturers would you recommend?
In my search, I came across the following manufacturers:
HORI
Parador
Wineo
Are there other top vinyl manufacturers? What do you think of the brands mentioned? Is vinyl from these manufacturers reliable?
Please feel free to share more recommendations.
What else should be considered when buying vinyl flooring?
What should you look for in the locking system?
Thank you very much for your help.
These are very modern products with contemporary marketing claims. If you are interested in something like this, I would suggest searching specifically for the product name along with "reviews" or "experiences" to see what you find. It’s best to look for people who have installed the flooring themselves and have concrete feedback. Whether such flooring can live up to its marketing promises is often something you can’t find out from manufacturers or sellers.
Parador and Haro are both reputable manufacturers for sure, but I think it’s hard to objectively say which one is better. It’s like asking 100 people whether Adidas or Nike is better. 😉
Overall, personally, 45€ / m² (about $50 / sq ft) for laminate or over 50€ / m² (about $55 / sq ft) for vinyl flooring feels way too expensive to me. I can’t imagine the price-performance ratio is right, but others may see that differently. We install solid wood flooring—excuse me, the "dirty word"—parquet throughout the entire living area for around 45€ / m² (about $50 / sq ft). 🙂
Parador and Haro are both reputable manufacturers for sure, but I think it’s hard to objectively say which one is better. It’s like asking 100 people whether Adidas or Nike is better. 😉
Overall, personally, 45€ / m² (about $50 / sq ft) for laminate or over 50€ / m² (about $55 / sq ft) for vinyl flooring feels way too expensive to me. I can’t imagine the price-performance ratio is right, but others may see that differently. We install solid wood flooring—excuse me, the "dirty word"—parquet throughout the entire living area for around 45€ / m² (about $50 / sq ft). 🙂
W
WilderSueden3 Feb 2023 23:04Gooosee159 schrieb:
For example, the Parador Hydron laminate is said to be protected against standing water for up to 24 hours.Honestly, where would you need that? Normal moisture from wet jackets is no problem for any laminate. In the bathroom, you’ll probably use tiles anyway. And if you’re building in a flood-prone area, you should plan better to keep the water completely out 😉I also don’t really understand why you’re spending so much time on this. Pick a design you like, make sure it’s from a reputable manufacturer and possibly certified low in harmful substances. Remove anything that doesn’t fit the budget, and you’re done. From here on, you’re only optimizing minor details.
G
Gooosee1594 Feb 2023 09:30@WilderSueden we don’t need the 24-hour water protection.
We would consider laminate or vinyl from brands like Parador, Meister, or Haro.
I just want to find out if vinyl is really much better than good laminate (if both come from the same manufacturer).
Whether it’s worth the extra cost for us to choose vinyl or not.
We would consider laminate or vinyl from brands like Parador, Meister, or Haro.
I just want to find out if vinyl is really much better than good laminate (if both come from the same manufacturer).
Whether it’s worth the extra cost for us to choose vinyl or not.
X
xMisterDx4 Feb 2023 22:54Isn’t this the usual story?
Laminate is more scratch-resistant, vinyl feels more comfortable underfoot.
Sorry, but at $45 per m² (about $4.20 per ft²) I wouldn’t choose vinyl; I’d go for hardwood instead.
What hasn’t been discussed yet, though, is thermal resistance.
Vinyl usually performs better here than laminate or hardwood.
AND if you’re installing it as a floating floor, your impact sound insulation must have a low thermal resistance. Common ones from hardware stores have 0.04 m²K/W (0.23 ft²·°F·hr/Btu) and up. For underfloor heating, the total build-up can have a maximum of 0.15 m²K/W (0.81 ft²·°F·hr/Btu).
There are impact sound insulation materials with 0.01 m²K/W (0.05 ft²·°F·hr/Btu), but they cost around €7 per m² ($7.50 per m², about $0.70 per ft²)…
That was the deciding factor for me that drastically narrowed down my options.
I now have hardwood with 0.63 and laminate with 0.73 m²K/W (about 3.6 and 4.0 ft²·°F·hr/Btu), plus impact sound insulation with 0.008 m²K/W (0.04 ft²·°F·hr/Btu).
Laminate at $20 per m² ($1.90 per ft²), sound insulation at $7. Total $27 per m² ($2.50 per ft²), thermal resistance 0.81 m²K/W (4.6 ft²·°F·hr/Btu).
If you take vinyl at $45 per m² ($4.20 per ft²), it might have around 0.04 m²K/W thermal resistance. Add a cheap impact sound insulation with 0.07 (which exists), and you end up with 0.11 m²K/W (0.59 ft²·°F·hr/Btu). Then you wonder why your tiles are already hot, but your vinyl floor still feels cold underfoot…
Laminate is more scratch-resistant, vinyl feels more comfortable underfoot.
Sorry, but at $45 per m² (about $4.20 per ft²) I wouldn’t choose vinyl; I’d go for hardwood instead.
What hasn’t been discussed yet, though, is thermal resistance.
Vinyl usually performs better here than laminate or hardwood.
AND if you’re installing it as a floating floor, your impact sound insulation must have a low thermal resistance. Common ones from hardware stores have 0.04 m²K/W (0.23 ft²·°F·hr/Btu) and up. For underfloor heating, the total build-up can have a maximum of 0.15 m²K/W (0.81 ft²·°F·hr/Btu).
There are impact sound insulation materials with 0.01 m²K/W (0.05 ft²·°F·hr/Btu), but they cost around €7 per m² ($7.50 per m², about $0.70 per ft²)…
That was the deciding factor for me that drastically narrowed down my options.
I now have hardwood with 0.63 and laminate with 0.73 m²K/W (about 3.6 and 4.0 ft²·°F·hr/Btu), plus impact sound insulation with 0.008 m²K/W (0.04 ft²·°F·hr/Btu).
Laminate at $20 per m² ($1.90 per ft²), sound insulation at $7. Total $27 per m² ($2.50 per ft²), thermal resistance 0.81 m²K/W (4.6 ft²·°F·hr/Btu).
If you take vinyl at $45 per m² ($4.20 per ft²), it might have around 0.04 m²K/W thermal resistance. Add a cheap impact sound insulation with 0.07 (which exists), and you end up with 0.11 m²K/W (0.59 ft²·°F·hr/Btu). Then you wonder why your tiles are already hot, but your vinyl floor still feels cold underfoot…
G
Gooosee1594 Feb 2023 23:58@xMisterDx So laminate is more scratch-resistant, and vinyl feels warmer underfoot and is more comfortable to walk on.
We would of course also use appropriate impact sound insulation.
For 45€ we don’t want to go with laminate.
These are the prices I found.
Laminate about 15-20€/m² (1.4-1.9 sq ft)
Rigid vinyl about 25-30€/m² (2.3-2.8 sq ft)
Luxury vinyl plank about 30-35€/m² (2.8-3.3 sq ft)
We initially didn’t consider hardwood flooring because it’s scratch sensitive.
What type of hardwood flooring would you recommend? Lacquered or oiled? The issue with oiled is that it requires a lot of maintenance and is sensitive.
We want a scratch-resistant, durable, and low-maintenance floor.
We would of course also use appropriate impact sound insulation.
For 45€ we don’t want to go with laminate.
These are the prices I found.
Laminate about 15-20€/m² (1.4-1.9 sq ft)
Rigid vinyl about 25-30€/m² (2.3-2.8 sq ft)
Luxury vinyl plank about 30-35€/m² (2.8-3.3 sq ft)
We initially didn’t consider hardwood flooring because it’s scratch sensitive.
What type of hardwood flooring would you recommend? Lacquered or oiled? The issue with oiled is that it requires a lot of maintenance and is sensitive.
We want a scratch-resistant, durable, and low-maintenance floor.
Benutzer1235 Feb 2023 11:35Just order a few samples or check out the flooring in person at your local home improvement store. We are installing floating vinyl flooring and I have collected a large stack of samples. Parador, Wineo, Meister, Planeo, and so on. We always found something that bothered us (color, texture, locking system, etc.). We have now found a suitable option and will choose one with integrated impact sound insulation. It’s from a shop I probably shouldn’t name. I don’t know the manufacturer. The price is about 30 euros per m² (3 USD per ft²).
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