ᐅ Installing Vinyl or Laminate Flooring in the Kitchen

Good morning,

I’m looking for ideas, experiences, or advice.

Here’s the situation:

Old building – subfloor with wooden planks – looking for flooring for hallway and living room with open kitchen...

Both laminate and vinyl are probably not ideal for the kitchen – but tiles are not an option because of the wooden floor, and I don’t want to deal with two different floor coverings due to the open space.

A floating installation is planned.

Yesterday I visited two stores and got two different opinions...

Store 1: Use vinyl for the kitchen... It’s more water-resistant and warmer underfoot. Install it completely, then set up the kitchen.

Store 2: Use laminate... it’s more resistant – a bit of boiling water will cause vinyl to bubble up... it fades and is just as sensitive to water as laminate... Installation: set up the kitchen first, then lay the floor only behind the kitchen kickboard, because otherwise the floor can’t move due to the kitchen being too heavy.

So... what now?

Does anyone have laminate or vinyl in the kitchen?

I’m really unsure...

The second provider is lying. Vinyl does not fade and is waterproof. It is vastly superior to laminate in terms of durability.

Yes, it’s a clear case. The second provider is talking nonsense and is lying. I agree with the previous speaker 100%.

So, install the vinyl flooring before setting up the kitchen.

Well... the second one also offered vinyl... so he would have made a few euros more with that...

At the moment, there is laminate installed over the wooden floorboards, and it doesn’t cause any issues even with possible unevenness...

Laminate costs 15 euros/sqm (approximately $1.40/sqft), and the offered vinyl is 45 euros/sqm (about $4.25/sqft).

If I’m going to pay significantly more, I want to see the corresponding "added value" beforehand...

The added value is water resistance and durability, along with a pleasant texture. However, this is a matter of personal preference.

Is the water resistance really guaranteed, Nordlys? Both have a substrate board and joints where water can penetrate – or am I mistaken?