ᐅ Laminate Flooring vs. Luxury Vinyl Flooring in an Energy-Efficient House 40
Created on: 7 Mar 2026 23:45
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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
N
nordanney8 Mar 2026 17:15Boden321 schrieb:
Logoclic Ambienta P.S. By the way, the laminate costs about €10 more per m² (about $10 per sq ft) than my parquet. €40-45 per m² (about $40-45 per sq ft) for plastic is like paying $90,000 for a Dacia Sandero... Not worth the money.
Boden321 schrieb:
Floating engineered wood flooring was not recommended to us, The question is: who gave this recommendation?
Floating installation was not recommended due to noise and underfloor heating.
The Logoclic Ambienta laminate costs €25 per square meter (approximately $25 per square yard). We would install it ourselves. For parquet installation, I have quotes of about €28-30 per square meter (approximately $26-28 per square yard) plus the parquet flooring itself, which starts at €39 (approximately $36) per square meter (approximately $36 per square yard).
The Logoclic Ambienta laminate costs €25 per square meter (approximately $25 per square yard). We would install it ourselves. For parquet installation, I have quotes of about €28-30 per square meter (approximately $26-28 per square yard) plus the parquet flooring itself, which starts at €39 (approximately $36) per square meter (approximately $36 per square yard).
ypg schrieb:
The question is: who recommended this here? Who?
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MachsSelbst8 Mar 2026 21:20Boden321 schrieb:
Floating installation was not recommended due to noise and underfloor heating.That’s nonsense. People are just passing on something they were told as apprentices by others, which might have been state-of-the-art 40 years ago. You can compare it to an experienced mechanic always using 10W40 oil in an engine, even though manufacturers now recommend 0W30 and modern engines are designed for it.
Forget that. Hardwood flooring is generally not ideal for underfloor heating because wood is a good thermal insulator. That’s why, for floating installation, people use 11mm (0.43 inch) thick prefinished hardwood and an impact sound insulation with low thermal resistance. This way, you get similar performance to a fully glued installation with 14, 16, or 20mm (0.55, 0.63, or 0.79 inch) thick wood flooring.
Don’t believe that the “specialists” in stores really know what they’re talking about. We had decided on all grout colors for the tiles together with the “expert” at the tile showroom… The craftsman’s comment: “He doesn’t know anything, I’ll show you which grout color actually fits…”
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