Flooring is one of the most important aspects of any room. It does more than just bring the room together. The right flooring can add warmth and character, it’s durable enough to withstand heavy foot traffic, and it shouldn’t need excessive amounts of maintenance.

When you’re considering flooring it’s easy to narrow down your search to luxury vinyl vs hardwood. However, to make a final decision, you may want a little help.

Hardwood Floors

As the name suggests, this type of flooring is pieces of hardwood fastened to the floor. The flooring can be created in a variety of colours and patterns, including one of the most common and attractive versions, herringbone flooring Sydney.

Hardwood flooring as a design style has been in existence for hundreds of years. It’s durable, easy to maintain, and, if you damage it, you can repair it.

That’s one of the beauties of hardwood flooring. It may be a little more expensive but scratches and scuffs can be sanded out, leaving the flooring looking like new.

It’s also worth noting that a hardwood floor will generally add value to your property and, because their finish is stylish but neutral, it can accompany a wide array of interior design styles.

Luxury Vinyl

Luxury vinyl is also available in planks, in the same way, that hardwood floors are and are a good match for your MasterCraft doors and windows. In effect, luxury vinyl planks are a copy of hardwood flooring. They are made from polyvinyl chloride resins mixed with stabilizers and several other components. The result is a plank that looks like wood although it isn’t.

It’s worth noting that luxury vinyl planks are thicker, and therefore more rigid, than standard vinyl flooring planks.

Luxury vinyl flooring is generally cheaper than hardwood. It can be created in a huge array of styles, allowing you to adopt a look that wood can’t recreate.

The Comparison

Both of these flooring choices are durable. The fact that luxury vinyl is slightly cheaper may convince you to choose this option. However, luxury vinyl has a protective coating on its surface to stop it from getting scratched by pets. This doesn’t stop it from getting dented and scratched when you drop heavy items on it or drag the furniture around.

You’ll need to consider your lifestyle and traffic level but hardwood may be the better choice.

This isn’t the case if you are decorating a bathroom as this is a high-moisture space. Damp and humidity cause hardwood floors to swell. Too much moisture can result in warped boards. In contrast, luxury vinyl is designed to be moisture resistant, making it a better choice in these spaces.

It is also worth noting that maintenance for both is easy but potentially easier for those with luxury vinyl flooring.

The Bottom Line

Both of these flooring choices are attractive options for any home. The bottom line is that the right floor for your home is a personal decision just like getting a deck or a hot bathtub. You need to look at examples of both and decide which works best for you. Then, you’ll never regret your decision

Levi Huang
Author

Levi Huang, a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Furniture Design, has been a guiding voice in home furnishing and interior solutions for over 16 years. He became part of our editorial team in 2021, focusing on ergonomic furniture design, space planning, and material innovation. Previously, Levi worked in custom furniture creation and as an interior design consultant. He enjoys woodworking and contributing to sustainable living initiatives.

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