Floating timber vs laminate vs vinyl planks?

We are looking at buying a PPOR at the moment which has carpet in the living/dining which we don't like, so would look to change it up before we move in.

We got a lesson in flooring today from the guy at CarpetCourt which was great but probably confused us more... I always considered vinyl planks as a cheap alternative that doesn't look as good as real timber, but the vinyl planks we saw actually looked pretty good. The laminate also looked pretty good, and there are obvious benefits of using vinyl planks or laminate over floating engineered timber floors (ie warmer, more water resistent, harder to scratch etc).

However, my question to you is... what looks better? Given there isn't a huge difference in price, I really just want whatever is going to look best and also help resale value. Would everyone agree that floating engineered timber floors will look better than laminate or vinyl planks?

Also, any recommendations on where to buy flooring from once we're ready? Are shops like Carpetcourt usually negotiable on pricing?

Thanks

 

Good commercial vinyl planks look like parquet. How many shops have a timber floor, very few.

 

Chinese company in Auburn. I've used them for many renovations. You can negotiate too. Best I've seen so far. They lay as well.

Ozwood Australia – "Stand on Perfection"

 

What's under the carpet?

 

I have used vinyl planks in a PPOR and loved them practicality wise and loved the look.

 

It's a unit so will be concrete slab underneath

 

Would you choose vinyl planks over floating engineered timber for PPOR if price wasn't an issue?

 

You should check with your Strata Committee and/or Strata Manager as to whether you will need to get permission from the Owners Corp to install hard surface flooring, so this doesn't turn into an ugly expensive exercise.

Not to mention a discussion with your direct neighbours.

 

Yeah thats a good question, for the same house i would still go with the planks as I knew it was going to end up being a rental property and they are really durable and so easy to replace. But for a long term Ppor and price wasn't a problem i would go the floating timber (as long as someone else is installing them haha)

 

I will need to. Strata is extremely strict in the area I'm buying. Will need sufficient accoustic underlay etc.

 

Hmm thanks, yep it's a nice area where people pay for good products so I think I'll spend the extra on floating timber. The difference in price is only aorund $1500-2000 which in the scheme of things isn't much when I go to sell the place...

 

The downside of many of the engineered wooden floors is that the wear and tear show up which if you are going to resell can impact on the price. I've been using the vinyl hybrid boards - so like an engineered board but with vinyl on top instead of wood. They also have better acoustic properties.

So I would chose these over vinyl loose lay strips.

 

Hey Myf, I saw some hybrid ones today at Carpet Court and they looked good too. Do you think they look as good as real timber? Off memory pricing was fairly similar..

 

Timber must be much cheaper where you are or vinyl hybrid a lot more expensive as that's not the case here. Though on a small scale the total might not be that different. I pay around $55-65sqm supplied and installed for vinyl hybrid and it would be $85-125sqm for timber depending on the quality and how much actual wood

 

THe stuff I've used has a grain texture and looks just as good.

 

I've just paid a deposit on vinyl planks for my new apartment. Top quality vinyl planking is no cheaper than floating floorboards, but I am convinced that it will be harder wearing (more waterproof, more scratch resistant) in a property that will be PPOR for a while but I will probably be renting out at some point in the future. The best quality vinyl planks look almost indistinguishable from wood and have texture to match.

Check how many different images are used for the planks -- the cheaper one have only 5 or 6 repeating timber images, but the more expensive ones have 13 or more per "look", which will give the overall floor a more natural look.

Regarding acoustic properties, I found that the local flooring companies all tried to convince me that I wouldn't need an underlay, but I did my homework and realised that I would. After much online research, I went with a Regupol underlay that is specifically designed to go with vinyl planking (fairly firm and no rubber so no chance of chemical interactions with the vinyl).

 

Personally I think even higher priced vinyl flooring looks cheap and nasty compared with timber flooring. For a PPOR I would go engineered timber, especially if the rest of the place is finished to a good spec.

I put in engineered oak flooring about 6 years ago and it looks pretty much as good as new. It has a low sheen oiled finish and when I do get the occasional scratch, a bit of tung oil on the scratch is all it takes to fix it.

 

Personally, I can't tell the difference, even looking closely, if it is good quality LVP.

 

Would you choose foam or cork backing? And would you recommend a supplier I can get a quote from. I'm actually in the market to buy right now.

 

Mine have a limestone composite backing. I use either of these 2 brands Proline Hybrid Vinyl Planks or Vtech Vinyl Hybrid. I get mine from Home | Evergreen Flooring

You can see the Proline board in a colour called Stamford in this house 18 Isabella Crescent, Manning, WA 6152