luxury vinyl Vs engineered wood???

6 years ago

Thanks in advance!

I have 3 children under 5 and want to know what flooring to get for open plan. and throughout the house. I'm swaying towards vinyl but concerned about the look being tacky. please help? What is a good brand? ta x

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Comments (3)

Lauren
6 years ago
You can get very good fake laminate now but personally I don't think it ever looks or feel as good as real wood.

With engineered wood there's lots of upsides, the main ones being they can go over underfloor heating and have very little movement or warping with changes in temperature (unlike solid wood planks). The range and choices can be very confusing however. When I was picking ours for upstairs I had a very helpful local flooring specialist explain it to me so I'll try and detail it for you too should you choose to go down this route!

The wear layer is the thickness of real wood on the top of the substrate of laminated cheaper wood. Cheaper options have 2-3mm wear layers, whilst others (usually more expensive) have 4-7mm. The advantage of thicker layers is of course the number of times you can have the floors sanded and re-finished. Realistically a thicker 6mm layer should last at least a 100 years and numerous sandings (it would be very easy to accidentally go through a 2mm top layer accidentally if sanding).

Finish options tend to be lacquer/varnish or oil. Lacquer/varnish sits on the surface of the wood, it is harder wearing than oil but will scratch and in order to re-finish you have to sand everything back. Oil absorbs into the wood and is usually applied in several coats to build up protection. If you scratch it, or a busy area gets worn you can lightly sand it and just re-apply oil to that individual area. You can also buy unfinished engineered boards meaning you can stain and oil/varnish it yourself however you like but of course means much more work. Both lacquer and oil come in the usual range of gloss, semi gloss, satin and matt. Matt is popular now as it looks the most natural and changes the look of the wood the least.

Colours - you can get a myriad of colours from two main finishes - stained or smoked. Stain is only absorbed in the top layers of wood so if you scratch it deeply the natural wood colour will show through. Same goes if you sand and re-finish it. Smoking is a slow process but basically the smoke gets all the way into the wood. This means even if you sand or scratch it the colour shouldn't change. You can get 'semi smoked' which just means its been left to smoke for less time resulting in a lighter finish.

You can get 'brushed' finishes which is where the boards are literally brushed with stiff bristles that remove the softer wood grains resulting in a more textured feel. Similarly 'hand scraped' gives a soft undulation to the surface as if 'scraped' by hand tools as very old floorboards were.

Bevelled or micro-beveled edges are what you'd expect and result in a 'v' between boards when they meet. They will still butt up neatly but does help give the boards more definition and in my opinion makes them look much more authentic (one of the big tell tail signs of laminate is the lack of v grooves). Only downside is that dirt can gather in these so the micro-bevel option can be the best of both worlds.

Wood species is entirely a personal choice but do speak to supplies to check what you have in mind is suitable for the location in question. Different types of wood vary greatly in hardness, colour, environmental credentials and of course price!

Finally (at last!) you get different grades or qualities of wood. 'Prime' or 'select' is often used to describe the best grades with the least filled knot holes or large variations within the wood. You then go down to 'natural' which will have some featuring but not much with 'rustic' having the most character and knot holes. None of these are necessarily bad choices. A prime standard would look silly in a very old tudor property whilst a 'rustic' finish in a sleek modern build could equally look strange.

Anyway. Sorry for the mammoth post, I just know I was getting quite frustrated trying to not only understand all the options but also get a feeling for what was right for me. Hopefully this help you avoid the same problems!
PRO
Italian Design Ltd
3 years ago
It's a very old post I know but I could not resist...sorry! Excellent answer from Laurent! However with 3 kids under 5 (but even above 18!) I would never consider LVT.

The majority of all LVT is made in Asia, although new plants are being built in the US.
1. LVT is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is hazardous from production to disposal. There is no completely safe way to manufacture or dispose of PVC.
2. Vinyl chloride has been classified as a human carcinogen (14th Report on Carcinogens, National Toxicity Program) and is on the Living Building Challenge Red List of toxic chemicals to avoid.
3. Some LVT manufacturers are committed to reducing the amount of PVC and phthalates, but many companies have not eliminated them. Because chemical manufacturers are not required to reveal proprietary ingredients in their products, it is nearly impossible for consumers to determine which product might be safer than another.
4. Phthalates, which make PVC softer and more pliable, are known to leach into food and water supplies. A 2012 Swedish study of children found that phthalates from PVC flooring were taken up into their bodies, showing that children can ingest phthalates not only from food but also by breathing and through contact with the skin. (Sciencedaily.com. 2012-05-23)
1. There are many types of phthalates. Some are cancer causing, and some may be endocrine disruptors. The problem is, we don’t know which ones are being used in LVT because of the lack of proper labelling.
2. PVC also contains ethylene dichloride, mercury, and other chemicals, many of which have been banned from children’s products and other consumer goods.
3. LVT is not repairable. While it is water and scratch resistant, it’s wear and photographic layers are only paper-thin. When the LVT is scratched—and it will scratch—there is no way to repair it. It is not a through-body colour like wood, cork, bamboo, or linoleum, all of which can be repaired.
4. The emissions from PVC create health hazards, such as dioxins and furans, two of the most toxic chemicals on the planet. These chemicals are typically produced during the manufacturing process and from incineration in landfills. Small amounts may also be emitted from exposure to the sun and proximity to heat coming from a furnace or fireplace in your home.
5. Because PVC is not biodegradable and is both difficult and costly to recycle, most of it eventually ends up in landfills and is burned after its useful life. The threat of exposure to humans and the environment after incineration is very real.
6. PVC is banned in many countries throughout the world because of its potentially harmful effects on humans and the environment.
7. PVC is made from non-sustainable petrochemicals.
8. PVC is inexpensive and appears to offer many benefits to numerous industries. However, few manufacturers look at the long-range effects on humans or the environment. Much research has been done, but much more needs to be done.
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ilona_saradina
6 months ago
This is an old discussion but still so valid. The world's gone nuts over luxury vinyl, it seems, while in essence it's just a glamorised lino whose impact on our health is unknown. I agree that engineered wood is the way to go, if you can afford it and, particularly, if you have little ones.

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luxury vinyl Vs engineered wood???

Comments (3)

Lauren

Italian Design Ltd

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