When it comes to flooring, homeowners have more options to choose from than ever before. Two of the most popular flooring options on the market today are waterproof engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl plank (LVP), and for good reason. While each has its own unique blend of features and advantages, both offer the classic beauty and elegance of traditional hardwood flooring at a fraction of the cost.
If you’re thinking about upgrading the flooring in your home, there’s no doubt that both of these options should be high on your list of considerations. However, that doesn’t make deciding between them any easier. So, how do you know which one might be best for you?
Unfortunately, there is no clear winner here. When comparing LVP vs. engineered hardwood, you’ll need to think hard about which option best suits your lifestyle, budget, and the goals that you have for your home. So, if you’re in the market for new flooring, here is everything you need to know to figure out whether waterproof engineered hardwood or luxury vinyl plank (LVP) is the best flooring choice for you.
What is Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring?
Luxury vinyl plank flooring, often abbreviated as LVP, has become an increasingly popular choice among homeowners in recent years. At first glance, it may appear that LVP is just like any other traditional hardwood plank flooring. However, in reality, it has a much different construction that sets it apart from its more traditional counterpart.
Each plank of LVP is built from multiple different layers, including:
- Backing Layer, which provides stability and structural support
- Vinyl Core, which gives each plank strength and flexibility.
- Design Layer, which features a high-resolution image to emulate a wide variety of different types of hardwood.
- Wear Layer, which is the transparent top coating that increases durability and provides resistance against scratches, scuffs, stains, and any other everyday wear and tear.
One of the biggest advantages that LVP has going for it is its impressive water resistance. The vast majority of LVP flooring is completely waterproof, ensuring that you never have to worry about spills, moisture, and high humidity damaging your floors. This also makes LVP a fantastic option for water-prone areas of the home like kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements.
Another reason that LVP has become so popular is its price. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is generally one of the most affordable flooring options on the market. This, combined with its DIY friendly design, makes it an ideal choice for anyone looking to upgrade their flooring on a budget. Plus, LVP’s excellent durability also makes it one of the best choices for families with small children and pets.
When it comes to comparing LVP versus engineered hardwood, if you want a flooring option that’s affordable, durable, and waterproof, then luxury vinyl plank flooring is probably the best option for you.
What is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?
Engineered hardwood flooring is another fantastic alternative to traditional hardwood flooring. Unlike traditional hardwood, which consists of a single piece of wood, each piece of engineered hardwood consists of two layers.
- Core Layer, which is typically made from either plywood or high-density fiberboard, gives each plank strength and stability.
- Veneer Top Layer that can be made from a wide variety of different types of hardwood with varying finishes.
Engineered hardwood’s biggest strength is its veneer top layer made from real hardwood. This top layer gives it a much more authentic hardwood appearance and feel when compared to other hardwood alternatives. As long as you take good care of it, it’s likely that most people will not be able to tell the difference between engineered hardwood and traditional hardwood.
Though not quite industry standard, many manufacturers and brands have started selling waterproof engineered hardwood flooring options. These engineered hardwood planks are designed with water-resistant cores and more advanced finishes that provide much better protection against spills, excess moisture, and high humidity. While these waterproof options still don’t perform quite as well with water as LVP does, they still perform much better in damp conditions than traditional hardwood.
At the end of the day, if you want flooring that most accurately replicates the genuine look of hardwood flooring while providing superior ROI, then you’ll almost certainly think that engineered hardwood is better than LVP.
Side-by-Side Comparison: LVP vs. Engineered Hardwood
Choosing new flooring for your home is a big deal and a significant investment, so it’s essential that you consider every detail before you make your final decision. Now that you know a bit more about both of these flooring materials, here is everything you need to know about how waterproof engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl plank stack up against each other.
Appearance and Design
When it comes to looks, there’s really no beating engineered hardwood. Its top layer, made of real hardwood, allows engineered hardwood to deliver a much more authentic appearance and feel underfoot than LVP can.
That being said, LVP brands have gotten a lot better at mimicking the look of real hardwood in recent years. Many high-end LVP options feature high-quality textures that accurately match the design layer underneath, making them look nearly identical to real hardwood. Still, engineered hardwood’s inclusion of real hardwood gives it the slight edge over LVP in both appearance and feel.
Ease of Installation
Both LVP and engineered hardwood are generally pretty easy to install, but there are still some differences to consider.
- Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) often features a click-lock system that allows planks to snap together without the need for glue or nails. LVP is also easy to cut with a standard utility knife, making filling in the areas where your flooring meets the walls about as easy as can be.
- Engineered Hardwood often features either floating, glue-down, or nail-down options for installation. In this case, floating engineered hardwood floors are usually much more DIY friendly than their glue or nail-down counterparts.
While experienced DIYers shouldn’t have much of a problem installing either option themselves, LVP’s click-lock system makes it a much easier and cheaper option, regardless of whether you want to hire professional installers or complete the installation yourself.
Cost
Price is always one of the biggest deciding factors when it comes to flooring upgrades, and the good news it that both of these flooring options is generally quite affordable. Here is what you can expect to pay for each type of flooring.
- Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) can cost anywhere from $2 to $10 per square foot, depending on the quality and brand.
- Engineered Hardwood typically costs between $4 and $15 per square foot, depending on the type of wood, thickness of the veneer layer, and brand.
That being said, the cost of materials doesn’t quite tell the whole story here. As mentioned above, LVP is generally much easier to install, so if you plan to hire a professional installer, you’ll most likely save a lot of money in installation costs by choosing LVP.
On the other hand, engineered hardwood often provides a much higher ROI because most potential home buyers consider it a much more premium flooring product than LVP.
When it comes to cost, it ultimately comes down to whether you prefer cheaper upfront costs or long-term value. If you want something that will be more affordable initially, then LVP is the better option. However, if you want an investment that will produce higher returns in the long run, engineered hardwood is the best choice for you.
Maintenance and Cleaning
When it comes to maintenance and cleaning, there really isn’t much of a difference between these two flooring materials. Both only require the occasional sweeping, vacuuming, or mopping to stay clean, and little maintenance on top of that.
The only difference is that you should be a bit more careful when it comes to engineered hardwood. If you mop engineered hardwood floors, you should be sure to wipe up any excess moisture afterwards, as it isn’t as waterproof as LVP. You also may need to refinish engineered hardwood floors every 7-15 years to keep them looking fresh over time.
Regardless of these small differences, there’s really no reason to choose one over the other based solely on maintenance and cleaning requirements.
Water Resistance
While both LVP and waterproof engineered hardwood offer superior water resistance to traditional hardwood, there’s really no sugarcoating the fact that LVP offers far superior performance in this category.
LVP is almost always completely waterproof, making spills, leaks, and high humidity a non-issue in all but the most extreme cases. Even though many waterproof engineered hardwood options are highly water resistant, they are still much more vulnerable to water exposure, especially in the long term.
If you’re looking to install new flooring in moisture-prone areas of your home, like bathrooms and basements, LVP is usually the much safer choice. However, if you’re planning on upgrading the flooring in less moisture-prone areas of your home, engineered hardwood flooring will work just fine.
Durability and Lifespan
Both LVP and engineered hardwood are incredibly durable, but they aren’t necessarily durable in the same way. For example, LVP is great at resisting scratches, scuffs, and stains, making it ideal for homes with pets or small children who enjoy running around.
However, it is worth noting that once a luxury vinyl plank wears down, you’ll have no other choice but to replace it completely. Depending on how much foot traffic it has to handle, you can expect LVP flooring to last anywhere from 10-20 years before you need to replace it.
Engineered hardwood is stronger and better at preventing dents from heavy furniture or fallen objects. You can also refinish engineered hardwood when it starts to wear down, adding to its longevity and, in many cases, making it much easier to justify the higher price. For this reason, you can expect engineered hardwood flooring to last anywhere from 20-30 years, or even longer if you opt for a higher quality engineered hardwood with a thicker veneer layer.
Comfort and Feel
When it comes to the feeling underfoot, whether you prefer LVP or engineered hardwood will largely be up to your personal preference. LVP has a much softer and warmer feel, and adding a quality underlayment underneath can improve overall comfort and noise reduction even further.
Engineered hardwood flooring is not nearly as soft, but it much more closely emulates the feeling of walking on real hardwood flooring. So, if you want something closer to hardwood, then engineered hardwood is easily the best option. If you want something softer, then LVP is the better choice.
LVP vs. Waterproof Engineered Hardwood: Which is Right for You?
Ultimately, when it comes to LVP and engineered hardwood, there is no one-size-fits-all best option for everyone. It all comes down to your specific flooring needs and preferences.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) is the right choice for you if:
- You want a hardwood look with more affordable upfront costs.
- You need something waterproof for high-moisture areas.
- You prefer DIY installation and low maintenance.
Waterproof Engineered Hardwood is the right choice for you if:
- You want the look and feel of real hardwood flooring.
- You value longer lifespan and refinishing potential over minimizing initial investment.
- You want to maximize the resale value of your home.
Contact My Dad’s Flooring Today
Do you want to install new flooring in your home? Give us a call at (610) 935-2226 or contact us on our website, mydadsflooring.com. Our team of friendly flooring experts is always here to answer questions and will happily take the time to listen to your needs so that we can walk you through all the best options. We even offer free samples so that you can get your hands on the materials to help you make your final decision.
Don’t push off installing the beautiful new flooring you’ve always wanted for your home. Contact My Dad’s Flooring and take the first step toward getting the brand new flooring of your dreams today!