Laminate flooring advice please

ejv

I'm considering removing my carpets and to lay laminate both upstairs and downstairs. No underfloor heating planned. Not doing DIY, but will get a joiner.
Had a look at CarpetRight ( as they laid my current carpets few years ago) but their laminate/LVT rates are exorbitant when compared to some online suppliers.
LVT seems to be 30-50% dearer than laminate. I don't know whether LVT has significant advantages over laminate to justify  spending that much
Please advise regarding : 
1)The thickness (8mm to 12 mm) for a household of 4 (no pets)
2)Brands(Quickstep/Egger/Kronospan/B&Q own etc/Wickes own)
3)Online retailers
4) Type of underlays
Thanks in advance

kdotdotdotdot

I got B&Q own brand LVT with their recommended underlay and had it laid by a flooring bloke.  It looks fantastic and I'm really happy.  Upstairs, I had to have laminate (for reasons I still don't understand) and my flooring bloke recommended Egger as he thought that was the best.  I don't know if that's true or he just had a good deal with them!

I'm FAR from an expert, but this is what I understood from looking into flooring:

- engineered wood is best for quality and longevity - but of course also the most expensive.  It's real wood put onto a hard backing, and you can re-sand it in years to come if it's damaged so it'll last you.   

- LVT (luxury vinyl) is essentially something like lino on a hard backing and made to look like wood (or stone, or tiles etc).  It's got texture (knot holes etc) and looks good.  It has the advantages of lino in terms of wear and tear and is considerably cheaper than engineered wood. It's disadvantage is that it isn't wood, of course.

- laminate is similar to LVT except instead of lino, they use layers of compressed wood fibres.  It's cheapest of all, and likely to be the surface that'll need replacing soonest because sometimes the layer of 'wood' is very thin and wears out very quickly in areas of heavy foot use.  It's also not going to do so well in a moist environment (bathroom and perhaps kitchen or hallway near a door where people with wet feet would often be coming through).  

parcival

We have just fitted a Quickstep laminate in our lounge using a good quality 5mm underlay. The laminate itself is 8mm and is guaranteed for 25 years. I must say it looks fantastic compared to the B and Q laminate we have in a spare bedroom.
We also have LVT in our main bedroom looks as good as new after 4 years.
I think laminate or LVT are both great as long as they are fitted well and are decent quality in the first place and you take the trouble to remove skirtings thus avoiding the beading strip that we don't like.

Davesnave

There's a bit of 'give' in laminate on our concrete floors, which I don't like the feel of. It's good quality Quikstep with a good backing, but I still find it 'clacky' compared with Karndean LVT which has no give at all and looks fine after 5 years in our most used room.

Hannimal

LVT is typically easier to lay down and so you will save on the cost of labour compared to laminate. It is also more water resistant. I would recommend, based on my own experience of getting a similar job done, that you first find yourself a fitter and decide on the appropriate floor with them. 

scottishblondie

LVT is more hardwearing, I'd say.  I would certainly use it in an entryway/hallway, kitchen or bathroom over laminate.  It won't be damaged by water or chip/scratch as easily.  You can probably expect laminate to last OK in a bedroom, but I wouldn't put it where there could be water.  There are plenty of online retailers where LVT is cheaper, but it will be more expensive than laminate to buy.  

ccluedo

Hi, I had laminate in a previous house with good quality thermal underlay but still found it cold underfoot in bedroom. Is LVT warmer underfoot? Tnx

J_B

ejv said:

LVT seems to be 30-50% dearer than laminate.

That's because the L stands for Luxury

Emmia

ccluedo said:

Hi, I had laminate in a previous house with good quality thermal underlay but still found it cold underfoot in bedroom. Is LVT warmer underfoot? Tnx

I find LVT warmer underfoot than laminate. 

Davesnave

How things feel underfoot will also depend on what's under them. In parts of my house there's 100mmm insulation under the floor so that ought to make more difference than the surface material. Where there's no insulation, suspended floors may well feel warmer than concrete.

But are many houses heated the way they were in the mid 20th century, where you flinched putting your bare feet on the lino in the morning and scraped the frost off the inside of the glass to see out?

ccluedo

Davesnave said:

How things feel underfoot will also depend on what's under them. In parts of my house there's 100mmm insulation under the floor so that ought to make more difference than the surface material. Where there's no insulation, suspended floors may well feel warmer than concrete.

But are many houses heated the way they were in the mid 20th century, where you flinched putting your bare feet on the lino in the morning and scraped the frost off the inside of the glass to see out?

Ours was suspended timber but no insulation I believe. We used the Howdens XPS underlay which had a better thermal rating than the bog standard stuff afair.