Vinyl Plank vs Laminate vs Engineered Hardwood

What’s the best floor for dogs and everyday family life? Vinyl Plank vs Laminate vs Engineered Hardwood helps answer that question by testing the floors in a variety of everyday circumstances.

The three floors tested are all from the Home Depot:

1. Vinyl Plank: Home Decorators Collection Grey Fig
2. Laminate: Lifeproof Russet Meadow Hickory
3. Engineered Hardwood: Home Decorators Collection Honey Birch

MY FAVOURITE TOOLS (That I own and use!)

SAWS:

FESTOOL KAPEX MITRE SAW
-This is not for everyone but if your looking for the best this is it.

DEWALT 10" PORTABLE TABLE SAW WITH STAND
-The rack and pinion fence and lightweight body are a winning combination!

MAKITA 18V TRACK SAW
-This is a game changer when it comes to breaking down sheet good and making precise cuts!

MILWAUKEE M12 OSCILLATING MULTI TOOL
The brand new version and the old one are both 1st class all the way!

NAIL GUNS:

DEWALT 18G BRAD NAILER
-This a cheap gun that performs as well as any gun I've used! Great tool clip as well.

GREX 23G PIN NAILER
-Crisp holes and fairly consistent shooting.

DRILLS:

MAKITA SUBCOMPACT SET
-Extremely lightweight and surprisingly power. These are two of my favourite tools!

LASERS:

DEWALT LINE LASER
-Reasonably priced, works great, sticks to drywall corner beads excellent!

LEICA DISTO D2 MEASURE DEVICE
-Super accurate and easy to use!

VACUUMS:

MAKITA 18V CORDLESS VACUUM
-This is my 3rd Favourite tool. Sucks surprisingly well and the portability is soon handy!

FESTOOL CT MINI
-A great portable vacuum for a mitre saw or any other hand held tool.

TOOL STORAGE:

FESTOOL SYSTAINER
-A great integrated system that all locks together, and can be used as a works bench as well.

FESTOOL ROLLING CART
-Exceptional little rolling cart for the sustainers and a great way to move heavy cabinets!

All the links above are Amazon Affiliate Links, it's a great way to support the channel at no extra cost to yourself! Thank you:) If you have any questions please reach out in the comments.

[maroqui]

I subscribed because it was the nicest way I've heard someone asking.

[dv]

We have had high end vinyl plank flooring installed in 3 homes over the last 7 years and have been amazed at how well it holds up to punishing daily use (kids, pets high heels, walkers, spills, moving furniture, etc.) Plus it looks beautiful! Wouldn’t have any other kind of floor in Florida

[buildit]

as a builder and remodeler I put in so so so much vinyl plank the cheap stuff is trash, scratches if you cover it in cardboard, we’ve had it bind up with heat of the sim coming through windows, and edges separating randomly, but the expensive vinyl plank you can beat and sand a lot out, I have pergo water resistant in my house and love it, my wife moves a piano across it, my 2 year out drags everything he can across it, and it feels exactly like wood

[harwinderbaath]

I like u being so genuine and polite like real professional type

[alejandrapadron]

Just bought “Lifeproof” vinyl plank flooring in “Essential Oak.” Waterproof with mold and mildew and no VOCs, antimicrobial treatment built into the coating. I’m very sensitive so the VOC thing was super important. Has a residential lifetime warranty as well. Reasonably priced. $3.19 sq ft (American dollars)

[midlifemom]

Wish I saw this video before I installed new floors, but thankful we went with luxury vinyl plank

[juliemariesmith]

Crazy how much this vid chilled me out to say it was about trashing floors 😂 Such a relaxing voice 😁

[venitadoggett]

Thanks for doing this! I'm researching flooring options and with two big dogs (62lbs and 45lbs), I need something that's durable! So, I'm happy to actually see a test that actually demonstrates dog wear and tear.

[anniecortes]

I dont need flooring but am a homeowner and enjoy learning all things home improvements etc....enjoyed Willie's clip😊

[kristinb]

I enjoyed all your assistants. I got a good laugh out of your chair assistant.

[Dont-Evan-Bother]

Hi, I've been in love with all types of wood working and DIY whether it be construction or furniture based since I was 9 years old. I sustained an injury that has more than likely ended my career in carpentry/joinery. Since I've been at home your page is the first I've found that actually pulls my attention and I can just watch all your videos over and over all day. I appreciate you giving the time to produce the content and hope you keep this up 👍

[garysanders]

I can add to the validity of this well done video. I have a 78lb German Shepherd. Our basement, the entire floor is vinyl plank, our kitchen had engineered hardwood when we purchased the home. And I put in a laminate wood floor in the master bedroom 3 years ago. The vinyl in the basement has held up 100%. She plays down there, and spins out all over the place. I cannot see a single scratch. For the laminate wood. She has also spun out numerous times in this room when she becomes alerted to something outside etc. I specifically chose a product that has the "distressed" look as well as multi-colored look. And it hides scratches very well. You have to really get down and look to see them. And then there is the kitchen with the engineered floor. It is destroyed. I don't care what anyone tells you, large dogs will scratch the crap out of hardwood floors. It is basically ruined. I am seriously considering replacing it with the same floor as the bedroom as it is also waterproof.

[c.m_astro]

Great video and helpful. If you do this again, I would use the same color finish for all three. Also, looks like you used a birch engineered wood, where birch is one of the softest. The salesperson at the local flooring store said not to use birch if you want a durable engineered floor. You should test with hickory and oak which have a much higher janka rating and more durability. You could even add some of the new bamboo engineered hardwoods. I'm sure it would make a big difference with some of these tests.

[andrewbrown]

I would love to see how they all compare with sand/cat litter on them before the chair moving test. Also, small rocks stuck in a boot. Those two things have caused the most damage to my vinyl floor.

[neverlate]

So vinal is final. Exactly what I was wanting to know before replacing my floors. Thanks.

[marydd]

Love the vinyl plank flooring, Prior to selling our house we installed it in the kittchen, laundry and bathrooms/we used it as a floating floor vs glue down. We loved it so much we're putting it in our new home, but really are sticking with engineered hardwood in the living rooms and bedrooms, seems to be a nicer feel and it stood up well. The only change is adding the vibyl to our dining area. Thanks for the video!

[loreleipepi]

Thank you for doing this demo! It was so helpful because I need to make this decision between hardwood and vinyl plank. This helped me decide to go with vinyl!

[daver]

Also when choosing a floor, especially vinyl, always look for how many "mils" it has. Mil refers to the protection layer of the floor. The higher the mil, the more the floor will withstand.

[wendyj.]

I think the color had something to do with it. Lighter colors are just not going to show much wear and tear.

[stevenseligman]

You need to do the overweigh lady friend in stiletto heels with a damaged heel tip. I can give you a hint how the EHW holds up, at our open house party after we finished our new house my wife's best friend spent the entire night performing said test on our new kitchen floor. We now tell people that it is a "distressed EHW", yah we ordered it that way.