Guide

Laminate vs vinyl flooring cost: which is cheaper?

Updated October 2026

Quick answer: Budget sheet vinyl is often the cheapest fitted floor for a small, straightforward room. Laminate generally costs less than comparable luxury vinyl tile (LVT), especially when you fit it yourself. For a 15m² room, allow roughly £375–£900 for fitted laminate or sheet vinyl, or £675–£1,425 for fitted LVT, before significant subfloor repairs.

Compare the same kind of vinyl

“Vinyl” can mean flexible sheet flooring, glue-down LVT or rigid click planks. Sheet vinyl comes off a roll and has relatively few joins. LVT is supplied as individual tiles or planks and normally costs more. Comparing budget laminate with premium LVT makes laminate look exceptionally cheap; comparing laminate with basic sheet vinyl can reverse the result.

Use the flooring cost calculator for laminate or vinyl sold in packs. Enter the actual pack coverage, price and underlay requirement. For sheet vinyl, calculate the ordered roll width and cut length separately: a 3m-wide room can waste substantial material if you buy a 4m-wide cut.

These are typical UK planning ranges, not quotes, including VAT where charged to householders. The installed bands reflect common packages rather than the sum of every maximum above. Waste, thresholds and major preparation vary by job. For glue-down LVT, plywood or smoothing compound may add more than the adhesive itself.

Worked example: a 15m² bedroom

Take a 5m × 3m bedroom with a sound, dry, level subfloor. A straight-laid floor needs 10% extra for cuts, so 15 × 1.10 = 16.5m². Assume each laminate pack covers 2.2m² and costs £39.60, equivalent to £18 per m².

1. Divide 16.5 by 2.2: 7.5 packs, rounded up to 8 packs.
2. Eight packs cost 8 × £39.60 = £316.80.
3. Underlay at £4 per m² over the net floor adds £60.
4. Allow £35 for thresholds and perimeter finishing: DIY materials total £411.80.
5. Fitting at £18 per net m² adds £270, giving £681.80.

For a like-sized click LVT floor at £32 per m², assume 2.2m² packs at £70.40. Eight packs cost £563.20. With compatible underlay included in the product, £35 trims and £22 per m² fitting, the comparable total is £928.20. Laminate saves £246.40 in this example. Neither total includes moving furniture or removing the old floor.

Water resistance and durability by room

In bedrooms and dry living rooms, laminate offers an economical wood-effect finish with a tough wearing surface. Sand and grit can still mark it, so use entrance mats and suitable furniture pads. LVT can feel quieter and more forgiving underfoot, although heavy furniture may leave indentations and sharp grit can scratch its surface.

For kitchens, utility rooms and bathrooms, suitable vinyl usually has the advantage. Its material is resistant to water, but that does not make the completed room waterproof: water can reach the subfloor through perimeter gaps, poorly sealed sheet joints or an unsuitable installation. Check the product's room suitability and perimeter details before choosing.

Ordinary laminate with a wood-fibre core can swell when water reaches its edges. Some products offer improved water resistance under stated conditions, but do not assume every laminate is suitable around a bath or washing machine. Repairing a swollen floor can outweigh an initial saving. Neither ordinary click laminate nor standard LVT automatically creates a shower wet-room system.

Lifespan and the cost of replacing a floor

As a broad planning horizon, laminate and sheet vinyl may serve around 10–20 years, while suitable LVT may serve around 15–25 years. These are possible service lives, not guarantees: specification, wear, sunlight, cleaning and installation can shorten them considerably. A commercial wear classification or warranty needs to match the intended use.

Think about replacement as well as purchase. A damaged plank may be replaceable, but click systems can require dismantling rows to reach it. A tear in sheet vinyl is harder to disguise. Keep labelled spare planks from the same purchase, and avoid cleaning methods or steam equipment the manufacturer excludes.

The verdict: which is cheaper?

Choose laminate for a dry room when the priority is a reasonably priced plank floor and straightforward DIY fitting. Choose sheet vinyl when the lowest practical fitted price and easy cleaning matter more than individual planks. Choose LVT for a suitable wet-prone room or a particular finish when its extra preparation and purchase cost are affordable.

Before ordering, read how to measure a room for flooring to handle recesses and doorways. For a kitchen-specific comparison, see the cost of a new kitchen floor. A measured area and a clear preparation scope are more useful than a headline price alone.

For either floor, check door clearances and the overall build-up before ordering. A thicker laminate plus underlay may require doors to be eased, while a thin glue-down vinyl can expose imperfections that previously sat under carpet. Those small changes can make the cheaper material the more expensive installation.

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