Statistics for LVP and laminate flooring repairs are 20 to one

I see people in flooring stores. These people ask consultants whether laminate or LVP is better. Consultants respond, “Well, LVP is waterproof.” However, I will share a simple secret with you. Laminate is always better for residential homes.

Moisture does not damage your floor; your floor is damaged by uneven subfloors and temperature fluctuations in the house when the heating season begins and when summer begins.

The fact is that Sacramento and the Bay Area are located in a seismically active zone. Therefore, almost every subfloor has cracks because the ground literally moves.

And even if after you remove the carpet and lay down luxurious, thin, cool-to-the-touch LVP, that doesn't mean cracks won't appear in a year or two. If cracks appear, it means that the subfloor is no longer level. LVP has very weak locks that will start to break immediately in areas where people walk a lot (kitchen, bathroom). Laminate has many more locks and is stronger, and laminate also forgives errors in subfloor unevenness. To be honest, there are some houses where it is impossible to make a level subfloor.

Another strong enemy of LVP is temperature changes.

Flooring Type	Thermal Expansion Coefficient	Temperature Sensitivity	Installation Notes
PVC / LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank)	28–44 × 10⁻⁶ /°F	High	Requires proper expansion gaps; sensitive to heat and direct sunlight
Laminate Flooring	8–14 × 10⁻⁶ /°F	Moderate–Low	More dimensionally stable; moisture is a bigger concern than temperature

The core of LVP is made of PVC plastic. I have provided a table showing that LVP expands three times more than laminate.

What does this mean in practice?

Your floor moves when heated or cooled; in essence, the floor consists of many planks that move. When heating/cooling occurs, LVP locks often experience high stress and subsequently cease to function properly. Often in long corridors or large rooms, you can see the gap between LVP planks. This does not happen with laminate. Its locks are much longer, thicker, and stronger.

Does this mean you cannot use LVP?

LVP is good for cases where you have a concrete subfloor without cracks, and if the room is less than 300 square feet. If you want to install flooring throughout an entire floor, say 1,400 square feet, only laminate flooring will work, or you will need to install T-molding in each room so that the LVP can expand under the molding. Otherwise, if you install LVP, you may see your planks separating from each other in a year.

My statistics for LVP and laminate flooring repairs are 20 to one.