These two get compared constantly because they look nearly identical in a showroom. The comparison has changed in the last few years, and most of what is written about it online is out of date.
Laminate is not what it was
Old laminate had a compressed wood-fibre core with a photo layer on top. Water past the seams swelled the core permanently — it did not dry back flat, and the plank had to come out. That is the reputation laminate still carries, and it was deserved.
We do not sell that product any more, and neither do the manufacturers we buy from. What replaced it is a waterproof generation sold under names like RevWood. The core is still wood fibre, but the plank is sealed: a coated perimeter, a pressed bevel edge, and a tight click joint, so water sits on top instead of getting in.
That matters when you are reading older advice. “Never put laminate in a kitchen” was correct in 2015 and is no longer the same question.
Side by side
| Luxury vinyl plank | Waterproof wood | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | PVC, cannot absorb it | Sealed, water cannot reach the core |
| Installed cost | $4.99 – $9.99 / sq ft | $4.99 – $9.99 / sq ft |
| Scratch resistance | Good | Better |
| Dent resistance | Softer, dents under heavy furniture | Harder |
| Underfoot | Softer, quieter, warmer | Harder, louder without underlayment |
| Lifespan | 15 – 25 years | 15 – 25 years |
Which room gets which
The water argument no longer separates them, so pick on feel and wear.
LVP suits bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms and anywhere on a slab where moisture can rise from below, because the plank itself is inert. It is also the softer, quieter, warmer floor, which matters in a bedroom and to anyone standing at a kitchen counter for an hour.
Waterproof wood suits living rooms, hallways, dining rooms and anywhere with chair legs, dog claws and heavy furniture. It is the harder surface and it takes scratches and dents better. It also reads more convincingly as wood underfoot, because there is wood in it.
Both through the whole house is now a reasonable answer. That was not true of old laminate.
What actually goes wrong
With the wood-based product it is almost always an install detail, not the plank: an unsealed cut around a pipe or a doorway, or a perimeter left without expansion gap. The waterproofing depends on the plank staying sealed, so the edges the installer cuts are the edges that matter.
With LVP it is almost always the subfloor. LVP is thinner and more flexible, so it telegraphs whatever is underneath. A dip in the subfloor becomes a visible dip in the floor. On an uneven subfloor it needs levelling first, and that cost belongs in the quote rather than in a surprise on install day.
Resale
Neither hurts resale the way worn carpet does. Neither adds value the way solid hardwood does. Buyers read both as normal, modern flooring, and no appraiser distinguishes between them.