Homeowners often ask what are the pros and cons of Vinyl Plank vs Hybrid flooring, and which product is better suited to our space? Are Vinyl Planks and Hybrid flooring waterproof? And which is the better product? Let’s compare the two.
When choosing a floor for your home or rental property, there are a few things to consider. In this post we will help you to determine whether Vinyl Plank or Hybrid flooring is better for your space.
Really it comes down to installation and which is better for your space, let’s explore.
Vinyl Installation:
Vinyl Planks are far easier to install than hybrid. Simply but them together and run silicone around the perimeter, or you can lift your skirting boards. Job done, very easy to DIY.
Vinyl’s biggest disadvantage is when it comes to yellow tongue floors (top floor of a 2 storey home), you will need to put Masonite down first unless you use Karndean, as most manufacturers will not warrant their product.
Hybrid Installation:
Hybrid is a little trickier. Hybrid needs a gap around the perimeter, as it is a floating floor. Therefore, you will need to lift up your skirtings or run a scotia board along your skirting to cover the gap. You will also need to undercut your door jams. You will also need to run a scotia or cover strip around your kitchen.
A lot of salesman & manufacturers will tell you that you can put Hybrid straight over tiles. This is only true when your tiling job is perfect and your grout lines are 2 mm or less. If you put hybrid over uneven tiles and bigger grout lines, your clicking system will fall on a bad spot and will be prone to breaking, and if it breaks, up comes the Hybrid and skirting/scotia to fix it it.
Hybrid is not so DIY friendly because of the extra work that goes with the install, so if you have no carpentry skills I wouldn’t recommend you give it a go. Hybrid will cost a little more to install by a professional. Hybrid has 1 massive advantage over Vinyl Planks when it come to installing over yellow tongue floors (top floor of a 2 storey home) because with vinyl you will have to put down Masonite first.
So, which is better for your space?
Well, if you have a 2 storey home, you will probably want to go with Hybrid because of reasons mentioned in the Install section of this blog.
If you want to DIY the install, Vinyl is your answer.
If your subfloor is tiles, I would go with a flood coat and Vinyl, no matter what any salesman tells you.
