Is laminate cheaper than vinyl plank?

On material, yes — often noticeably. Installed, the gap narrows a lot, because the labor, tear-out, prep, and trim are nearly identical and those are most of the job. By the time we've quoted both, laminate is frequently only a dollar or so per square foot less than a decent LVP that is genuinely waterproof. We'll show you both numbers and let you decide, but for most Houston-area first floors we think the upgrade is worth it.

Can I put laminate in my kitchen?

You can, and we'd rather you didn't. Kitchens get dishwasher leaks, ice-maker line failures, and dropped glasses of water that don't get found for a day. Any of those will swell a fibreboard core permanently, and unlike a scratch it can't be repaired — the boards have to come out. If the kitchen is open to the rest of the floor and you want one continuous surface, that's the argument for making the whole floor vinyl plank instead.

Supplied & installed

Laminate Flooring

The budget hard-surface option — realistic wood look, hard-wearing top layer, but a fibreboard core that hates water.

$4–$7per sq ft, material and installation

Get a free quote (713) 377-1303

Laminate is a high-density fibreboard core with a photographic wood layer and a very hard melamine wear surface on top. That top layer resists scratching better than most vinyl and better than real wood, which is why laminate still has a place despite LVP taking most of its market.

The problem is the core. HDF is compressed wood fibre, and compressed wood fibre swells irreversibly when it gets wet — a dishwasher leak that a vinyl plank floor shrugs off will leave a laminate floor with permanently raised, chipped joints. "Water-resistant" laminate improves the seal at the joint and buys you time to mop up a spill. It does not make the core waterproof, and in this climate that distinction matters.

We install it where the budget genuinely calls for it and the room is dry, and we'll say so plainly when vinyl plank is the better buy for a small difference in price.

Where it works

Bedrooms, closets, home offices, formal living and dining rooms — dry spaces
Tight budgets where the alternative is keeping worn carpet
Second floors, where slab moisture isn't a factor at all
Households where scratch resistance matters more than water resistance

Where it fails

Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, or entries in a wet climate — this is the single most common laminate mistake
The slab hasn't been moisture-tested; vapor coming up through concrete will swell the core from below, and the failure looks like a manufacturing defect but isn't
You expect it to be refinishable. It is not — when the wear layer goes, the floor is done
A house with a large dog whose water bowl lives on it

What it costs

Supplied & installed: $4–$7/sq ft
Material only, if you buy your own: $1.5–$3.5/sq ft

Includes material, delivery, tear-out, underlayment, standard prep, and trim. Often only a dollar or so below vinyl plank once everything is counted, which is worth knowing before you choose it for price alone.

What we supply

Material, moisture barrier underlayment, transitions and trim, delivered and staged. On slab we always spec a 6-mil poly vapor retarder under laminate regardless of what the product literature says is optional.

What to ask any bidder

The specifications that decide whether this floor lasts — and the ones that rarely make it onto a quote.

AC rating is the durability spec: AC3 for residential, AC4 for heavy residential or light commercial, AC5 for commercial. Most big-box promotional laminate is AC3.
The vapor barrier is not optional on a slab in this region, whatever the box says. It is the cheapest insurance on the job.
Thicker boards (12mm vs 8mm) sound and feel more solid underfoot and bridge minor slab irregularity better.
Laminate is noisier than vinyl underfoot — on a second floor, acoustic underlayment is worth the upcharge.
It cannot be refinished, sanded, or spot-repaired invisibly. Buy an extra box at install time for future repairs; matching a discontinued line later is usually impossible.

Common questions

Is laminate cheaper than vinyl plank?: On material, yes — often noticeably. Installed, the gap narrows a lot, because the labor, tear-out, prep, and trim are nearly identical and those are most of the job. By the time we've quoted both, laminate is frequently only a dollar or so per square foot less than a decent LVP that is genuinely waterproof. We'll show you both numbers and let you decide, but for most Houston-area first floors we think the upgrade is worth it.
Can I put laminate in my kitchen?: You can, and we'd rather you didn't. Kitchens get dishwasher leaks, ice-maker line failures, and dropped glasses of water that don't get found for a day. Any of those will swell a fibreboard core permanently, and unlike a scratch it can't be repaired — the boards have to come out. If the kitchen is open to the rest of the floor and you want one continuous surface, that's the argument for making the whole floor vinyl plank instead.

How we install it

Waterproof plank flooring — the workhorse choice for Houston-area homes.

Luxury Vinyl Plank & Laminate— what’s included