LVT vs Laminate vs Engineered Wood | London Flooring

For most London homes, the choice comes down to three floors. LVT (luxury vinyl tile) is the toughest and the only one that is genuinely waterproof, making it the best pick for kitchens, bathrooms and rentals. Engineered wood gives a real timber surface that suits living rooms and bedrooms but dislikes water. Laminate is the budget option: it looks the part and wears reasonably, but swells if water gets into the joints. This guide compares all three on durability, water resistance, feel, repairability and cost so you can spec the right floor for the right room.

The three floors at a glance

These three products dominate London flooring projects because they balance looks, cost and practicality far better than solid hardwood or carpet in most rooms. They are different things, though, and the differences matter once water, tenants or pets are involved. LVT is a multi-layer vinyl plank or tile with a printed wood or stone design under a clear wear layer. It is fully waterproof, very hard-wearing and warm and quiet underfoot. Engineered wood is a real timber veneer bonded to a plywood core; it is genuine wood, can sometimes be sanded once, and feels and looks like the real thing because it is, but it is only moisture-resistant, not waterproof. Laminate is a printed photographic layer over a high-density fibreboard core with a clear melamine wear surface; it is the cheapest, looks convincing and resists scratches well, but its fibreboard core swells permanently if water sits in the joints. The right choice is rarely one floor for the whole property. The smart approach, and the one we recommend to landlords especially, is to match the material to the demands of each room.

LVT: the all-rounder for kitchens, bathrooms and rentals

LVT is the floor we fit most across London lets and wet areas, and for good reason: it is the only one of the three that is genuinely waterproof, and it is the most durable underfoot. Because the whole plank is vinyl, spills, mopping and the occasional overflow do not damage it; water sits on top and wipes away. The wear layer resists scratches, dents and the heavy traffic of an HMO hallway, and good click or glue-down LVT shrugs off the things that wreck other floors: dragged furniture, pet claws, stiletto heels and dropped pans. It is warm and quiet, works beautifully over underfloor heating, and individual planks can be replaced if one is ever badly damaged. The trade-offs are honest ones. LVT is a printed surface, so a discerning eye can tell it is not real wood, though the best products are very convincing. It needs a flat, well-prepared subfloor, because it telegraphs any lumps beneath. And quality varies enormously: cheap thin LVT with a thin wear layer will not last, which is why we specify a wear layer appropriate to the traffic. For kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, hallways and any rental property, LVT is usually the right answer. It is the floor that survives tenants and protects you from the water damage we are so often called out to repair.

Engineered wood: real timber for living areas

Engineered wood is the floor to choose when you want a genuine timber surface and the room can stay dry, typically living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and studies in an owner-occupied or higher-spec home. Unlike laminate and LVT, the surface is real wood, so it has the depth, grain and feel that printed products cannot fully match, and it ages with character. The plywood core makes it far more stable than solid hardwood, so it copes with the temperature and humidity swings of a London flat better and can be laid over underfloor heating when specified for it. A thicker wear veneer can usually be sanded and refinished once, extending its life and letting you refresh it rather than replace it. The limitations are about water and cost. Engineered wood is moisture-resistant, not waterproof: it tolerates the odd quickly-wiped spill, but standing water, a leaking dishwasher or a bathroom splash zone will eventually damage the veneer and lift boards. It is also the most expensive of the three to buy. For that reason we steer clients away from engineered wood in kitchens and bathrooms and toward it in the rooms where its looks earn their keep and water is not a daily risk.

Laminate: the budget choice and its limits

Laminate is the value option, and for tight budgets or low-traffic rooms it does a genuine job, but it is important to understand where its limits are before specifying it. Modern laminate looks far better than the shiny boards of twenty years ago, with realistic textures and convincing wood prints, and its melamine wear layer is actually very scratch-resistant, often more so than real wood. It is quick to fit as a floating floor and the cheapest of the three per square metre, which is why it remains popular for bedrooms, budget refurbishments and quick refreshes. Its weakness is water. The core is high-density fibreboard, and once water penetrates the joints, the board swells, lifts at the edges and cannot be recovered; the swelling is permanent. That makes standard laminate a poor choice for kitchens, bathrooms and entrance areas, and a risky one for rentals where a tenant's overflow becomes your replacement bill. Water-resistant laminate ranges exist and help, but they still do not match LVT for genuine waterproofing. Laminate also feels harder and more hollow underfoot than LVT or engineered wood unless a good acoustic underlay is used, and a damaged plank generally cannot be sanded, only replaced.

LVT vs laminate vs engineered wood compared

The table below sets the three floors side by side on the factors that decide most London projects. Costs are typical supplied-and-fitted London ranges per square metre in 2026, including a basic underlay and standard subfloor preparation; bespoke patterns, herringbone layouts and difficult subfloors push prices up. The pattern is clear. Choose LVT where water and wear are the priority, engineered wood where a real timber feel matters and the room stays dry, and laminate where budget rules and water risk is low.

Factor	LVT	Laminate	Engineered wood
Cost per sqm fitted	£40 – £75	£25 – £45	£60 – £110
Water resistance	Waterproof	Poor (swells)	Moisture-resistant only
Durability / traffic	Excellent	Good (scratch), poor (water)	Good, dents more easily
Feel underfoot	Warm, quiet	Harder, can sound hollow	Solid, real timber
Repairability	Replace single plank	Replace plank only	Can sand once, replace board
Best for	Kitchens, bathrooms, rentals, halls	Bedrooms, budget refreshes	Living rooms, bedrooms (dry)

Acoustic underlay and lease requirements in flats

If you are flooring a flat, the floor covering is only half the decision; the underlay and your lease terms can matter just as much, and getting this wrong causes disputes with downstairs neighbours. Most leases for flats above ground level require carpet or an equivalent level of sound insulation, or set a minimum acoustic standard for hard floors, precisely because hard flooring transmits footfall and impact noise to the flat below. Before you rip out carpet and lay LVT or laminate, check your lease: many require freeholder consent for a change to hard flooring, and some prohibit it outright on upper floors. Ignoring this can lead to a demand to reinstate carpet at your expense. Where hard flooring is permitted, a proper acoustic underlay is essential, not optional. A good acoustic underlay reduces impact sound transmission, makes the floor quieter and warmer underfoot, and helps meet the standard a lease or building control may require. The underlay also smooths minor subfloor imperfections and, for LVT and laminate, is part of getting a quiet, solid-feeling result rather than a hollow one. We specify the underlay to suit both the floor type and the acoustic requirement, and we are happy to advise on what a typical London lease expects before you commit.

Specifying flooring for a rental: durability first

Landlords have a different brief from owner-occupiers: the floor has to survive tenants, turnovers and the occasional accident, and it has to be cheap and quick to put right when one plank is damaged. That brief points firmly toward LVT in most rooms. For a rental, we generally recommend LVT throughout the wet and high-traffic areas, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and often the whole flat, because it is waterproof, hard-wearing and lets you replace a single damaged plank between tenancies rather than relaying a room. Specifying the same product and colour across a portfolio means you hold a few spare boxes and make good cheaply for years. Laminate can work in bedrooms where budget is tight and water risk is low, but the moment a tenant's washing machine leaks onto laminate, you are replacing a floor, which wipes out the saving. The durability of the wear layer is the spec that matters most: a thicker commercial-grade wear layer costs a little more per square metre and pays for itself in a let property. Engineered wood rarely makes sense in a standard rental; its looks are wasted on a hard-wearing brief and its vulnerability to water and dents is a liability. Spec for the worst day the floor will have, not the best, and you protect both the property and your maintenance budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best flooring for a rental property in London?

LVT (luxury vinyl tile) is usually the best flooring for a London rental. It is waterproof, hard-wearing and lets you replace a single damaged plank between tenancies rather than relaying a whole room. Specifying the same product across a portfolio lets you hold spare boxes and make good cheaply. Choose a thicker, commercial-grade wear layer for let properties.

Is LVT or laminate better for a kitchen?

LVT is far better than laminate for a kitchen because it is fully waterproof. Laminate has a fibreboard core that swells permanently once water gets into the joints, which makes it a poor choice anywhere near sinks, dishwashers or splash zones. LVT shrugs off spills, mopping and the occasional overflow and is the floor we recommend for kitchens and bathrooms.

Can you use engineered wood in a bathroom?

We do not recommend engineered wood in bathrooms. It has a real timber veneer that is moisture-resistant but not waterproof, so standing water, splashes and high humidity will eventually damage the surface and lift boards. For bathrooms, LVT or tiling is a far safer choice. Engineered wood is best kept to dry rooms such as living rooms and bedrooms.

Do I need permission to fit hard flooring in a flat?

Often yes. Many flat leases require carpet or a minimum acoustic standard on upper floors and may need freeholder consent before you change to hard flooring, or prohibit it altogether. Always check your lease before laying LVT or laminate, and fit a proper acoustic underlay where hard flooring is permitted to reduce impact noise to the flat below.

How much does LVT, laminate or engineered wood cost per square metre fitted?

As a London guide for 2026, laminate is around £25–£45 per square metre supplied and fitted, LVT £40–£75, and engineered wood £60–£110. Ranges depend on the quality and wear layer of the product, the subfloor preparation needed and the laying pattern, with herringbone and other patterns costing more than straight planks.

LVT vs Laminate vs Engineered Wood: Which Floor to Choose