Tile vs. Vinyl Plank Flooring: The Differences Explained

When you’re re-flooring your home, there are many choices to pick from. Two of the most popular ones on the market today are tile flooring and vinyl plank flooring. But what’s the difference between the two, what are they good for, and how much do they cost?

Here, we answer those questions and more, so you can find the perfect flooring choice for your home. You don’t want to spend money and time picking out new floors for your home only to find out that they’re not what you want!

Overview of Tile Plank Flooring

What Is Tile Plank Flooring Good For?

Tile plank flooring is an excellent choice for many rooms because it can look identical to wood flooring or other materials. This way, you can get all the advantages of tile flooring without the tile flooring look. This is a huge advantage in areas like the kitchen or dining room, where there’s often water around, so tile is necessary, but you don’t like the typical look of it.

You can also find tile plank flooring in areas where standard tile flooring thrives, such as bathrooms and kitchens.

Advantages of Tile Plank Flooring

Whether you’re going for a traditional tile appearance or something else, there are plenty of advantages of going with tile flooring. First, it’s extremely durable and low maintenance. Second, tile flooring is one of the most water-resistant flooring choices out there. This is a big reason that tile flooring is so popular in kitchens and bathrooms.

Another advantage of tile flooring is that it’s an environmentally friendly choice. This is especially true when you compare tile flooring to other flooring options, like wood.

Disadvantages of Tile Plank Flooring

Tile plank flooring is not perfect for every situation. First, it isn’t the most comfortable compared to many other flooring choices. It makes a harder floor and can get quite cold.

Second, it’s a heavy flooring choice. While that’s not a big deal in most situations, it can sometimes be a dealbreaker.

Finally, while tile plank flooring is more affordable than many other flooring choices, compared to vinyl plank flooring, it’s expensive.

Average Cost of Tile Plank Flooring

You can expect to spend anywhere between $5 and $50 per square foot for tile plank flooring and the related installation. This wide range is because it depends on the specific type and design of tile that you get for your home.

Overview of Vinyl Plank Flooring

What Is Vinyl Plank Flooring Good For?

You can find vinyl plank flooring in just about any room of a home. Whether it’s for a bathroom, kitchen, living room, or bedroom, there’s a perfect design available.

Vinyl plank flooring has many designs and options to choose from, which means it’s a good choice for just about any situation.

Advantages of Vinyl Plank Flooring

While there are plenty of advantages to vinyl plank flooring, one that stand out above the rest is its affordability. Compared to many other flooring options, vinyl plank flooring is about as affordable as it gets.

What helps out with this even more is the ease of installation. Not only is the flooring itself relatively cheap, but you also don’t have to spend a fortune to install it either. If you have decent DIY skills, you can even install it yourself.

The second primary advantage of vinyl plank flooring is its sheer versatility. There are so many designs to pick from, so you can get practically any look you want. Whether it’s hardwood, tile, marble, or something else entirely, there’s vinyl plank flooring with the design that you want.

Vinyl plank flooring is also easy to maintain and water resistant.

Disadvantages of Vinyl Plank Flooring

While vinyl plank flooring is popular and prevalent in a wide range of settings, it’s not the perfect flooring choice. One of the primary drawbacks is its durability. While it’ll last a while, it won’t last as long as tile or wood will.

Also, if something does happen to the flooring, you can’t really repair it. Finally, while installing new flooring throughout your home typically adds value, that’s not the case with vinyl plank flooring. While it’s better than no flooring, just about any other flooring option out there will add more value to your home.

Average Cost of Vinyl Plank Flooring

If you’re looking to install vinyl plank flooring in your home, expect to spend between $3 and $10 per square foot.

While that matches the low-end price of tile plank flooring, the upper limit is only a fraction of the cost of the upper half of tile plank flooring pricing. You can pick from the entire catalog of vinyl plank flooring without worrying about breaking the bank.

Which Is Right for You?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, but when you’re trying to figure out what flooring option is right for you, it all comes down to a few different factors. First, you need to consider the final look that you want, and then you need to factor in the price.

Second, think about how long you want the floors to last. Tile floors will last longer, but they’re more expensive up front to install.

Finally, consider how comfortable you want the floors to be. In areas like a kitchen or a bathroom, this may not be as big of a deal, but if you’re considering a flooring option for your living room, you might want something softer than tile.

The Cost Factor

There’s no doubt that one of the biggest factors for most people looking at different flooring options is the price. This is where vinyl plank flooring has a clear advantage.

If you’re looking for the lowest possible price, vinyl plank flooring easily beats tile plank flooring. With a modest budget, you can look at every vinyl plank flooring option out there.

Since tile plank flooring can reach and exceed $40 a square foot, a dining room and kitchen flooring plan could run close to $15,000! The most expensive vinyl plank flooring options would typically only run about $3,500 for the same size floor.

Visual Differences

While some people love the look of their vinyl plank floors, others claim that it’s easy to tell the difference between that and the real thing.

If you want a more premium finish, tile plank flooring is the way to go. Of course, this comes down to personal preference too, but when you consider the value added to your home, it’s clear that tile plank flooring is better in that respect.

Conclusion

Now that you know more about tile and vinyl plank flooring, all that’s left is for you to head out to the store and start looking at patterns and getting quotes for both choices. While it can be overwhelming at first, set a budget, and just take it one pattern and design at a time!

Featured Image Credit: (L) vovidzha, Shutterstock | (R) appleyayee, Shutterstock