Tile Flooring vs. Vinyl Flooring: Which One?

Choosing between tile and laminate flooring can be pretty easy actually, given their unique properties. The most popular reason for this comparison boils down to price. This comprehensive comparison will help you make an informed decision based on your needs, budget, and preferences.

Aesthetics

If you haven't looked at flooring yet, you should know that tile and vinyl often look nothing alike. Since your new floor will be the focal point of your home that anchors the design of your entire space, you should consider the visual differences before making a decision between either. While some vinyl products are built to look like tile, they really don't - and in our experience, they really disappoint when compared to the real thing. That's why you are likely to see that the majority of vinyl products are planks, engineered to look like hardwood. 

Types of Vinyl and Tile

Vinyl: Most modern vinyl floors are referred to as LVP (Luxury Vinyl Planks), which basically differentiates planks from sheet vinyl. Within the LVP category there are Stone Polymer Composites (SPC), Wood Polymer Composite (WPC), and Looselay Vinyl which is mostly just straight vinyl and meant to be glued down. 
Tile: Flooring tile mostly comes in 3 main types: natural stone, porcelain, and ceramic. 

Durability

Tile Flooring: Highly durable and resistant to scratches, stains, and water. Ideal for high-traffic areas and rooms prone to moisture, such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Vinyl Flooring: More durable than hardwood and other common flooring, but still second to porcelain ceramic and natural stone. It is also not as water-resistant as tile, although this depends on what type of vinyl specifically. Suitable for living areas and bedrooms but may not be ideal for wet environments (we are talking about showers, wet rooms, etc).

Why am I looking at both?

Most likely if you are considering tile or vinyl, you probably are looking for a durable and moisture resistant option for flooring, since these to types are far superior in those categories than hardwood. So what's the LARGEST difference then? Price. Plain and simple, the price of product and installation of tile is often far more than vinyl. In fact, click vinyl is often far less than every flooring type (except carpet), making it highly sought after by those on a budget. 

Considerations

DIYFeel like installing the floor yourself? If you are not an industry professional, you will likely have a hard time with tile. It is complex to do it right, and requires tools you likely don't have. On the other hand, Vinyl plank is one of the easiest floors to install, with absolutely no complex tools required to do it. 

Allergies
Vinyl has a lot of plastic in it. And it a lot of cases, VOC's. To be fair to vinyl however, most pre-finished floors and adhesives these days have at least a small amount of VOC's. That said, if you do have a plastic allergy, it would be wise to choose a tile flooring, or hardwood flooring (pro tip: most carpets are also plastic).

Home Resale Value
Thinking of renovating to spruce things up before selling your home. Think vinyl. Tile is too costly for you to get your investment back in the sale. Importantly, you should note that Tile is the hardest flooring to remove. So if your new buyers hate the tile, they won't be imagining choosing a new floor in the near future. another pro tip: hardwood flooring offers the most benefit to the resale value of your home.

Comfort
We don't need to go into detail here; simply put, tile is much harder on your feet than vinyl, and cooler. If you have sensitive feet, consider vinyl.

In Summary

Both tile and vinyl flooring have their pros and cons. Tile is the better choice for durability and moisture resistance, making it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms. Vinyl offers ease of installation and comfort, perfect for living spaces and bedrooms. Consider your specific needs and budget when making your decision.