Monday, April 11, 2022

Laminate vs. Vinyl Planks

In residential homes common flooring options are laminate and vinyl planks. Laminate flooring has been around since the 70's. The core layer of laminate is made up of High density fiber board. Popular laminate flooring brands are (Pergo, Shaw, Mohawk, Armstrong and Tarkett). 

Vinyl Planks have been around since 1926, and is made up of Poly Chloride or PVC. Vinyl planks were made in America and was first created in Akron Ohio. Popular producers are Life Proof, Shaw Flooring, Mohawk and Cali. The thickness of the top layer will determine which setting is best for the Vinly plank. For example residential homes will need 12 Mil or thicker, and commercial spaces will need 28 mil or thicker. 

Lamite Flooring is made up of wood fiber, however Vinyl is plastic. Laminate flooring is less expensive and is thicker than Vinyl. Due to laminate flooring being thicker it can feel better standing on it compared to Vinyl. The price per Sqft for Laminate flooring is $2.69, as oppose to $3.29 for Vinyl. When applying laminate flooring it should be expected to sit for 48 hours to acclimate to the homes temperature.

To determine which grade of laminate is best for application a home supplier may reference what's called a  'AC rating'. For example, AC1 is best used for bedroom and guest rooms. AC2 moderate traffic, living room and dining rooms. AC3 should be used for heavy traffic such as entry way and AC4 light commercial traffic such as offices and cafes (Belinda Carr).

Luxury Vinly is more scratch proof then Laminate. Laminate flooring is best used with dry mop and Vinly can be used wet or dry. The durability of Laminate and Vinyl is 10-20 years. 

Do you prefer Laminate flooring or Vinyl planks?



Granite vs. Quartz Counter tops


Granite and Quartz are a common attraction amongst home buyers in today time. In my experience as a buyers agent a Kitchen has a huge impact on the buyers overall happiness with the home. In this blog post I will evaluate both Granite and Quartz counters. 

Granite can be identified by way of it's patterns. Granite is a igneous rock that is formed from Magna (think of lava). Granite comes from India, China, Brazil and Italy. Thanks to advancement in technology and Machines Granite is only a quarter of the price it once was in the 70's. 

Darker shades of Granite are commonly known as Ubatuba, Saint Cecilia, Blue pal and Black Galaxy. Granite is known to be more Pourous (Porous: having minute spaces or holes through which liquid or air may pass) because of the pourous attribute to granite wine can stain Granite. Five common ways Granite is commonly finished Bush Hammered, Flamed, Polished, Shot Blasted, Semi Blasted and Honed. Granite is known to be more heat resistant then Quartz. Granite price per sqft. is $60-200. Granite is more denser than Quartz; at 2.7-2.8 gm/cm3. However Quartz is less dense at 2.65 gm/cm3. Granite is Heat Resistant and Quartz isn't. 

Light Color Granite are known as Dallas White, White Ice, White Picasso and River White

Quartz is the second most adundant mineral in the Earths crust. Pure Quarts is translucent and impurities in Quartz will lead to color. The stone is grinded into fine powder, and mixed with resin powder to make Quartz Counter tops. Quartz is a man made product; however Quartzite is a natural stone that is more expensive. Companies that mass produce Quartz are Cambria and Cesarstone. Quartz Counter tops have less patterns compared to Granite Counter tops. Quartz counter top are uniform and lighter in color. 

Popular Quartz counter tops are Calacatta Nuvo, White Attica, Gray Legoon and Oceana. Quartz Finishes are Satin, Matte and High Gloss. Due to Quartz demand it has brought the price of granite down. Neither granite or quartz are scratch proof. 


Will you choose Granite or Quartz for your next home?