Vinyl vs Timber Laminate vs Timber

We are looking at renovating our flooring as the old glued down vinyl sheeting on the concrete floor is over 20 years old and due to recent kitchen renovations there are areas of bare concrete. Their are two main questions: Do we need to pull up the old vinyl:C and which is the most practical type of flooring . We have looked at vinyl tiles (which look great) , solid timber floors and timber laminate. We will be doing the kitchen as well as the main rooms and are concerned that any hot oils etc that may hit the floor in front of the stove might damage the finish on the laminate. What is the most durable of these finishes. I am in favour of the vinyl for its looks and ease of laying but SWMBO likes the timber. We need something that is durable, easy to look after and clean and not worry if anything is dropped on it, that might damage it too easily. This includes moving fridges over it etc.


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