Choose hardwood above grade where you want resale value and a floor that can be refinished for decades. Choose luxury vinyl below grade, in wet rooms, and anywhere pets or children rule. In most Piscataway homes the honest answer is both, in different rooms.
Side by side
| Solid hardwood | Luxury vinyl plank | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | $8 to $15 per sq ft | $5 to $11 per sq ft |
| Waterproof | No | Yes |
| Works below grade | No | Yes |
| Refinishable | 4 to 6 times | No |
| Scratch resistance | Moderate | Excellent |
| Typical life | 50+ years | 15 to 25 years |
| Resale appeal | Strongest | Good |
Room by room
Living and dining rooms: hardwood, if the room is above grade on a wood subfloor. This is where buyers notice it and where it earns its price.
Kitchens: luxury vinyl in most households. Hardwood works if spills get wiped promptly rather than left.
Bathrooms and laundries: luxury vinyl or tile. Never solid wood.
Basements and lower levels: luxury vinyl, or engineered hardwood over a tested slab. Solid hardwood will cup or gap because concrete passes moisture continuously.
Bedrooms: either, or carpet if comfort matters more.
The below-grade rule
This is the one that costs Piscataway homeowners money. Plenty of homes here have finished lower levels on slab, and solid hardwood is simply the wrong material there regardless of how the room looks. We test slab moisture before recommending anything, and we will say so rather than take the job.
The long view on cost
Hardwood costs more up front and often less per year of service, because it can be refinished four to six times instead of replaced. Over twenty-five years a hardwood floor may have been refinished twice while a vinyl floor has been replaced once. If this is a long-term home, that arithmetic matters. If you are moving in five years, the upfront number matters more.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better with dogs?
Luxury vinyl, comfortably. A 20-mil wear layer is extremely hard to scratch through and accidents are not a problem.
Does vinyl hurt resale?
Not in kitchens, bathrooms or basements, where nobody expects wood. In a main living room, buyers do still notice real hardwood.
Can I put hardwood over my slab?
Not solid hardwood. Engineered hardwood over a proper vapour barrier gives you a real wood surface that will hold up.