Both are good options — they just suit different rooms, budgets, and timelines. Here's the honest breakdown so you can make the right call.
If you just need a starting point, these two cards cover most decisions.
Every major factor, compared honestly. We sell both, so we have no reason to push you either way.
| Factor | Tile | LVP / LVT |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal or stone set in mortar over a prepared substrate | Rigid vinyl planks or tiles that click together over the subfloor with the Uniclic locking system |
| Water resistance | Excellent Advantage — porcelain and ceramic are effectively waterproof, which is why they belong in showers and wet areas | Very good — water resistant and fine for kitchens, baths and basements, though seams are a weak point in standing water |
| Can it be heated? | Yes Advantage — Schluter DITRA-HEAT installs directly under tile for warm floors and zoned heating | Generally not recommended; most LVP is not rated for electric floor warming |
| Underfoot feel | Hard and cool unless heated — which is exactly why heated floors pair so well with it | Softer and warmer underfoot straight out of the box Advantage |
| Installation time | Longer — mortar and grout need time to set, and prep has to be right | Faster Advantage — floating floor, no cure time, often installed in a day |
| Cost | Higher material and labour cost, with a wider range depending on the tile you pick | More cost-effective Advantage — the look of tile at a lower installed price |
| Lifespan | Decades Advantage — properly installed tile routinely outlasts everything else in the room | Long, but a wear layer that will eventually need replacing |
| Scratch & dent resistance | Very hard surface; a dropped pan is more likely to chip than scratch it | Scratch and dent resistant Advantage — more forgiving with pets, kids and dropped items |
| Repairs | Individual tiles can be cut out and replaced, though matching an old dye lot can be difficult | Individual planks can be lifted and swapped Advantage — one of the real strengths of a click system |
| Sound | Harder surface reflects more sound; DITRA-HEAT-DUO adds integrated sound control | Quieter underfoot Advantage, particularly upstairs |
| Design range | Widest range by far Advantage — ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal, stone, plus trims and decorative accents | Wood-look and tile-look formats; LVT comes in 12x24 that reads convincingly as tile |
| Resale impression | Tile still reads as the premium finish to most buyers Advantage | Well regarded and increasingly common, especially in whole-floor installs |
| Best rooms | Bathrooms, showers, kitchens, entryways, laundry, anywhere wet | Living areas, bedrooms, basements, rentals, and whole-floor runs on a budget |
| What we carry | The only Emser Tile supply in East Tennessee, plus many other brands | LVP and LVT with the patented Uniclic tongue-and-groove locking system |
Industry-specific guidance based on what we install every day.
Plenty of homes use both — tile in the wet rooms and entryway, LVP through the living spaces and bedrooms.
Straight answers — we sell both, so we have no horse in this race.
You can, and plenty of people do — LVP is water resistant and fine for a powder room. But in a full bathroom with a shower, tile is the better call: seams in vinyl are a weak point under standing water, and tile is what belongs in a wet area.
Properly installed tile, comfortably — it routinely outlasts everything else in the room and is often still there decades later. LVP and LVT have a wear layer that will eventually need replacing, though a good product will give you many years first.
It depends on the tile. Polished porcelain can be slick when wet, so for bathroom floors and wet areas we steer you toward a textured or matte finish with a higher slip rating. It's one of the things worth deciding in the showroom rather than online.
LVP and LVT are usually cheaper installed — less material cost and much less labour, since there's no mortar or grout. Tile costs more up front but lasts far longer, so over a couple of decades the gap narrows considerably. Which matters more depends on how long you plan to stay.
Sometimes, depending on what's under there and how sound it is. We look at the substrate before quoting rather than guessing. Where there's movement or an uneven subfloor we use a Schluter uncoupling membrane so the new tile and grout don't crack.
We do both, and we're honest about which one suits your project. Plenty of our projects use both — tile through the wet rooms and entryway, LVP or LVT across the living spaces. There's no rule that says a house has to pick one.
