29 June 2026

Which floor suits your situation? A guide to laminate, vinyl and parquet

Underfloor heating, pets, a rented home or HOA sound requirements: four situations that steer the choice between laminate, vinyl and parquet.

If there is underfloor heating, the question is not whether a floor can go over it, but which build-up lets the heat through. Vinyl is a popular choice here — thin, quiet and a good heat conductor — and laminate and parquet work over it too, provided the underlay has a low thermal resistance and the fitting method is matched to it. The underlay choice is therefore no detail: expect € 10 to € 20 per m² for underlay and levelling. Installing the underfloor heating itself is installer's work and falls outside this request; we arrange the floor that goes on top.

Pets and young children make scratches and moisture the two wear items. A vinyl (PVC) floor is water-resistant and takes dog claws and a spilled cup without lasting damage — which is why it often ends up in kitchen, hallway and utility room. Parquet does scratch, but has one big advantage: it can be re-sanded and refinished, making years of wear disappear in a single job. Laminate sits in between: the top layer is hard-wearing, but a deep gouge cannot be sanded out.

Renting the home? Ask your landlord for written permission upfront and record what happens to the floor at the end of the tenancy — leave it in place, or restore the original state. The latter costs considerably more with a bonded floor than with a floated click floor: glued vinyl or parquet has to come off mechanically and the subfloor then needs levelling again. In a rental situation, click laminate or click vinyl is therefore the safest route.

If you live in an apartment, the HOA often imposes a requirement on the sound insulation of a new hard floor; it is set out in the house rules or in a separate flooring provision. Such a requirement is solved in the underlay, not in the top layer — which is why the chosen underlay belongs in the quote by type and name, not as a bare line reading 'incl. underlay'. Request the rules before you order and set them against the price index, so you know what a heavier underlay costs you extra.

Two things deliberately fall outside this. Ceramic floor tiles are a tiler's work with their own subfloor and adhesive questions, and covering or renovating a staircase is a separate trade with its own bespoke work. Choosing wood or vinyl in the living room and want the stairs in the same look? Arrange that as a separate commission — the floor fitter fits the floor, a stair specialist does the stairs.