We just did ours with [wood looking] laminate planks, and LOVE it. Even have it in Laundry Room. Laminate has come far in the past few years.

IMO vinyl plank is now the choice for many homes it is tough , easy to care for and looks awesome. I have it in my walk out becuase we have large dogs with free access to a dog run in all kinds of weather it mops up and looks like new 12 yrs later. I do have laminate that looks like slate on my main floor which I also love but it was not cheap laminate.

Wide plank laminate is all the rage here in Wisconsin. It has come a long way in looks and durability. With scratch and water resistant options it's ideal for any room. Most important for choosing these floors is if they are also available in stair treads for an over all seamless look in the home and not choppy.

We see quite a bit of the vinyl plank flooring in basement family rooms, laundry and workout rooms - since they are completely waterproof there are no worries if a water heater leaks or possible flooding at any time. Simply pull it up, dry off and place back down, no damage done!

At $2/sf you are looking at 'middle of the road' laminate. A vinyl in the same 'middle of the road' category = $3-$4/sf. And remember: vinyl is more EXPENSIVE to install. Yep. More money for the labour because it is a PITA to install with its teeny-tiny-eensy-weensy click edge.

If you only have $2/sf for materials, then you are better off looking at remove/replace the existing laminate. An entry level home (with entry level flooring) means it will not have the 'up scale' look of continuous flooring. It is the nature of the beast.

Flooring that can do MULTIPLE jobs is more expensive than flooring that can only do one thing. Laminate, in your price range, can only do 'dry areas'. It will do it very well - as you have already experienced with your existing laminate - but it will not go into kitchens and it should never go into bathrooms.

So....the question becomes: Which is it going to be - the budget or the 'look' you want? Because in your price range, you will be hard pressed to get both working in harmony.

And vinyl is NOT allowed underpad. It will sit right on top of the substrate. Which means it can transmit noise MUCH BETTER than your existing laminate. Especially in your price range. It will be thin (4mm vinyl is about all you can expect) and it will be flexible (it will bow like a rainbow) and it will have more movement than you ever thought possible in a 'stable' product.

Your price range offers $1.99/sf laminate from a big box store. That's about all you have right now. If your laminate and your kitchen tiles are in good shape, I suggest saving up for a vinyl floor that will cost $4/sf. Now you are in the right ball park for 'middle of the road' vinyl. And it will still be more expensive to install....but at least you will have purchased a mid-quality product.

Hello:

I just went through a similar flooring dilemma. Last year, we installed a nice laminate down the hallway into the hall bathroom with the intention of continuing the same flooring into the remaining common-rooms that had old laminate and carpet. A year later, I decided that I was not happy with the year-old laminate and we are now replacing all of the floors with vinyl plank.

My main reasons for choosing the vinyl plank: water (we get a lot of rain here), a dog, young grandchildren who are here often, hubby who forgets to wipe his wet feet, and I wanted the ability to have the same flooring throughout our home. I am going through a whole-home refresh, organization and trying to only keep things “we love” and one main floor covering fits in with my desire to live with less “stuff”.

Good luck with your choice!