LVT vs
Real Wood Flooring. The Honest Answer.

LVT has been aggressively marketed as a wood flooring alternative for the past decade. Some of that marketing is honest. A lot of it isn't. We sell real wood. We don't sell LVT. So here is a genuinely unbiased breakdown of where LVT makes sense — and where it doesn't.

Short answer: LVT is a plastic composite with a printed wood image. It is waterproof and cheaper, so it suits wet rooms and some rentals. Real engineered oak is warmer and quieter underfoot, can be sanded and refinished, ages rather than wears out, and is the better choice for living spaces where the floor is meant to last. Updated October 2026 by the LIGNORA flooring team

Cost ComparisonDurabilityProperty ValueFeel & SoundLifespan

Talk to Us About Real Wood →Cost Guide

Side by Side

The Honest
Numbers

Category	LVT	Engineered Oak
Material	PVC / plastic composite with printed wood image	Real oak — sawn, dried, milled. No printing.
Feel underfoot	Harder and colder than real wood. Hollow sound when walked on.	Warm, solid, quiet. Sounds and feels like the material it is.
Entry cost	Lower.	Higher, depending on grade.
Installation cost	Often click-fit — cheaper to install.	Glue-down or float — comparable installation cost per m².
Realistic lifespan	8–15 years before wear layer degrades or product is discontinued.	25–40+ years. Can be sanded and refinished multiple times.
Repairability	Cannot be repaired — damaged boards must be replaced. Colour matching discontinued ranges is difficult.	Can be spot-repaired (oiled finish) or fully sanded and refinished.
Property value	Treated as mid-range practical finish by estate agents and valuers.	Treated as premium finish — increases asking price and sale speed in London.
UFH compatibility	Compatible. PVC expands less than wood.	All engineered oak is UFH compatible when correctly specified.
Wet areas	Fully waterproof — suitable for bathrooms and wet rooms.	Not suitable for bathrooms, wet rooms, or areas of standing water.
Environmental	PVC — petroleum-derived, difficult to recycle.	Natural material. FSC-certified sources available. Biodegradable.
20-year cost	Lower upfront, but likely one or two replacements — total cost rises.	Higher upfront, but one installation for 25+ years. Lower cost per year.

Where LVT Wins

When LVT is
the Right Choice

Bathrooms & Wet Rooms

This is where LVT has a genuine, uncontested advantage. It is fully waterproof — suitable for installation in bathrooms, en-suites, wet rooms, and around shower trays. Real wood is not. If you need a wood-look floor in a bathroom, LVT is the correct product and we will tell you that directly.

Rental Properties

For landlords who need a durable, low-maintenance floor that withstands tenant turnover without costly repairs, LVT is a practical choice. It is harder to damage than a lower-grade wood floor, and damaged sections can be replaced individually. For high-end rental properties, however, real wood commands significantly higher rents.

Very Tight Budget

If the budget genuinely cannot stretch to engineered oak and the alternative is carpet or nothing, LVT provides a reasonable mid-range finish. We would always recommend stretching to real wood where possible — but we would rather give an honest answer than push a product that doesn't suit the circumstances.

The Real Wood Case

What LVT Suppliers
Don't Tell You

The hollow sound. Walk across a click-fit LVT floor and it produces a hollow, plastic sound underfoot. This is not something a photograph or a showroom sample conveys — it is only apparent when you are living in the space. A real wood floor, correctly installed, is quiet and solid underfoot.

The discontinued range problem. LVT products have short production cycles. If a board is damaged five years after installation, finding a matching replacement from the same batch is often impossible. The entire floor may need replacing to achieve a consistent appearance. A real wood floor can be spot-repaired or sanded and refinished in its entirety.

The 20-year calculation. Budget LVT, installed twice over 20 years, costs more than engineered oak installed once and maintained correctly. The upfront saving disappears when the lifecycle cost is calculated honestly.

The value gap at sale. In London, buyers and tenants recognise real wood. They do not recognise LVT in the same way — and valuers and estate agents reflect this in their assessments. A real wood floor in a reception room, hallway, or master bedroom is a quantifiable addition to a property's value in a way LVT is not.

Real wood at a
price that surprises.

One of the most common things we hear when people call us after pricing LVT is that they assumed real wood would be out of reach. In many cases, the difference is smaller than expected — particularly when installation cost is factored in alongside product cost.

Our Timeless Line collection starts at a price point that competes directly with mid-range LVT on a total installed basis. We are happy to give you a straight comparison figure for your specific project — no obligation, no pressure.

If real wood is genuinely not the right choice for your project, we will tell you. We would rather give you an honest answer than a sale that leads to regret.

Comparing carpet as well? See carpet vs wood flooring.

Get a Straight Price →

LVT or Real Wood,
Answered

The questions we are asked most often.

Ask Us Anything →

Is LVT better than real wood flooring?

LVT has genuine advantages in very wet areas — bathrooms, utility rooms, wet rooms — where real wood is not suitable. Outside of those specific applications, engineered oak performs better than LVT in almost every meaningful category: it feels warmer underfoot, looks and sounds different underfoot in ways that reveal its plastic construction, adds more value to a property, and improves rather than degrades with age. For living rooms, hallways, bedrooms, kitchens, and open-plan areas in a London home, engineered oak is a better long-term decision than LVT.

Is LVT cheaper than wood flooring?

Entry-level LVT is cheaper than entry-level engineered oak on a per-square-metre basis. However, the comparison shifts significantly when you include installation cost, lifespan, and property value impact. A quality engineered oak floor installed correctly lasts 25–40 years and can be sanded and refinished. Most LVT products have a realistic lifespan of 10–15 years before the surface coating degrades. Over a 20-year period, the cost per year of a real wood floor is typically lower than LVT.

Can real wood flooring be used in a kitchen like LVT?

Yes. Engineered oak is well-suited to kitchens — it handles the humidity variation and temperature cycling of a kitchen environment. The key is finish choice: hardwax oil is the most repairable for localised spills; UV lacquer provides better surface protection for busy family kitchens. Engineered oak should not be used in wet rooms, bathrooms with shower trays, or areas of standing water — these are the specific environments where LVT has a genuine advantage.

Does LVT add value to a property?

LVT does not add the same value to a London property as real wood flooring. Estate agents and property valuers treat wood flooring as a premium finish that justifies higher asking prices; LVT is treated as a practical mid-range finish, comparable to a good quality carpet. For homeowners and landlords looking to maximise property value, real wood flooring — particularly in reception rooms, hallways, and principal bedrooms — delivers a significantly higher return on investment than LVT.