Waterproof vs Slight Water Resistant

The biggest difference is – Hybrid flooring is 100% waterproof, whereas laminate flooring only has slight water resistance. This means that if you are looking to kit your kitchen or bathroom out where moisture levels are higher and spillages are more likely, hybrid flooring will be the better option. That being said, laminate flooring is slightly cheaper than the hybrid, so for the other areas of your house where water resistance won’t be a requirement, laminate will be the more economical option. 

Noise

Hybrid flooring is quite quiet underfoot due to the amount of PVC used in the construction of the product. Laminate flooring can be quite noisy comparatively speaking. Many people do not like the sound and refer to it as ‘clip clop’ flooring.

The Difference in Underlay

This is another area where hybrid shines over laminate. Hybrid flooring already has the underlay built into the back of the product meaning that you simply pull it out of the box and put it on the floor. This greatly increases the speed and reduces the difficulty of hybrid flooring Installation. Typically, these underlays are either foam, rubber or cork, but are all similar in performance.

Laminate on the other hand must be installed on a separate underlay which is rolled out onto the floor, and the product laid on top of it. Many do not have a waterproof membrane attached (200 Micron or greater,) with many membranes only being water-resistant. However, on new slabs, this can be ineffective as the slab releases water vapour for many years. Also, the fact that it is a separate item means that it is an additional cost to the product.