Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring — luxury vinyl plank, or LVP — is a fully synthetic floor built in layers: a tough PVC core, a high-definition timber print, and a clear commercial-grade wear layer on top that takes the day-to-day punishment. Because there's no timber fibre anywhere in the board, vinyl is 100% waterproof through and through — not just water resistant on the surface. Ours is a glue-down floor: each plank is adhered directly to the subfloor, which makes it rock solid underfoot, whisper quiet, and safe in rooms where floating floors simply don't belong.

Three reasons come up again and again: water, comfort and quiet. Vinyl is the only floor we sell that we're happy to put in a bathroom — being glued down means there are no unsecured joins for water to find. It's also noticeably softer and warmer underfoot than rigid boards, and because it's adhered to the subfloor there's none of the hollow drum sound a floating floor can have. Add a 0.5mm commercial-grade wear layer, P3 slip resistance and a lifetime domestic warranty, and it's a serious all-rounder — especially at a lower price than hybrid or timber.

Anyone flooring a wet area, first and foremost — bathrooms, laundries and kitchens are where vinyl properly earns its keep. It's also a favourite for busy family homes (soft, quiet, waterproof and hard to scratch), for renovators who need a low-profile floor that won't foul door clearances at just 2.5–4.5mm thick, and for landlords and commercial fit-outs that want a hard-wearing floor with a 15-year commercial warranty at a sharp price.

Against hybrid, the honest difference is the install and the feel. Hybrid floats and clicks together — faster and more DIY-friendly — while vinyl is glued down, which takes more prep but rewards you with a quieter, more solid floor that's genuinely safe in bathrooms, where we'd never put a floating floor. Against laminate, vinyl wins outright on water (laminate is timber-based at its core) while laminate's harder surface takes heavy scratching slightly better. Against engineered timber, vinyl is a fraction of the price and immune to moisture, but it can't be sanded back and won't add hardwood's resale appeal. There's no single winner — it depends on the room.

Our vinyl is a glue-down floor: planks are set into a vinyl adhesive spread over the subfloor. That makes preparation the whole game — the subfloor must be smooth, hard, clean and dry, because a thin 2.5–4.5mm plank will telegraph every bump beneath it. Boards should acclimatise in the room for 48 hours first, and once laid, keep foot traffic and furniture off for 24–28 hours while the adhesive cures. It's within reach of a confident DIYer, but of all our floors this is the one where a professional installer most earns their fee.

Vinyl is one of the most affordable ways to floor a home. Our 2.5mm Timberland planks are $21 per square metre — the sharpest price in our whole range — the premium 4.5mm Timberland planks are $32.90/m², and the Premium Herringbone is $36.90/m². Budget for adhesive and installation on top: glue-down labour typically costs more per metre than click-lock floors, which is worth factoring into a like-for-like comparison with hybrid or laminate. Even so, the all-in cost usually lands well under timber and line-ball with the alternatives — with waterproofing none of them can match.

Because the design layer is a high-resolution print, vinyl isn't limited to one species or format. Our range runs to 32 colours across three lines: Australian favourites like Blackbutt and Spotted Gum, European oaks from crisp Natural White Oak to moody Smoked European Oak, coastal washed tones, and contemporary greys. Planks come in a slim 2.5mm and a premium 4.5mm profile, and the Premium Herringbone line lays the same waterproof board in the classic zigzag parquetry pattern — a designer look in the one room (the bathroom) where other herringbone floors can't go.

Still weighing it up? Our plain-English guide to flooring types compares vinyl, hybrid, laminate and timber side by side, and the 60-second floor finder quiz will point you at the right range for your rooms and budget. Found the same board cheaper somewhere else? Our price beat guarantee means we'll beat it by $1/m².