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Vinyl Flooring or Tile: Which Suits Your Home
Vinyl or tile for a Toronto home? Compare cost, water, comfort, warmth and repairs, with installed rates from $3.20/sq ft and a room-by-room pick.
Quick answer
Vinyl vs tile
Here is how the two compare on the points Toronto homeowners ask us about most.
What each costs
Those rates cover labour. The flooring material itself is always priced separately, so your total depends on the product you choose as well as the size of the room.
Click vinyl floats over the subfloor and locks plank to plank, which is why it is the cheaper of the two to fit. Glue-down vinyl, including dryback LVT and loose lay, is bonded down, takes longer, and the rate includes the adhesive.
Tile is $13.50 per square foot for the labour, and we confirm the total after a free in-home measure, because tile size, the pattern, whether the walls are square and how much preparation the subfloor needs all change the job. A small bathroom in a mosaic can cost more per square foot than a large kitchen in a plain layout.
In both cases, taking up the old floor is included; levelling the subfloor and finishing stairs are quoted separately. Our guide to flooring renovation cost covers the other line items.
Water and moisture
People often ask which one is waterproof, and the floor covering is only part of the answer. Porcelain and ceramic tile absorb very little water, but water travels through grout lines and around the edges, so a wet room needs the right underlayment or membrane beneath it and sealed grout above it.
Vinyl is water-resistant and copes well with spills, mopping and the odd overflow. Rigid-core boards, sometimes sold as SPC or stone plastic composite, are the ones built for damp spaces such as basements. What vinyl does not like is water sitting under it for days, because the subfloor below is usually plywood or concrete that will hold the moisture. For a basement over concrete, either works. For a shower floor, tile is the answer.
Comfort and warmth
This is where vinyl usually wins in a Toronto home. Vinyl has a small amount of flex, so it is softer to stand on through a long stretch of cooking and quieter underfoot. It also sits closer to room temperature, which matters from November through March.
Tile is cold and hard by nature, which is why many homeowners pair it with in-floor heating. Tile carries and holds that heat well. Heated floors are possible under some vinyl too, but only products approved for it, and there is a temperature limit to respect.
Wear and repairs
Tile takes a scratch better than vinyl. Dog claws, grit tracked in from a salted sidewalk and a dragged chair leg all show on a vinyl wear layer before they show on porcelain, so a good wear layer is worth paying for in a hallway that takes winter boots.
Vinyl takes an impact better than tile. Drop a cast iron pan on porcelain and you can crack it. A heavy pot on vinyl usually leaves a dent at worst. Repairs favour vinyl too, since a single plank can often be swapped without touching the rest of the room. Keep a few offcuts either way, because product lines change and an exact match years later is not guaranteed.
Care and cleaning
Both floors are low effort, but the upkeep is not the same.
- Vinyl: sweep or vacuum, then damp mop with a gentle floor cleaner. Skip abrasive powders and steam mops. Vinyl does not need sealing, waxing or a professional coating; the wear layer is already the protection, and adding a coating over it can cause more problems than it solves. Use felt pads under furniture legs and a mat at the door to catch grit.
- Tile: the tile face is easy, and the grout is the part that needs attention. Grout is porous, so it should be sealed after installation and resealed periodically, more often in a shower than in a hallway. Wipe standing water in wet areas, use a grout cleaner rather than harsh chemicals on the tile face, and fill chips promptly so moisture cannot get underneath.
Sealing is a tile and grout job only. It is not part of looking after a vinyl floor.
Room by room
- Main bathroom or ensuite: tile. It is the best fit anywhere water pools or a shower drains, and it is the standard for a wet area.
- Powder room: either. There is no shower, so a rigid-core vinyl rated for wet areas is a reasonable, cheaper choice.
- Kitchen: vinyl for comfort during long stretches at the counter, tile if you want the hardest surface and plan to add heat.
- Entryway and mudroom: tile. Winter salt, slush and grit are hard on a vinyl wear layer.
- Laundry room: tile, because of the risk of a hose or a machine leaking while nobody is home.
- Basement: either over concrete. Rigid-core vinyl is warmer and faster to install; tile is the pick if the space includes a bathroom.
- Bedrooms, living room and hallways: vinyl. Warmth, quiet and cost all point the same way.
Get it measured
We supply and install both, with a free in-home measure across Toronto and the GTA. Browse vinyl flooring or tiles, or read how we handle vinyl flooring installation in Toronto and tile installation.
Weighing vinyl against laminate instead? See our laminate vs vinyl plank comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is vinyl flooring cheaper than tile?
To install, yes in most cases. Click vinyl starts at $3.20 per square foot and glue-down vinyl at $5.50 per square foot including glue, while tile is $13.50 per square foot plus setting materials, because of the preparation and setting time. Material is priced separately for both.
Does vinyl flooring need to be sealed?
No. Vinyl comes with a wear layer built in, so it does not need sealing, waxing or a professional coating. Sweeping and a damp mop with a gentle cleaner is the whole routine. Sealing applies to tile grout, not to vinyl.
Which is better for a bathroom, vinyl or tile?
Tile, for a main bathroom or an ensuite with a shower or tub. In a powder room with no shower, a rigid-core vinyl rated for wet areas is a reasonable and cheaper option.
Can you put vinyl flooring over existing tile?
Often yes. Floating click vinyl can go over tile if the tile is sound, well bonded and flat, though deep grout lines may need filling first so they do not telegraph through. We check this when we come out to quote and tell you whether the tile can stay.
Is tile or vinyl better with in-floor heating?
Tile. It handles and holds heat well and is the usual pairing with a heated floor. Some vinyl can go over heating too, but only products approved for it, and there is a maximum temperature to respect, so check the manufacturer’s instructions.
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