Vinyl plank, laminate, engineered hardwood and solid hardwood all come with a lifespan attached, but the spec sheet tells you more than the marketing does. Four details do most of the work, and you can check every one before you buy: the wear layer on a vinyl plank, the AC wear class on a laminate, the thickness of real wood on top of an engineered board, and how many times a solid board can be sanded. We stock all four, so below we compare each spec against current prices in our vinyl and SPC collection and against the warranty wording that comes with the product.
Quick answer: which flooring lasts longest, and what decides it
Every floor wears from the top down, so it lasts as long as the surface that takes the traffic. Vinyl plank and SPC have no wood to sand. Once the wear layer is gone and the printed pattern starts to wear, that plank is done. Laminate works the same way, and its AC class is the tested measure of that surface. Engineered hardwood can be sanded a limited number of times because only the top layer is real wood. Solid hardwood is wood all the way through, so you can sand and refinish it many times.
So how long does a vinyl plank last? As long as its wear layer protects the pattern. Beyond that, it comes down to the room, the subfloor and how much grit gets tracked in each winter.
How long does vinyl plank flooring last? The wear layer sets the clock
We carry 95 SPC and LVP products, and 87 are in stock. Those split almost evenly between two wear layer grades: 45 planks at 12mil and 42 at 20mil. The 12mil group starts at $2.66 per sq ft and the 20mil group starts at $3.56, so at the entry end, stepping up a grade costs $0.90 per sq ft in material.
You're paying for more than looks. A 12mil wear layer is rated residential, while the 20mil layer on the same series is Heavy-Duty Commercial Grade. If you're deciding between the two, our 12 mil vs 20 mil vinyl plank guide goes through the range plank by plank.
Vinyl handles water better than the other three. Riche Driftwood Mist is described as "100% waterproof flooring combines the natural look of wood with a commercial-grade stone-polymer composite core", and each plank comes with a 2mm EVA pad already attached. If you're floating it over a dry, flat subfloor, you don't need to buy separate underlay. Just remember the waterproofing protects the plank from spills on top. It won't save the subfloor if a leak is left sitting.
Laminate lifespan: what an AC3 to AC6 wear class commits to
Laminate is a printed image under a hard overlay, and the overlay decides how long the surface lasts. The European Producers of Laminate Flooring sum up the European wear classes like this: "Wear classes 21-23 are intended for home use, whilst wear classes 31-34 are suitable for heavily frequented commercial areas." Our laminates range from AC3 to AC6.
We list 60 laminate products and 58 are in stock. AC5 is the biggest group with 25 listings, and only 4 reach AC6. Swiss Krono Wilderness Oak is one of them, rated AC6 on its spec sheet and priced at $41.04 per 13.28 sq ft box, or $3.09 per sq ft.
SWISS KRONO sp. z o.o., Swiss Krono's Polish company in Żary, publishes an abrasion warranty for the laminate it makes, with the term set by AC class. It covers abrasion, not appearance: "AC3 floor panels - 10 years in residential premises; AC4 floor panels - in residential premises 15 years (KRONOPOL PLATINIUM FLOORS - 20 years), public premises - 5 years; AC5 floor panels - in residential premises 30 years; public premises - 8 years. AC6 floor panels - 40 years in residential premises, 8 years in public utility buildings." It also says: "Wear at the edges of the panels is not covered by the warranty." Wilderness Oak doesn't have a warranty period listed, so don't count on those years for this plank.
To see how warranty claims work and what they leave out, read our guide to what flooring warranties actually cover.
Engineered hardwood: the top layer is your sanding budget
On top, engineered hardwood is real wood. Underneath, it's built more like plywood. Only the top layer is real oak, so its thickness decides how many times the floor can be sanded before the wood runs out. We have 38 engineered listings: 10 with a 2mm top layer, 21 with 3mm and 7 with 4mm. Material prices run from $4.73 to $6.18 per sq ft.
The Driftwood plank in our own line has a 4mm top layer, the thickest we carry in engineered. Its wear layer is listed as "4mm European Oak (Sanding & Refinishing Capable)", and the product page says the board "Can be sanded and refinished, extending the life of your floor for decades". That describes how much sanding the board can take, not a fixed number of years. It's also a character-grade, wire-brushed plank, and that texture naturally hides everyday scratches and wear.
Picking between 2mm, 3mm and 4mm deserves its own look, and our wear layer comparison for engineered hardwood covers it. At the low end, our cheapest in-stock 4mm boards are $4.99 per sq ft, only $0.26 more than the 2mm Berkley at $4.73. The Driftwood, at $6.18, costs $1.45 per sq ft more than the Berkley. What really matters is whether you expect to refinish while you own the floor.
Solid hardwood: refinished floors outlive their first finish
Solid hardwood is the only floor here that's wood all the way through. Lauzon says it plainly on the Sapphir Hard Maple page: "Solid hardwood can also be sanded and refinished multiple times over its lifetime". It also comes with a "25-Year Residential Finish Warranty". That warranty covers the finish, and the board under it can be sanded and brought back again.
Hard maple is a tough species to begin with, with a "Janka hardness rating of 1,450 lbf". Janka is the standard measure of how well a wood resists dents. Sapphir costs $99.80 per 17 sq ft box, or $5.87 per sq ft. Our in-stock solid hardwood runs from $4.99 to $9.99 per sq ft.
A scratched floor isn't always a worn-out one, and you may not need a new floor. Our refinishing versus replacing guide prices both options for the same rooms.
What shortens a floor's life in a Toronto home
The ratings measure wear, but how a floor is installed matters too. Manufacturer warranties list the conditions they expect, and those work as a good checklist for any install. One Canadian luxury vinyl warranty, for example, caps subfloor moisture: "The maximum allowable humidity level for a wooden subfloor is 14% using a proper moisture meter."
The same warranty spells out what counts as wear: "“Wear” must be through the wear layer to the degree that the printed pattern is altered." Surface scratches don't count as wear-through, which is why a floor can look tired long before a wear warranty would ever apply.
Each product also has its own installation limits. The Lauzon Sapphir solid maple "is not suitable for installation over concrete or below-grade (basement) applications", while the engineered Driftwood is "Suitable for above-grade and on-grade installations over a wood subfloor".
Two habits matter more than which product you pick. Keep grit off the floor, because tracked-in sand and salt wear down any surface. Wipe up standing water quickly, because even a waterproof plank sits on a subfloor that isn't. Neither costs much, and they explain why two floors with the same spec can age so differently.
Prices, coverage and specs across the four materials
Here are the four products from the examples above. We worked out the material cost per square foot by dividing the box price by the box coverage.
| Product | Construction and key spec | Box price and coverage | Material per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Flooring Driftwood Mist | 8mm SPC vinyl, 20mil wear layer, click-lock | $59.00 per 16.55 sq ft box | $3.56 |
| Swiss Krono Wilderness Oak | Laminate, AC6 wear rating, click-lock | $41.04 per 13.28 sq ft box | $3.09 |
| European Oak Driftwood | Engineered oak, 4mm top layer, nail-down | $120.00 per 19.42 sq ft box | $6.18 |
| Lauzon Sapphir Hard Maple | Solid hard maple, nail or staple down | $99.80 per 17 sq ft box | $5.87 |
Prices checked October 6, 2026, from our current catalogue.
Across the whole catalogue, here's the price range for each material, from the lowest to the highest priced product in stock today.
| Material | Material per sq ft, in stock | Spec that sets the service life |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl plank and SPC | $2.66 to $5.08 | 12mil or 20mil wear layer |
| Laminate | $1.33 to $4.54 | AC3 to AC6 wear rating |
| Engineered hardwood | $4.73 to $6.18 | 2mm, 3mm or 4mm oak top layer |
| Solid hardwood | $4.99 to $9.99 | Finish wear and refinishing cycles |
A low price per square foot doesn't tell you how many years a floor will last. The price column shows what the surface costs. To see how much it can handle, look at the spec column.
Questions homeowners ask about flooring lifespan
How long does vinyl plank flooring last compared with laminate and hardwood?
Vinyl and laminate both depend on a surface layer that can't be restored once traffic wears through to the pattern. Engineered and solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished. All of our vinyl plank is listed as waterproof, and a 20mil plank is built for heavier traffic than a 12mil. Hardwood is the long-term option because sanding renews the surface, so you don't have to replace the floor.
Does a thicker wear layer really make a plank last longer?
Yes. A thicker layer means the surface can take more traffic before the pattern wears, and that's what the mil rating measures. Our 20mil planks start at $3.56 per sq ft and our 12mil planks start at $2.66, so the upgrade costs $0.90 per sq ft at the entry end. Neither one comes with a set number of years.
Is a 25-year warranty the same as a 25-year lifespan?
No. A finish or wear warranty covers a specific failure over the stated period, such as wear through the wear layer to the printed pattern. It doesn't mean the floor will look new that whole time. Check the exclusions before you treat a warranty term as a lifespan.
Which flooring belongs in a basement, where moisture is the risk?
Vinyl plank is the practical choice, since the plank itself is waterproof. The Lauzon solid maple isn't suitable below grade, and the engineered Driftwood is meant for above-grade and on-grade installs over wood. To choose a plank thickness for your basement, see our SPC thickness guide.
Can I extend the life of an existing hardwood floor?
Often, yes, as long as there's enough wood on top. You can sand and refinish a solid board several times. An engineered board can be sanded only as far as its top layer allows, which is why we sort our engineered stock into 2mm, 3mm and 4mm. If only the finish is worn, a recoat is the cheaper fix. If the wood itself is damaged, you'll need a full sand.
Get a quote on a floor built to last in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room sizes, the type of building and what's on the floor now. We'll put current material prices next to the spec you're considering so you can compare everything in one place. Request a quote online, or use our contact page if you'd rather talk it through first.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819
Tell us which floor you're considering, and we'll price the material for your rooms.