Compared to flooring materials like vinyl or laminate, engineered hardwood is longer lasting, offers better return on investment, and looks more high end. Engineered wood flooring has a veneer of real wood with a plywood backing, so it’s more affordable than solid hardwood. However, one of the downsides of engineered wood flooring is that it’s still significantly costlier than other flooring options. If you’re renovating your floors and need to match pre-existing engineered hardwood somewhere in the home but find the cost prohibitive, try easing the burden by opting for vinyl plank flooring. Combining engineered hardwood and vinyl flooring in your home can give you the wow factor where you need it and save you money where you don’t. 

The key is matching the two materials thoughtfully, so that the switch appears as seamless as possible. In an exclusive interview with House Digest, Josh Byrd, owner of Footprints Floors Nashville, said, “I would start by trying to identify the existing wood species, width, thickness, and color.” However, Byrd warned that “… it’s best to come into this with proper expectations that it will not match perfectly.”

Once you’ve identified the physical and visual attributes of the existing engineered hardwood, meet with a local contractor and see whether they have matching vinyl options.  “… most contractors should have samples of some popular [vinyl] products that they can lay out and assist you with finding one that’s in the ballpark of the existing engineered hardwood,” Byrd told House Digest exclusively. “If the samples don’t match, then [I] recommend utilizing a free visualizer tool online. … That will help finding a better match more quickly with also the ability to filter … by certain things, such as wood species, color, width, etc.” If you’re still struggling to match new vinyl to your engineered hardwood, make the transition between two rooms rather than within the same one. This way, the visual difference won’t be as striking.

You may also run into a height issue. According to Byrd, you should “… be mindful that LVP is thinner than most engineered hardwoods, so there is typically a height difference … any floating floor product (LVP or Laminate) will need an overlapping transition where it meets any other existing floor.” Floor transition strips are available in vinyl or solid wood and can even be made out of your existing flooring during installation. They have a slight ramp that brings the two flooring heights together, eliminating a potential tripping hazard. Transitions also provide a little distance between the two floors, so any color variations will be less noticeable. Alternatively, Byrd said that “… a better option could be a laminate product, as they are typically the same thickness [as] engineered hardwoods.”