Tile or LVP?- Is Tile Worth It? Unveiling the Enduring Beauty and Benefits of Quality Installations

As a tile setter I am definitely biased in this question, but in this blog post I will do my absolute best to cover the cost of material, cost of hiring it out to a contractor, material longevity, customizability, and DIY-Ability in a non biased approach. For this scenario, I will assume the bathroom in question is a master bath or half bath that is about 55-60 square feet with average quality materials and with no fancy patterns or additives like in-floor heat.

Cost of Material

    LVP- When searching for average material prices for LVP on google, I chose to read the How Much Does Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost? 2024 by Architects Digest. In this article the consensus was that LVP can range from $2-$10 depending on the quality and brand of the product. For instance, LVP that is cheaper (let’s say around $3 sf) may be more susceptible to damage from water and wear. It may also require an underlayment that is sold separately. LVP that is on the more expensive end of that spectrum (let’s go with $7 sf) may have an underlayment already incorporated into the design while also being more durable in high trafficked or wet areas. With all this in mind I am going to settle on an  average of $5 a square foot for a durable and dependable product leaving us with a final cost of $275- $300 in material. This does not include any floor prep that may be needed.

    Tile- When tiling a floor I would always recommend a porcelain tile because of its resistance to scratching. Based on my experience porcelain tile usually cost between $3-$10 a square foot in most areas along the East Coast. This is also highly dependent on the quality and brand of the tile. When choosing between a cheaper and more expensive tile the biggest differences are tile size, how brittle they are when handling, and the consistency of finish and size. To acquire a middle of the road tile I would settle on spending about $6 a sf to ensure you get a durable product. This leaves us with about $330- $360 in material for only porcelain tile (this does not include any anti-fracture membrane, floor prep, or grout.

Labor Cost of hiring it out to a contractor

    LVP- When having a contractor install LVP in your home the national averages tend to be between $1- $6 a square foot or $30- $50 an hour. As a homeowner I would expect most reliable contractors (Click Here to Learn How to Spot a Reliable Contractor) to charge by the day or by the entirety of the project. So I would say if you were looking to hire someone who works by the square foot you can expect to pay ~$4 a square foot which equals out to be $220- $240. If your contractor charges by the hour I don’t believe that it would be too far off of that number as well. But with a day rate or per-project rate it could realistically cost between $400-750 in labor.

Tile- This is my bread and butter so I could honestly take this part of the article on for pages, but I may save that for a separate article or even (someday) an option on my website! For now I will state outright that I personally charge by the day or by the entire project. And based on previous jobs that I’ve completed a bathroom with 12x24” tile in a brick pattern with me providing all the materials, including self leveling underlayment, uncoupling membrane, thinset, grout, and silicone (aside from the tile) it costs the homeowner anywhere from ~$1,200.

Material Longevity

    LVP- When researching this topic the estimates that I read stated that LVP can last anywhere between 10-25 years with some higher quality LVP brands lasting longer. This is of course dependent on the care taken of the floor.

Tile- The research that I conducted for this stated that most kinds of porcelain tile floors can last 50 years or more! This is also dependent fully on the care taken to keep the Tile floor well maintained. The only caveat to this would potentially be grout maintenance, but that is why I recommend epoxy or urethane grout.

Customizability

    LVP- With LVP there are certainly ways to customize it to fit your style and needs. With most LVP you can choose the finish colors and finish designs. Aside from those two options the ability to customize begins to dwindle.

Tile- Tile offers possibly the most diverse and plentiful ways of customization. The colors of tiles, patterns you can lay them in, textures of the finish surface, size of tiles, shapes of tiles, and colors of grout are all things you can swap and interchange to achieve your dream floor.

With six options with limitless ways to interchange them, tile offers  

DIY-Ability

LVP- Installing LVP is a very DIY Friendly project that most people can tackle with little to no experience. The main hurdle is just having the tools to complete it and a can do attitude.

Tile- Installing tile is going to be a little more advanced in difficulty for DIY-ers. I definitely know that it can be done but there are more tools needed, more patience needed, and more standards that need to be stuck to. On top of that, you should expect to make a mess with thinset, dust (if you don’t have a wet saw), and water. I always encourage anyone to absolutely go for it, and if that’s something you’re interested in I will always give as much advise as I Possibly can!

Conclusion

Cost:

LVP- $300

Tile- $360

Labor cost of a Contractor:

LVP- ~$500

Tile- ~$1,200

Material Longevity-

LVP- ~ maximum 25 years

Tile- ~50 years

Customizability-

LVP- Two options

Tile- Six options (but limitless combinations)

DIY-ability-

LVP- Extremely DIY Friendly

Tile-DIY friendly but still can be difficult to get the hang of