Tile, laminate, or parquet: comparing cost and durability

Price per square metre and what to include in it

Laminate is the cheapest to buy, and mid-range boards cover most flats well. Parquet costs more for the material itself, and solid parquet costs more again than engineered. Tile sits in between depending on quality, but the fitting cost per square metre is usually higher than for laminate because tiling is slower work than clicking boards together.

The material price is only part of the sum. Underlay, skirting, transition strips, and levelling the subfloor all add to the total, and a subfloor that is uneven or has old adhesive residue often needs work before anything new goes down. Tile needs a proper screed or self-levelling compound underneath, which is an extra cost that laminate and floating parquet mostly avoid.

Fitting itself varies more than the material does. A straightforward laminate job in a rectangular room is quick. Parquet fitted in a pattern, or tile with a lot of cuts around pipes and thresholds, takes longer and costs more in labour even if the material price per square metre looks similar on the shelf.

How long each material actually lasts

Laminate wears from the surface down. The printed layer under the lacquer can only be sanded never, so once it scuffs through in a doorway or under a kitchen chair, that plank needs replacing rather than refinishing. In normal household use it holds up for a good number of years, less in a flat with dogs or heavy foot traffic.

Solid parquet can be sanded and refinished several times over its life, which is what gives it the longest realistic lifespan of the three. Engineered parquet has a thinner top layer and can usually be sanded once, sometimes twice, before the veneer runs out. Both outlast laminate by a wide margin if the room stays dry.

Tile is the most durable surface as long as nothing hits it hard enough to crack it. The tile itself does not wear, but grout does discolour and can need renewing, and a cracked tile is a patch job rather than a refinish. Tile is the material to choose where spills, grit, and heavy use are a daily reality.

Suitability for rooms with underfloor heating

Tile is the best conductor of the three and is the standard choice over underfloor heating, whether in a new development or a bathroom retrofit. Heat passes through evenly and quickly, and tile does not react to temperature changes the way timber does.

Engineered parquet can go over underfloor heating if the manufacturer states it explicitly and the maximum surface temperature is respected, but it insulates more than tile and responds to heat more slowly. Solid parquet is the least suitable of the three, since it moves with temperature and moisture more than an engineered board built for the purpose.

Laminate can usually go over underfloor heating too, again only where the specific product is rated for it. Check the technical sheet before buying rather than assuming, since a board not rated for it can warp, and that is not something a guarantee on installation work will cover.

Which material suits which room

Bathrooms and the entryway see the most water and grit, and tile handles both without complaint. A shower area is tile territory without much debate. Laminate and parquet both suffer in a room where water sits on the floor, however briefly, since moisture gets into the joints between boards.

Living rooms and bedrooms are where parquet earns its higher price, since the room is dry, foot traffic is lighter, and the warmth and refinishing option pay off over years. Laminate is a reasonable and cheaper alternative in the same rooms, particularly in a rental flat or a room that will be redone again before too long.

The kitchen is the one room where opinions genuinely differ. Tile copes best with spills and dropped pans but is harder underfoot and colder without heating. Engineered parquet or a water-resistant laminate are common compromises where the kitchen is open to a dining or living area and a visual break in flooring would look odd.

• Bathroom, entryway, sauna area: tile
• Living room, bedroom, hallway: parquet or laminate
• Kitchen: tile for heavy use, engineered parquet or laminate for an open-plan look
• Any room over underfloor heating: tile first, engineered parquet or laminate only if rated for it

What we would choose for a typical Tallinn flat

For a standard Tallinn flat, whether a Soviet-era panel building or a newer development, we would usually recommend tile in the bathroom and entryway without much hesitation, since the wear and water resistance justify the higher fitting cost in those two rooms alone.

For the living areas and bedrooms, the decision usually comes down to budget and how long the current owner plans to stay. Laminate is the sensible choice for a flat that will be sold or re-let within a few years. Parquet is worth the extra outlay where the flat is a long-term home, since the option to refinish rather than replace pays for itself over a couple of decades.

A kitchen open to the living room is the one place we would ask what the floor needs to survive day to day before recommending anything, since a household that cooks a lot most days is better served by tile or a water-resistant laminate than by solid parquet.

Where the line falls for calling in a fitter

Laminate over a flat, level subfloor is one of the more approachable DIY jobs in a flat renovation, and a careful first-timer with the right tools can get a reasonable result. Skirting, transition strips, and cutting around door frames are where it usually goes wrong for someone doing it for the first time.

Parquet fitted in a pattern, and any tiling job, is where we would suggest calling someone in rather than learning on your own floor. Tile in particular needs the substrate prepared correctly and the tiles set level and evenly spaced, and a mistake there is expensive to undo once the grout has gone off.

Our flooring work starts from 15 € per job and our tiling work from 35 € per job, both with a call-out fee in Tallinn that is deducted from the bill if the work goes ahead. For a whole flat we would rather see photos or a floor plan and give a fixed quote, valid for 30 days, so you know the total before anything is booked.