I'm redoing my kitchen and laundry room and keep going back and forth between LVP and engineered hardwood. The kitchen gets a lot of splashes from the sink and I'm worried about water damage. Which one actually holds up better in humid environments? Also curious about maintenance differences between the two.
go with lvp for the kitchen - engineered hardwood will eventually swell and warp from repeated moisture exposure, while luxury vinyl is basically waterproof and laughs at sink splashes. engineered wood might work in the laundry room if you're careful about spills, but honestly lvp wins on both durability and maintenance since you just wipe it clean instead of worrying about water seeping into the layers. the tradeoff is that lvp feels plasticky underfoot compared to real wood, but for high-moisture zones that's the smart call.
I've got LVP in my bathroom at home and it's been solid for years with zero complaints, which tracks with what you're hearing. The thing nobody always mentions though is that engineered hardwood can actually handle some moisture if you're diligent - the real killer is standing water or constant wet feet, not occasional splashes. If your kitchen sink area gets wiped down regularly and you're not leaving puddles, engineered wood might survive. That said, LVP is objectively the safer bet for a laundry room where humidity stays high and spills happen constantly.
Maintenance-wise, LVP wins by a mile for moisture zones. You just mop it without worrying, and it dries fast. Engineered hardwood needs more care even in normal conditions - you can't use too much water when cleaning, and humidity swings can mess with it over time. If you go engineered, you'd need to be pretty careful about wiping spills fast and maybe running a dehumidifier in the laundry area. The aesthetic difference is real though - engineered hardwood looks and feels like the genuine thing in ways LVP still doesn't quite match, even the premium stuff.
For a kitchen and laundry combo, honestly consider splitting it. High-end LVP in the laundry room where moisture is the main enemy, and you could get away with engineered hardwood in the kitchen if you're willing to be more vigilant. That way you get durability where it matters most without sacrificing the look in the space where guests actually see it.
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