Vinyl vs Linoleum

If the thought of replacing your floor leaves your bank account feeling a little uneasy, then worry not. There are plenty of cost friendly options out there that can replicate the look of tiles and wood floors seamlessly. Besides being cheaper, they are often much more practical too. Vinyl and linoleum floorings for example are both pretty similar, so if you are considering them, you might want to know what the differences are.

Composition

Even though both look visually similar, they are not made in the same way. Vinyl tiles are a combination of PVC, a vinyl sheet, a foam core and felt backing which is what gives the floor this characteristically soft feel.  Lino however is made with more natural materials such as cork dust, tree resin and linseed oil. The way they are both produced makes them very durable, water resistant and scratch resistant. For this reason, they are very well suited to family homes since they can handle heavy footfall and spillages with ease. The main difference between the two is their life expectancy. Lino can last anywhere from 20 to even 40 years. Comparatively, vinyl tiles tend to only last 20 years.

Maintenance

Vinyl tiles are extremely easy to care for needing only a regular vacuum and mop to keep them as good as new. Plus, you don’t need to worry about any excess water damaging the floor as we previously mentioned. One of the amazing features of vinyl tiles is that, in the rare case a tile gets damaged, you only need to replace that tile without needing to change the whole floor. When taking care for Lino things are a little less simple. You can sweep and vacuum them too, but they also needs an acrylic coating that should be applied at least once a year and they sometimes even need waxing.

Appearance

The truly exceptional feature of both floors is that they look amazing despite their low price. In the case of linoleum, the surface gets its look through careful application and pigmentation. Due to this, we can find linoleums in many different colours, styles and designs. A noteworthy point here is that Lino floors have the print all through the product. Vinyl flooring on the other hand only has the image printed on the surface. This is important to remember if your live in an exceptionally busy home or own a commercial property. Wear and tear may be more visible with a vinyl floor so keep this in mind when thinking about which one is best for you.

Both options are fantastic and very inexpensive in comparison to a solid wood for example. With these floors you won’t be sacrificing looks over practicality. As discussed, these floors are available in an unbelievable range of designs, so are ideal when working to a tight budget. There isn’t a huge difference between the two, but hopefully this post has helped to clear up a few points in the search for your new floor.

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