Vinyl Flooring or Linoleum Floors?

If you aren’t a floor expert, and let’s face it, unless you are installing floor in your home by the season, you probably are not, you may not know the difference between vinyl and linoleum floors. In fact, these two floors are often spoken about interchangeably. But, in fact, there is a difference between vinyl and linoleum.

Vinyl and linoleum floors are both considered resilient floors because they are made to withstand the test of time. These two flooring options stand up against moisture, every day wear and tear, and can be installed in areas with high traffic or areas popular with your furry friends. Both flooring types come in “tile” form and are laid on your floor in a similar manner. The difference?

While vinyl floors are soft and easy to install on your own, a professional must install linoleum. Both of these floor options are very budget-friendly, but having a professional install your linoleum floor can end up costing you more in the end. On the other hand, certain vinyl floors may benefit from a professional installer. Vinyl is capable of being installed over any existing floor, but the subfloor the vinyl is installed over must be free of any particles or it may result in bumpy and lumpy flooring. Also, vinyl flooring comes in two options. The easy DIY peel and stick vinyl floors may not hold up as well as the vinyl tiling, which may be a little more difficult to install.

But aside from installation, what really sets these two floors apart? Not much, unless you are concerned about being environmentally friendly. Linoleum is made from abundant materials as well as some recycled products. Linoleum is also recyclable and is biodegradable. Vinyl, on the other hand, is far from recyclable at this current time, although technologies are in the works to make vinyl recyclable in the future.

Both vinyl and linoleum have made a come back due to their wide variety of modern flooring options including color and style. So when choosing between vinyl flooring or linoleum floors, the deciding factor should be the look you want as well as the price you are willing to pay for installation, but you can’t go wrong with either option.

This post was written by Thais Sousa. Follow Thais on Google.