Vinyl and linoleum floors

A floor covering, chosen and maintained with care, will last decades. Vinyl, linoleum, carpet, wood, ceramic… the choices are impressive! Comfort factors aside, maintenance and durability, colour, style and motifs should be seriously considered, as other decoration ideas may be added in over the years.

Unquestionably, ease of maintenance must appear at the top of the list at the moment when selecting vinyl or linoleum floor coverings. Which type will best suit your needs, your lifestyle and your budget? The different characteristics of vinyl and linoleum, as well as installation and maintenance, described in the following guide will help you make an informed choice.
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A bit of history and terminology
Vinyl or linoleum?
Vinyl
Characteristics
Linoleum
Its characteristics
Installation
Maintenance

A bit of history and terminology

Vinyl and linoleum resemble each other and it can be easy to confuse the two to a point where they cannot be told apart. In fact, linoleum, which is 100% natural, was invented in the 1860’s and was very popular for a century. Then, synthetic fibres began to appear and ultimately took over the floor covering market almost entirely replacing linoleum. Today, they share the market, as each possesses its own unique attributes.

Linoleum is made principally of linseed oil, which explains the name “linoleum”, a combination of the Latin terms “linum” (“flax” in old English) and the Latin “oleum” that means “oil”.

Vinyl or linoleum?

While we’re discussing vinyl and linoleum in the same article, these two floor coverings are quite dissimilar although they do share the following characteristics: both are sanitary, easy to maintain and fabricated in tiles and sheets.

Vinyl

Vinyl is made from synthetic fibres. The main body is made of cardboard or vinyl that is covered with one sheet that contains the motif, another sheet for the finish followed by a protective coat of varying thickness. The motif comes from a photographic image printed on the material (or printing plate) or by small coloured granules applied over a stencil and set permanently with the help of heat and pressure. The latter technique gives the finished product a hand-painted look of extraordinary depth and richness.

Vinyl also provides a warmer and more comfortable surface that ceramic. It works best in medium to low traffic areas, according to the quality and thickness of its outermost coat. Affordable, vinyl coverings fit every pocketbook.

Characteristics

Dimensions

Vinyl flooring is sold in rolls 6 or 12 feet wide. For their part, tiles generally measure 1 foot2, but manufacturers also have them in 9, 14, 16 and 18 inch formats.

Protective coat

The thickness of the protective coat varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, as well as the collection and series, and will have a direct bearing on the quality, durability and resistance of the vinyl sheets or tiles. A thick, good quality protective coat will hold the “new look” much longer, will resist stains and the abrasive attacks by dirt and grains of sand that can cause scratching. Generally, the cost of this type of flooring varies according to the thickness of this protective coat.

For country homes, its recommended to install thickly protected vinyl, as the floor is more likely to get scratched by abrasives like sand and gravel. On the other hand, for a second floor, or higher, apartment in town, it may be less important to have a thick-coated covering.

Finish

Vinyl tiles and sheets have two finish qualities: no-wax and urethane finish.

No-wax
A vinyl covering with a no-wax finish has a less glossy appearance and most be swept more often to prevent scratching.

Urethane finish
Urethane gives the floor a much glossier finish, is more resistant to tearing and performs better over-all.

Motifs, colours and depth

Vinyl offers a practically unlimited choice of motifs, colours and depths. Solid colours, pastels, neutral… Motifs that run the gamut from original or traditional, sober or fantastic and practically indistinguishable imitations, texture and depth included, of ceramic, concrete, wood, etc. Take advantage of the thousand and one vinyl designs to give the inside of your home the natural effect of wood or stone or again, create a contemporary or retro decor.

Generally, imposing motifs make a room appear smaller while pale colours create the opposite effect. A textured floor covering hides flaws in the sub-floor, while very pronounced contours (depth) are more difficult to maintain.

Durability and resistance

Both tiles and sheets are highly resistant to humidity and because of this, they’re perfectly suited for the bathroom and the basement. However, it’s necessary to be careful of tearing.

Thanks to new technologies and according to the quality chosen, vinyl flooring’s lifespan can extend as much as fifteen years! As for guarantees, they vary from 5 to 15 years.
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