Vinyl flooring is one of the most popular flooring materials, especially in recent years, as it has undergone a rapid rise to fame because industry designers and homebuilders have increased their interest in its use.
Nowadays, a majority of new homes and condominiums have vinyl flooring in bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms, with beautiful results. To understand how vinyl flooring is making a comeback as a favourite flooring material, we should discuss the benefits and advantages of vinyl and how it can help make your next home renovation look spectacular.
Vinyl flooring is inexpensive
These long-lasting, durable tiles are also easy on the budget compared with ceramic or solid hardwood, yet the meticulous finishing detail can mimic those surfaces beautifully. At a fraction of the cost, you can complete any room in your home or office and still get the look you want.
Per square foot, vinyl flooring is one of the most economically-friendly options available on the market. Compared to hardwood and laminates, vinyl is typically much cheaper. Installation is also generally cheaper than other flooring types. On average, you can expect to spend approximately $2-4 per square foot to get vinyl professionally installed. When compared to real hardwood, stone or ceramic tiles, vinyl flooring offers a significant advantage in terms of saving costs while achieving a similar aesthetic for the room. You can further cut expenses if you decide to install the vinyl flooring yourself, as the tiles or planks are made to be extremely DIY-friendly.
Style
Any colour, design or surface you can imagine is available with vinyl flooring. Colours, textures, and designs can resemble stone, metal, ceramic tile or hardwood floors. The surface texture options further complete the aesthetic of each piece by resembling not only the look but the feel of stone, wood or other products. Today’s LVT products are difficult to differentiate from the ‘real thing,’ even up close, and the effect in any room is beautiful.
Comfort
A layer of felt underneath vinyl floors makes them responsive and soft underfoot. It feels warmer and more comfortable to stand on than stone or ceramic, which is why it works well in areas like the kitchen.
Resilience
Vinyl tiles are durable and can withstand plenty of foot traffic. Busy kitchens, hallways, mudrooms and laundry rooms all display the benefits of vinyl flooring. Many vinyl manufacturers have warranties of 15 years, and some have lifetime guarantees. That’s because when vinyl is installed correctly, it’s incredibly impervious to dents, scratch resistant, and water-resistant, so its good looks can last decades.
Easy installation
Today, the DIY trend has many homeowners intent on trying their hand at flooring installation. This can be a rewarding and cost-saving venture, depending on the type of floor you choose. Vinyl makes doing it yourself, easy. In many cases, the material can be placed directly over existing floors, so there’s no need to tear anything out. If the level is slightly uneven or there are cracks, vinyl will still work.
Low Maintenance
The minimal maintenance required to keep the shine and maintain appearance of vinyl flooring is probably the best benefit. A simple sweep of your floors on a regular daily or weekly basis to remove dirt and grit will be sufficient. To further help keep your floors looking their best, you can run a damp cloth over them with an approved cleaner on an occasional basis. The majority of vinyl flooring does not require wax or polish.
Water resistance
Vinyl flooring is perfect for the bathroom, laundry room, kitchen or any space in the home that may have high moisture since it is almost impervious to water penetration, if installed properly.
Stain resistance
Depending on the type of vinyl material, its susceptibility to stains will change. Printed vinyl tiles have surface barrier that protects it from stains and spills. This clear wear layer makes these vinyl floors easy to clean and maintain. Solid and composite vinyl are different and lack this surface protection, thus they can stain more easily and will require occasional stripping and polishing to maintain its appearance.
Pet-friendliness
High-quality vinyl flooring is extremely pet-friendly and can withstand nail scratches/messes better than many other flooring materials.
It can look like anything
These floors are no longer restricted to the tacky black-and-white checkerboards of a 70’s diner and can now be found in a variety of styles. Vinyl flooring is most often used to mimic the appearance of hardwood or stone, allowing a home or business owner to capture the upscale visual appeal of the material while still enjoying it’s lower cost and better durability. It is also possible to get tiles or planks with custom images depending on the manufacturer, meaning the only limit to the floor’s design is your imagination.
Vinyl was always known as an affordable flooring option but in recent years it has become more than just a low-budget way to tile a room. It’s expert ability to copy the look of hardwood, stone, and ceramic has turned it into a way for the savvy consumer to give a room a high-end appearance at a fraction of the cost. This lower up-front cost, combined with it’s renowned durability and resilience, makes it a smart long-term investment as well. It is not uncommon for a properly maintained, modern type of floor to last for a decade or more.
It is greener than ever
It’s no secret that the flooring type was not always the eco-friendliest option, but this has changed in recent years. Modern flooring is held to strict environmental standards and enjoys an LEED credit as a Low-Emitting Material. Some types of vinyl flooring are even made with recycled materials. It should be no surprise to learn that consumers would be drawn to a durable, affordable type of flooring that doesn’t carry a large footprint. These floors are significantly easier to install compared to stone or hardwood and make use of “floating” installation methods that allow the tiles and planks to fit together and hold each other in place rather than requiring nails or adhesive to stick to a subfloor. Some types can even be installed on top of other tile surfaces. These features make these floors extremely DIY friendly and are a great choice for anyone who wants a smooth and hassle-free installation.
Great warranty deals
Another great advantage to using vinyl flooring is that compared to many other wooden options, vinyl is the most comfortable to walk on due to cushioned, padded materials. This increased insulation also helps make vinyl flooring substantially quieter than other common wood or tile options. Selecting vinyl flooring as your ‘hardwood’ material also opens up all the convenient looks available on the market. It comes in a wide-array of colours, patterns, sizes and styles that allow for creativity and fun with mixing-and-matching – there are even faux-wood designs that are available from top manufacturers.
Therefore, with so many options to choose from, many homeowners find that vinyl flooring is convenient and easy to fit with their already-existing home décor. A popular choice among customers for vinyl flooring is vinyl planking. These have pre-attached fiberboards or wood tiles on the base of the vinyl to help the pieces fit together in a tongue and groove system that is similar to laminate flooring. This technique has allowed for fantastic flooring results regardless of the shape or size of your home space.
At its core, vinyl flooring is GREAT for bathrooms and basements
Unlike laminate flooring or other materials, it is composed of 100% plastic, which means it has superior resistance to moisture and spills. You can submerge vinyl in water for a prolonged period of time and expect it to have little detrimental effect. Forget the past, vinyl flooring is now available in a variety of styles and colours to match your bathroom and basement aesthetics.
Vinyl planks are long, narrow and resemble real hardwood while vinyl tiles can mimic ceramic and stone – essentially, they can add a lot to a small space. Additionally, this flooring is extremely DIY-friendly with their “click” technology that allows adjoining boards to simply snap together almost seamlessly, further boosting its waterproof properties.
Vinyl is for everyone
This surface looks remarkably detailed, realistic and stylish,so it is no longer considered to be the cheap-looking flooring option. It is,however, still much cheaper than many other materials. With the advance of contemporary and traditional design elements, just about any luxury product you can think of will now be available in a vinyl option. Rooms which were once off limits for stone, or real, solid hardwood floors, can now be finished with elegance that will last for many years. Working with this material can be very fun and exciting. Let your creativity go wild! With less worry about budget and the guarantee of rugged resilience, its safe to try out any look you want for your home.
