Much like engineered flooring, vinyl flooring is rising in the ranks as one of the most popular flooring choices. Hard to distinguish from other forms of hardwood flooring, being inexpensive, and having easy installation are the main reasons why vinyl flooring has grown in popularity.
Price and Quality of Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is one of the cheapest options of flooring, especially when it comes to finding a more economical substitute to hardwood flooring. Both engineered wood and solid hardwood flooring are comprised of different amounts of actual wood. Although vinyl flooring can look nearly identical and can be mistaken for real wood floors to the untrained eye, it isn’t comprised of any wood. This contributes to a lot of the benefits that vinyl flooring has.
Vinyl flooring is actually sturdier than other forms of hardwood. It tends to be a first choice for high traffic areas, even in public places. The planks are highly resistant to the common scuffs, scratches, and dents that pure hardwood flooring suffers from. In terms of sturdiness, vinyl flooring is also much more resistant to moisture. Not having to worry about your floor damaging from common splashes or spills is not a concern with this kind of flooring. There are versions of planks that can be 100% waterproof, which can be a huge win over hardwood, because it means vinyl flooring can be installed in more places than hardwood.
Vinyl Flooring Maintenance
You still shouldn’t use a steam cleaner on vinyl flooring, much like hardwood, but they are much easier to clean due to their resistance to moisture. You can mop your vinyl floors, just be sure not to use an overabundance of water or any kind of abrasives. Sweeping and mopping the floors should be enough to keep your floors in tip top shape, because it will keep any pieces of debris that could be abrasive to the surface of your flooring from actually causing damage.
What are the negatives of Vinyl flooring?
Even with proper care and maintenance, vinyl flooring won’t last as long as engineered or solid hardwood floors. They also won’t add any value to your home like solid hardwood floors will. In terms of comfort, vinyl flooring also tends to be colder than other choice due to how thin the planks are. With the planks being so thin, that means generally vinyl planks can’t be repaired. The planks will need to be completely replaced, unlike engineered or hardwood floors that can withstand repairs, sanding, and refinishing.
Vinyl flooring is a good choice for most homeowners, especially if they are on a budget. They come in a variety of styles and can look nearly identical to solid hardwood floors. They just won’t last quite as long as the other more expensive options, even though vinyl flooring is sturdier in most situations.
