What Is The Difference In Linoleum And Vinyl Flooring

While vinyl takes the top score in our flooring face off the winner of linoleum vs vinyl flooring is really up to you.

What is the difference in linoleum and vinyl flooring.

Vinyl and linoleum are forms of flooring material that share many similarities as well as some differences. Linoleum and vinyl are both types of resilient flooring but apart from that they don t have much in common. Linoleum floor vs vinyl floor comparison. But there are some important differences between the two.

Once removed vinyl floors have to be discarded in a landfill. Vinyl flooring is diy friendly and comes with more design options while linoleum floors are made from natural products and can last up to 40 years. With the right care linoleum can last an impressive 40 years. Linoleum was the original resilient flooring material.

Linoleum flooring and vinyl flooring often get mistaken for each other by homeowners who are searching for sheet flooring that will look good for the long haul. First patented more than 150 years ago linoleum was discovered when it was noticed that linseed based paint developed a solid tough but flexible film that floated on the top of the paint. Both floor types are indeed tough and long lasting and can be installed pretty much anywhere. It is glued directly onto the subfloor and then the surface is treated with a sealant top coat to protect.

However you ll need to reapply floor sealant to reach that finish line. These two flooring options are made in very different ways. The key difference between vinyl and linoleum is that the vinyl is a product of petroleum oil whereas the linoleum is a product of linseed oil. Linoleum is made from natural products and requires more maintenance but is more environmentally friendly than vinyl flooring.

Further the vinyl tile is easy to install and maintain while linoleum tile is a bit hard to install and maintan but is water resistant. This lets them bring different things to the table for homeowners. Whereas vinyl is a synthetic material that didn t come on the market until the 1950s. Sheet linoleum is the most durable variation of linoleum but also the most complex to install.

Needless to say this is not a green flooring option. Linoleum flooring is notoriously difficult to install as is stiffer and harder to work with than vinyl as well as most other flooring types. A primary difference between vinyl and linoleum flooring is that linoleum is a natural product invented in the 1800s. Linoleum floors are available in a wider variety of colors.