The Case for Linoleum and Vinyl Floors

heavenwoodgirl says:

We installed wood laminate flooring from Armstrong as a less expensive alternative to hardwood last spring and are loving it! It is easy to care for, quick to have installed and is scratch proof. It was definitely a good choice for our family.

bepsf says:

What I love about linoleum - other than the fact that it's an Eco-friendly product and the beautiful swirly colors - is that it's not pretending to be wood, tile or some such.

ccompanions says:

Totally love laminate flooring I wish homeowners would be more open to it!

designchallenged says:

this has been an excellent series. thanks for the information on sustainability.

marknuss says:

Just warning you that it needs to be waxed. I have to do it every 2 months. It is a very laborious job that seems old fashioned. Certainly this product is not maintenance free.

Paul Anater says:

Not all linoleums need to be waxed and thanks for pointing out that some do. If you're looking at sheet flooring add "maintenance" to your checklist as you do your research. Great point.

Designchalleneged: Thanks. There are three more articles from this series coming in September and maybe more if I get requests for categories I didn't cover.

mondriana says:

I never taught this type of flooring could look so beautiful. Thanks for sharing these ideas.

chookie says:

My new Marmoleum looks great. One thing I like about it is the smell: unlike vinyl, it doesn't stink. If you grab an offcut (or crawl on the floor, I suppose) you'll find it smells like linseed oil.

Paul Anater says:

That's right, you did get Marmoleum. It does smell like linseed oil, any room it's in smells like an artist's studio. Do you have photos yet?

hastings says:

Thanks for drawing attention to linoleum. It is a great product. Also for shining a spotlight on vinyl. I think we get hung up on using the same products i.e. laminate, tile and overlook alternatives. I just used the plank vinyl flooring that "floats" in a rental because I don't like the hollow sound laminate makes. I have been very happy and it looks terrific.

msteudte says:

what is a solution for replacing carpet with your products and having to deal with the wooden baseboard that is now higher than the new floor? It takes on a whole new project if they all have to be replaced or lowered, then the walls painted. Too much. Help!!

lara_jane says:

I would never use any vinyl product due to health & environmental issues, but (real) linoleum is a beautiful thing. I only wish they made it in the patterns of old!

Paul Anater says:

msteudte: The answer is to run 3/4 quarter round around the room at the bottom of the baseboards.

taddpeake says:

We did both our baths in Traffic Master vinyl planks. It is beautiful, durable, waterproof, super easy for DIY install. It looks so great that our appraiser thought it was wood. If would look great installed in stripes, too.

noneya says:

I'm surprised you didn't mention Karndean flooring: karndeanusa.com which is also a vinyl plank and tile manufacturer.

Paul Anater says:

This post is about sheet products primarily, it's not the definitive guide to everything that's available. It's an impartial look at a category of flooring products. If there's enough interest, I'll write another post about vinyl plans and tiles.

pencilshavings says:

We installed lino in our kitchen, and like it, but be aware that even though the seam tape matches the sheet, it still shows. I agree with lara_jane in wanting to see some of the old patterns again. Some of the durable old "battleship linoleum" is stunning.

PaintColorHelp.com Dallas says:

The real linoleum is awesome. I, too, wish they would revive some of the original designs. My grandmother had a gray linoleum floor with multi-color specks of 50s pastels, and gold glitter!

Denise Vilim says:

My husband and I have been learning so much from your flooring series Paul and I can't tell you how much we appreciate it in our search for replacment flooring. I would personally love to see an ideabook for every type of flooring in existence, but realize that would be quite labor intensive for your fingers. If you do get enough requests for one, an ideabook on rubber floors would be geatly appreciated, as I've been ocassionally seeing them in decor mags lately and we really like the idea of having them in our home.
If there is a down side to your series it would be that with all the options we have been learning about, it's making our decision more challenging. I am hiring an interior designer (from Beth Dotolo's Pulp Design Studio) who I will be asking about flooring options, but given your expertise I would also love to hear your thoughts, if you do not mind sharing them.
We are looking for gray flooring, preferably a lighter hue, that is around $2-$3/sf, easy to care for with kids and a cat, that is solid (not mottled or blotchy) and with a glossier sheen. We would like for it to still look good in 10 years, which will be about the time we are ready to sell. Any ideas? Thank you so much!!

Paul Anater says:

I'm glad to hear you're finding this to be a useful series. You're also in luck because rubber floors are the last post in this series. It'll be ready and live in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I'm researching them now. I'm glad to hear you're hiring a designer, let her guide you. Based on the requirements you just outlined, a sheet product is probably what you ought to be looking at. Stay tuned though!

cecichu says:

Will you also be discussing installation options for various materials? I'm in love with marble look and want to transform my now ceramic tile bathroom into one with old fashion marble charm. However, I do not want to create all the mess and wondering if there are alternative material that can be laid over the existing tile and still be sturdy and look good. I heard about granite transformation but they are so limited with the style, stone and color. Alternative ways of achieving this without the whole big renovation can be very attractive.
Thank you very much for the series, it is so informative.
I also wish the real estate market can accept vinyl and linoleum flooring, but as of now I know my neighborhood is only taking hardwood and stones seriously.

teresaahteague says:

I too love this series. I have learned a considerable amount of information about flooring. I would not have considered theses types of materials for our needs which are: Slab foundation, built in 1983, colonial revival, however we are more cottage in style, have six dogs (three small poodles, one large poodle and two long haired large dogs) that live inside, children, and a senior in residence. We have lived in the home 12 years and have carpet that needs to come out. We live in NC so we have red clay, grass, many leaves in the fall, snow and a lot of foot traffic. We have wood panelling on the walls that will need 3/4 round toe moldings once we take up the carpet. Our whole family has allergies and are sensitive to adhesive smells and any "off-gassing" of materials. We need something that can hold up for another ten years too, easy for the teens to help clean, will not deteriorate from animal accidents, be somewhat soft to the feet and insulate. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us. Thank you again for all of your research!

hlnadr says:

I also want to do my bathroom without having to rip up the ceramic tile. I just replaced my kitchen and long hallway from ceramic tile to wood and the mess of breaking up the tile was way too much to want to do again. I am looking for something that can go over the tile.

Paul Anater says:

Cecichu: If the product you're describing exists, I don't know about it. There are ceramic tiles out there that are dead ringers for marble but wall tile can't go over existing wall tile. If anybody else has different information I'd love to hear about it.

Teresa: Look into linoleum, it sounds like it's the material you're looking for. Laminate flooring might work for you as well.

Brenda Reeves says:

I hate carpet. I've installed Pergo in my house in L.A. and love it. In another house, I installed the vinyl strips that look like hardwood. I love that. When you have pets, it's the only way to go.

wingoms says:

I love the Peruvian Slate in my kitchen. It feels very much like tile and it is very durable in our country setting! It is grout-able though we chose not to.

susieqdesignstudio says:

Paul,
Your flooring articles have been great. There is one thing about vinyl flooring that you failed to mention that I think is very important. Vinyl flooring has to be installed over a very smooth surface. It is usually installed over a product called luan and the seams and staple holes are all filled and sanded smooth. Installation of this product is very important and expensive. So what you failed to do is include this very important step in the overall cost of the goods. The increase in cost can be shocking! I use to sell flooring and there were times when the luan istallation cost more than the flooring itself (obviously very cheap floor that I would not recommend). Many flooring companies will not warranty the flooring product unless they lay the underlayment. If a nail or seam pops loose it will show under the flooring and they refuse be held responsible for a ruined floor because someone else installed the underlayment wrong. It cost about $4.75 a sq./ft. 14 years ago and I have no ideas what it cost today. I hope this helps.

patscats2 says:

Thanks for posting this about these other floor options. I know the other day some people were poo pooing laminate and at that time I said I loved my high end laminate but hated my ceramic tile and find it hard to keep clean (grout). It's sealed, but that requires resealing every year or so. I love vinyl flooring and for me the downside is it does not last a lifetime like ceramic will.

Growing up we lived in old raised houses (New Orleans) that had simple plank wood flooring and we'd put down room sized vinyl that came in specific sizes, i.e., 8 x 12, etc. You'd pick the size for your room that left a nice size border usually 12 - 18" around the perimeter. The vinyl always had a decorative edging like you would find on throw rugs today. Then you'd paint the wood planks that were exposed a color of your choice and we always went with something that looked like pecan or cherry. Back then they did not glue it down, the furniture held it in place. Every so often you'd have to repaint the threshhold as that's what would get the most wear and tear, but no biggy.

I had peel and stick vinyl in my last home and it held up about 15 years before it started showing signs of age, but I loved it. When new it was so shiny tha people always mistook it for solid vinyl sheeting. It was beautiful.

Another downfall to sheet viynl is it can get cut or dinged easily it something falls on it the right way or you try to move something across it without using good protective padding.

As far as looks go, I love vinyl.

Paul Anater says:

Susieq: I left out underlayments from this one because every material has a different requirement. Thanks for pointing that out and yes, all flooring materials have to be installed according to the manufacturers' instructions in order to be warranted. It's not just sheet floors, it everything. The new sheet flooring products have an underlayment built into them and are a lot more forgiving. Generally, the lower quality the sheet flooring, the more underlayment requirements it will have. Thanks for introducing the topic of underlayments to this discussion Susie, it's an important consideration with any floor.

Patscats: Thanks for chiming in. Vinyl gets a bad rap but for some people it's the right product. Interesting about the pre-cut pieces of vinyl you described. The newest and most advanced vinyl sheet products don't glue down out all. So it seems everything's come full circle.

teresaahteague says:

Paul, Thank you for your response. Thank you for the other comments too!

Teresa

joeandpatty says:

This ideabook is great and I'm glad to see these as viable options. I have had vinyl wood flooring in my offices for 6 years and am now about to install them in my home. They are easy to maintain, look great, are not as loud as hardwood or laminate, are waterproof, and kid and dog friendly. And there are so many beautiful colors that people think my floors are real hardwood. This is a no brainer!

hilltop says:

My marmoleum installer just started putting ours in today. I'm so excited to see the finished project. I love the eco friendly advantage as well as the durablility and ease of it. Our house is a mid century modern and in the process of tearing out all the remuddling that has taken place over the years we discovered the original colors were turquiose, which just happened to be the color we chose (Azzuro by Forbo). Will send pics when it's all finished up! Also saw this in Ikea of Atlanta in a grey with a high gloss finish, looked just like concrete. Thanks for this ideabook!

fern6951 says:

I had one of Forbo's gray Marmoleums installed in our kitchen over a year ago and I love it. I chose it because I did not want tile or wood in my kitchen, and I wanted a gray floor, a hard color to find if you eliminate tile. Since it had to have seams, I decided to make them look intentional, so in addition to the required seams, I had our installer add extra seams to make the floor appear to be made out of large slabs. It looks great and in certain light you cannot even see the seams, so it has a real monolithic look to it which I really love.
And yes, I have seen the same floor installed in our nearby IKEA, but sadly it appears that they had waxed it, which you are not suppose to do to Marmoleum. One final thing, if you are considering having this installed in your home, make SURE that your installer has been trained to install linoleum. Sheet linoleum and sheet vinyl are two very different materials, do not let anyone tell you they are the same to install. Forbo actually has installation classes, and upon completion, the installer is issued a certificate.

psoriginal says:

I would LOVE to see linoleum flooring patterns like thy used to have with the prints and colors. They were so fun ! Please bring them back!!

jcarpentercc says:

Just wanted to share these photos...I work in a museum, and we have the old linoleum preserved in several rooms of a historic boarding house. Unfortunately, I don't have close-ups, but you can at least get an idea of the beautiful patterns!

westcarth says:

very informative

kdqueen says:

I have seen no mention of Duraceramic tile by Congoleum. It is heavy vinyl. We are remodeling our kitchen and using that. The tiles are 15 1/2" square and can be grouted or ungrouted. We already have it in two bathrooms and an entry area and love it. It is warmer and softer than ceramic, but also costs more.

missyme says:

Paul, your ideabooks are the most informative by far. I love reading them and always anticipate your next ones. My question for you, based on all the knowledge you must have accumulated researching so much, is which type flooring makes the softest landing for active preschoolers, young childeren, AND fall prone elderly? Thanks so, so much.

Paul Anater says:

Missyme: To answer your question, I would have to say resilient sheet flooring with padding would be the best bet. Look at some of the offerings from Mannington and Armstrong.