Thinking About Vinyl Flooring for Your Home?
When you step into a home or new space, it forces you to examine the flooring so that you are aware of your surroundings and can move safely. If you step into a home and you feel the floor is squeaky or broken, you immediately feel uneasy about moving any further. Flooring is one of the most important components of a home, yet it is often overlooked. It provides durability and comfort with an attractive covering.
With a variety of materials available today, choosing the right flooring material for your home can be a tough decision. One of the highly favored flooring materials for homeowners today is vinyl floors. Over the years, vinyl floors have become increasingly popular because of its affordability, durability and easy maintenance. However, while it may be a great fit for some homes, it might not be the most ideal option for others.
If you are considering new flooring options for your home and looking to learn more about vinyl floors, here are some helpful tips to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of vinyl floors.
The Advantages Of Vinyl Flooring
First of all, let’s look at the pros of installing vinyl floors in your home.
- Affordable Cost: For many homeowners, the low cost of vinyl floors has made it a “go-to” choice. Luckily, the main raw material of vinyl flooring is a byproduct of petroleum, which is an easily available source that keeps the price of vinyl low. A square foot of vinyl floors typically costs about $2, making it a worthwhile investment for your home.
- Easy Affordable Installation: If you enjoy DIY projects and have the time, you can save yourself some bank by simply installing the vinyl floors yourself. Depending on the size of your home and the amount of flooring you would use, the project time could vary, but if it saves you the cost of hiring, go for it!
- Water-Resistant: Another great advantage of vinyl is its natural ability to resist water. Since vinyl is a byproduct of petroleum, it has a slightly oily surface that creates the water-resistance. As a result, vinyl has become a great choice of flooring for areas in homes where water is found, for example, your bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and any other areas exposed to moisture and likely to get wet frequently. Adding vinyl floors to these areas of your home is a safe choice that helps you in the long run to avoid any type of damage or infestation.
- Easy to Clean and Maintain: Do you have children and pets? Are you worried about possible stains on your floor? Vinyl flooring is one of the few types of flooring that requires very little maintenance and is very easy to clean. All you need is a sponge or a damp mop and soapy water to scrub off the dirt and any stains on its surface. After that, you can rinse the surface of the floor with clean water and wipe it dry or let it dry by itself.
The Disadvantages of Vinyl Flooring
While there are several advantages of vinyl floors, there are a few disadvantages to consider as well.
- Risk of Dioxin and VOC’s Contamination: One of the most important factors to consider with vinyl floors, is the possible health risk factors that can occur if your vinyl floor becomes damaged. When vinyl floors experience intense damage, there is a possibility of dioxin being released, which is a highly toxic compound chemical known to cause cancer. Additionally, homeowners should also keep in mind that vinyl floors made from materials without FloorScore IAQ certification have a high tendency of emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the first years of use. While the chances of your vinyl floors releasing those chemicals are very little, it is certainly important information to know when considering any type of materials for your home.
- Potential Discoloration: Another negative side is the possibility of your vinyl floor losing its color. The manufacturers of vinyl floors explain the risk factor associated with using mats with rubber backs. When a mat with a rubber back gets wet, it usually reacts with the vinyl floor, causing permanent discoloration. This is something to consider if you prefer rubber mats. However, if you are leaning more towards installing vinyl floors in your home, then use softer, high-quality mats that do not contain rubber in them.
Types Of Vinyl Flooring
As you are considering vinyl floors for your home, you should know there are a number of different types of vinyl floors. The various types available for your home remodel, include:
- Sheet vinyl, Sheet vinyl is affordable and easy to install, but may not be as durable as other options.
- Luxury vinyl tile (LVT), LVT mimics the look of natural materials such as stone or wood, and is water-resistant, making it suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.
- Luxury vinyl plank (LVP), LVP is similar to LVT but comes in plank form, which can create a more realistic wood flooring look.
If you would like to learn more about these we encourage you to check out this article which provides tips for choosing the right type of vinyl flooring for your home.
We understand that your home is your happy place. It is unique to you and your family. Our team of highly skilled and experienced professionals can help you choose the right floor type for your unique home to help you create comfort and showcase your own personality.
For the last 11 years, Good Life Construction has created hundreds of happy customers as you can see from our Yelp reviews. We truly enjoy what we do, and we love seeing our customers happy.
Call us today (916) 884-6132 for an in-house consultation and estimate. You and your family deserve only the best!