Linoleum, or more commonly known to most of us as lino, is a floor covering made up of a mixture of materials including pine resin, linseed oil, sawdust, and mineral fillers which are built on a canvas back.
Colored pigments are frequently added to get a specific colour or design on the surface.
Linoleum is not a recent find, it’s been around for years but it is an emergency as an increasingly popular choice for flooring in the present age. It is an alternative to vinyl and looks very natural on the floor.
You can use linoleum in every room of your house if you want to, it comes available in sheets and tiles and there are so many colors, designs, and effects to choose from. WFC is here with details!
Why use linoleum?
Linoleum is a great alternative if you are on a budget. It can give the effect of gorgeous patterned tiles in a bathroom or glossy wooden floors in your living rooms but at the fraction of the price.
The material requires very little maintenance like regular flooring and will only need to be swept or mopped lightly once a week or once every other week. It’s also super durable and will last for over 40 years without fading in quality, now we call that bang for your buck!
A lot of companies who sell linoleum flooring have big warranties on their products which shows how much they believe that they work so well. So even if something did go wrong with your new linoleum flooring, the warranty will hopefully cover it.
Lino is extremely stylish and comes in so many versatile patterns and styles that can be used around your entire home.
The quality is sometimes so good it gets mistaken for real flooring. You can even have manufacturers to produce one-off designed flooring so you can really stand out from the crowd.
If you’re super into being eco-friendly then linoleum is a great option if you’re doing out your house, it is made from renewable materials and when you throw it away it won’t take up tons of space in the landfills as it is a biodegradable material.
So you can beautify your house as much as possible without having a guilty conscience.
In comparison to vinyl and laminate flooring, the pigments in linoleum flooring are throughout the entire thickness of the material which helps hide scratches or marks that may occur whilst you have it.
It’s a great option if you have crazy messy kids, who spill and throw stuff around your house without a care in the world.
If saving money really does excite you then the ability to install linoleum flooring yourself will save you a good chunk of money.
Unlike regular hardwood flooring, it doesn’t require high skills of tradesmen such as carpenters, so anyone can learn how to do it.
It may not be self-explanatory, but you can watch videos or read tutorials online on how to lay your own linoleum flooring.
Some linoleum flooring comes in a click and lock way, so you simply just have to fit all the pieces together against the skirting boards.
However, some others will require you to glue it down with strong surface adhesive.
So, is there Linoleum that Looks Like Hardwood?
The answer to your question is yes, there is linoleum that looks like hardwood flooring out there. Forbo does great linoleum wood flooring that looks exactly like an array of woods like pine, hardwood, and many more.
The line is more commonly known as Marmoleum. Their Striatro collection is very popular due to its textured appearance and its durable surface finish. It’s available in both tile sheets and roles and can be installed by yourself if needed.
However, these are hard to come by and they do not look as real as other alternatives such as vinyl.
Vinyl flooring is much more diverse and can produce more realistic wooden flooring or tile flooring due to its synthetic nature.
Vinyl flooring is still inexpensive compared to other flooring options on the market but it doesn’t last as well as linoleum flooring.
Where can I buy vinyl flooring?
You can buy vinyl flooring from most DIY stores or specialized flooring stores. You can shop in-store or browse online to find some good deals.
Amazon even does some great vinyl flooring and will sometimes be cheaper than the brand’s own stores.
If you’re unsure of what kind of things are out there then we’ve included some links to some lovely vinyl flooring that looks like hardwood.
We think that any of these would look great in rooms like an office, living room, or bedrooms around your house.
We love the look of hardwood floors but can’t always justify the price so vinyl is such a good option.
We suggest measuring up your rooms to see how much you’ll need before buying as you don’t want to get halfway through laying it and realize you need to buy more.
- CO-Z 24 Square foot of vinyl flooring available in Grey, Beige, Ash, Oak, Walnut Brown, and more
- Achim Home (pack of 40) Vinyl floor planks in Silver Spruce
- Achin Home (pack of 10) vinyl floor in Mahogany
What are the downsides of using vinyl flooring?
Now after reading the above paragraph, you may have your heart set on getting yourself some new vinyl flooring instead of linoleum.
However, you’ll want to consider that vinyl does have some disadvantages before buying.
Some disadvantages of vinyl flooring coincide with those of linoleum flooring, for example, it cannot be repaired and once it’s ruined it is ruined and will need to be replaced entirely or covered up with something.
If you do want to replace vinyl flooring then it can prove very difficult to move if a strong adhesive has been used.
It is also not very easy to recycle so is not very eco-friendly. They can sometimes emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which are toxic and in some cases have caused cancer and respiratory problems.
A final issue with using vinyl flooring in the home is that it doesn’t add to the resale value of your home or may even have a negative impact on the price if you want to sell in the future.
Vinyl is considered a cheaper alternative and some buyers may claim that it devalues a property.
Despite looking aesthetically pleasing, vinyl flooring doesn’t have the same high-quality and luxurious feel that real hardwood flooring or tiles do.
What are the downsides of using lino?
Due to it’s softer build, linoleum that has been down on the floor for a while can get dented by the feet of furniture, if it’s not moved around often.
Using sharp objects against linoleum flooring can rip it, which is something that wouldn’t happen with real tiles or hardwood floors.
Linoleum can change color and darken to a yellowish color when it is constantly exposed to strong sunlight.
That’s why if you’ve been in old houses or moved furniture out of an old house, there will be clear discoloration on the floor where furniture has hidden the linoleum from the sunlight.
To prevent this process that is called ‘ambering’, manufacturers coat the material to protect it from happening.
However, if you can see that your flooring is beginning to discolor due to sunlight, do not put any chemicals on there as it will not reverse the process and you may even make it worse.
Linoleum is widely used as replacements for tiles in bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry rooms.
However, the material is very receptive to moisture and if there is water damage or a burst pipe underneath the flooring then it will loosen from the surface, warp, and remove itself from the floor.
We hope this has cleared up any confusion you may have had about linoleum flooring.