Which is better - linoleum or laminate in the apartment?





Artificial linoleum and laminate are widely used as floor coverings. These materials allow you to carry out basic repairs in the apartment on your own. For the price of one and the second material are almost the same, but each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. In our article we will try to figure out which is better - linoleum or laminate in an apartment?

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Linoleum: classification, pros and cons

Linoleum was developed over 150 years ago. For real linoleum, only natural raw materials from linseed oil, wood resin, wood flour, limestone powder and jute fabric are used.

Important! Such flooring is very expensive and is not sold in every building hypermarket.

Many manufacturers use polyvinyl chloride for the bonding of raw materials and components. Such a PVC coating is widely used in schools, kindergartens, offices.

Important! Multilayer material is much more functional, practical and has more durable properties than a single-layer model.

Classes

Linoleum can be divided into three classes:

• Household type. This variety is used only for residential premises and has a thickness of about 4 cm. The material has a complex structure that demonstrates a decorative coating with a foamed base with the thinnest protective layer. Household linoleum is characterized by a wide range of colors and can have a design “under the board”, “under the parquet”, “under the stone”, “under the crumb”.

Important! The disadvantage of this type of material is a short operating time. The advantages include the presence of a soft base and an affordable price.

• Commercial view. This type of material has the largest thickness, which is characterized by increased wear resistance and is used for rooms with high traffic. It is such synthetic material that is acquired for trading floors, office premises, educational institutions, and medical institutions. The commercial variety is not distinguished by a wide range of patterns. To reduce the sliding effect of the flooring, a special surface treatment is used to make it safer.

Important! The household type of linoleum is inferior in strength to the commercial variety, but superior in comfortable conditions. Elastic coating is very convenient for movement.

• Semi-commercial option. This type of flooring has a huge range of colors. In structural properties, such a material is similar to linoleums for domestic use, but has a thicker protective layer and is much stronger than household flooring. Therefore, its service life is much higher. The minimum thickness is about 7 mm.

Mounting Features

What to choose - laminate or linoleum? Consider in terms of ease of installation:

• Lay linoleum in most cases without the invitation of specialists, it is not at all difficult.
• It is available in sheets that are rolled up, which is very convenient for transportation.

Important! One sheet is from 5 to 40 m with a maximum width of 5 m and a minimum of half a meter.

The laying process of this material:

1. First you need to tidy up the old flooring, and then level the surface.
2. Next, we lay linoleum and cut the edges. It is recommended to leave a few millimeters to the wall so that the material can fit properly.
3. For the final step, you need to fix the material with double-sided tape, you can also use glue.

Important! Before the final installation procedure, it is advisable to leave linoleum on the floor for several days so that the sheets of material have time to stabilize in size. Such a preliminary step allows to prevent the appearance of cracks in the joints.

Since the cost of linoleum based on polyvinyl chloride is affordable, it is sometimes used to stabilize laminate and parquet coatings.

Advantages

Consider the advantages of linoleum based on polyvinyl chloride in order to more clearly imagine what is better - linoleum or laminate in an apartment:

• low price factor;
• has a low thermal conductivity, so the flooring is not cold;
• the presence of a wide variety of colors allows you to choose the material for the room in any style;
• simplicity of installation work;
• over time, this material is not subject to the process of decay, since it is fully synthetic;
• linoleum flooring is not noisy;
• there is an additional property, as an anti-slip effect;

Important! The service life is 40-50 years, but after 10 years it undergoes external changes.

disadvantages

In addition to the advantages of this material, it has a number of disadvantages:

• Since linoleum is an artificial material, it is inferior to a wooden coating in terms of quality, environmental friendliness and appearance.
• Under the weight of the furniture set, this material is being squeezed. Therefore, if it is necessary to move pieces of furniture, then traces and dents remain.
• Inexpensive material is very sensitive to temperature extremes. At high temperatures, it deforms, and at low temperatures it will crack.

Important! Linoleum looks like a cheap coating, although this is a subjective opinion, as modern manufacturers create floor coverings that can simulate any kind of floor - both wood, and tile, and ceramics.

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Laminate: advantages and disadvantages

Which is better - laminate or linoleum? Let us now dwell in more detail on the alternative to the option considered above.

Structure Features

Laminate is an artificial multilayer decoration material. It is available in the form of boards or panels that have an elongated shape. The composition of the material includes:

• substrate;
• chipboard inner layer;
• decorative paper that defines color;
• top polymer layer that protects the floor from external damage.

Important! This coating is characterized by a certain degree of environmental friendliness and good strength properties. An imitation of real wood is glued onto the top sheet of fiberboard, then a protective layer is coated, which helps to increase the wear resistance of the material. Laminate is characterized by three base layers, in addition, there may be an additional one, which increases sound insulation.

Classes

By wear resistance, such floor coverings are divided into several classes:

• 21, 22, 23 classes - floor coverings for a residential type of premises.
• 31 class - is a non-commercial variety, which is used for rooms with low traffic, for example, in the bedroom, closet. The service life of this class of material is 12 years.
• 32 class - used for rooms that are characterized by an average level of patency.
• Grade 33 - has increased resistance to damage, so it will be the best option for the living room.
• Grade 34 - used for shopping and dance halls. The service life in the apartment is about 30 years.

Important! Grades 21, 22, 23 are declining, so this coverage is becoming less common in stores. For apartment premises, a laminate of class 31 and 32 is used. Since the permeability in apartments is much lower than in public institutions, the replacement of flooring is not required in residential premises for much longer.

There is also a special laminate for the kitchen. It is characterized by moisture resistant properties, since the joints of the laminated boards are treated with moisture resistant impregnation.

Styling features

This material is harder to lay than linoleum flooring. But on your own, this can be done, while under should be perfectly smooth. This option involves laying a stabilizing layer and ordinary polyethylene, which is located between the material and the screed. Polyethylene acts as a source of vapor barrier, so the process of absorbing moisture, and then its return, is characteristic of a concrete surface.

Important! The use of PVC sheets as a substrate for a laminate smooths out the presence of small tubercles and helps to prevent squeaking. This method increases sound insulation and thermal insulation.

Advantages

Consider the advantages of this material:

• has a low price;
• the presence of a diverse range of colors;
• simplicity of installation work;
• ecological purity of the material, as natural wood is the basis;
• pleasant to the touch, it is very comfortable to walk on it with bare feet.

disadvantages

In addition, there are disadvantages:

• If this material is not moisture resistant, then for wet rooms the service life is 5 years.
• Since the laminate is still an artificial material, it is inferior to the natural floor covering.
• If by accident some heavy object falls onto the floor from the laminate, the top layer is damaged.
• With improper care and washing it too often, indelible light stains appear on the surface of the floor covering.
• Even with proper installation, which fully complies with the requirements, the seams are not airtight. The joints are clogged with sand, moisture, dust, which affects the quality of the flooring, the panels become movable and there is a creaking process when walking.
• If the laminate was accidentally flooded, it is likely to be replaced.

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Comparison of materials by basic parameters

When comparing flooring, significant parameters are used that help to understand which is better - linoleum and laminate.

Insulating properties

The characteristics of the substrate determine the sound and thermal insulation qualities of floor coverings. The thickness of the material plays a role in determining the thermal properties of linoleum or laminate:

• In the case of linoleum, the substrate serves as an addition, which is used at the request of the owner of the apartment.
• For a laminate - this is an indispensable element when installing the coating.

In the classification of linoleum, the warmest is material on a fabric or felt basis.

Important! The plastic properties of linoleum, especially on a soft basis, contribute to better sound insulation compared to laminate. When walking on a laminate with high heels or in shoes with hard soles, audibility is heard throughout the apartment. Sound insulation can be reduced by using a quality substrate.

Thus, according to this criterion, linoleum is a priority.

Eco-friendly properties

PVC-based linoleum, like laminate, does not emit harmful toxic substances during operation. When comparing eco-friendly qualities, attention is drawn to the complex procedure for utilization of linoleum, which during the combustion process forms a sharp, unpleasant odor and harmful, toxic substances are released.

Important! Since no one will independently expose the removed coating for disposal, such a drawback is not significant.

Bottom line: which is better - linoleum or laminate in an apartment according to the criterion of environmental cleanliness? It is difficult to answer here, since it all depends on the quality of the products of one or another manufacturer and its integrity.

Transportation Procedure:

• Since linoleum is packed in large rolls, they have a lot of weight. Transportation of such material requires freight transport, so an ordinary elevator for passengers will not be able to deliver the roll to the desired floor.
• Laminate packaging is much simpler; it is available in boards that are assembled in compact blocks. If necessary, they can even be transported by personal car, using a passenger elevator, lift to any floor.

Here is the "palm" behind the laminate.

Repair work and installation process

What to choose - linoleum or laminate? The flooring procedure for both flooring is very simple. But laying laminate flooring requires more responsibility.

It takes much less time to lay linoleum roll material than for laminate board assembly. In addition, the floor when coating with a laminate should be perfectly smooth. For preliminary alignment, special building mixtures are used.

Important! If the floor from the laminate has fallen into disrepair, you can disassemble and replace the planks. In this way, it will not work to repair the floor from linoleum, since it must be completely replaced. In addition, this coating is more prone to scratches. On the laminate, special repair pastes perfectly close up small cracks.

Conclusion, choosing which is better - linoleum or laminate - everything remains purely at the buyer's decision, since only he will know what is more important for him.

Moisture resistance

If a large amount of water falls on linoleum, then it does not change its properties. Laminate does not tolerate excessive moisture. Therefore, linoleum is definitely better in this case.

Important! In the modern market there are new moisture-resistant laminate designs that are coated with compounds that can increase moisture resistance. A laminated coating with a moisture-resistant layer can swell and change its shape less than a parquet coating, and if there is very little water, then it will not suffer at all. But for such properties will have to pay more.

Operational features and appearance

Even the latest technology is not able to reliably create the similarity of the rolled material with natural wood. Although other materials are perfectly imitated.

The laminate can not be washed with water, in extreme cases, you can use a well-wrung out damp cloth. When caring for linoleum, there are no such restrictions.

Important! If you compare both materials by price factor and ease of care, then linoleum wins.

Given all the advantages and disadvantages:

• linoleum is installed in rooms where there is a risk of water ingress and there is excessive humidity in the air: toilet, kitchen, balcony, hallway, pantry;
• laminate flooring looks great in a children's room, dining room, living room, bedroom.

Important! Considering the characteristic qualities of the two materials, linoleum has more positive factors than negative ones. The difference is not very big, so when choosing a material, you need to pay most attention to what room this type of flooring is intended for.

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What to choose - linoleum or laminate? findings

In order to finally understand what is better - linoleum or laminate, consider their main similarities or differences.

For laminate and linoleum, the similarities are:

• relatively low cost;
• a huge assortment of beautiful varieties;
• when exposed to sunlight, none of the material burns out;
• are synthetic materials;
• are not prestigious;
• exhibit stable properties;
• The process of laying these materials is very simple.

In addition, linoleum and laminate have different qualities:

• The flooring from linoleum is characterized by high quality, does not differ in cost from the laminate, but ordinary PVC coating has a much cheaper price.
• Linoleum coating can be washed using a large amount of liquid. In the case of a laminate, care must be taken, since such a coating can only be cleaned with special means.
• Laminate is much brighter and more colorful imitates the appearance of natural material. Laminated boards look more aesthetically pleasing, as dividing into several boards resembles parquet laying.
• Laminate flooring is characterized by the possibility of updating. The specificity of laying the laminate allows, after some time, to replace individual fragments of the material, which can not be said about linoleum, in which you have to replace a whole roll.
• High-quality linoleum in the presence of a thick foam base contributes to better thermal insulation than a conventional laminated coating.
• The life of a linoleum floor is much longer than that of a laminate floor.
• Both materials are considered combustible, but linoleum is characterized by a much greater fire hazard.
• Dents from furniture, scratches from the claws of pets, traces of women's heels and stilettos very quickly remain on the floor of linoleum. Laminate flooring is more resistant to such damaging factors, but these defects also have a place to be, in addition to scratches, cracks, chips.
• If accidentally the apartment is flooded, then the flooring from linoleum will calmly survive. And for a laminate flooring, there is a high probability of replacing floor material.
• Packed linoleum rolls are very difficult to transport, and small packaged laminate boxes are easy to transport.
• Linoleum contains more chemistry than laminate. Linoleum flooring sometimes serves as a source of allergic reactions. Since the laminate floor does not contribute to allergies, this material is characterized by more environmentally friendly properties compared to linoleum.
• Linoleum has a higher level of sound insulation than laminate.
• At low room temperatures, linoleum flooring seems warmer. The surface of a laminate floor in a cold room seems even colder. If the room is warmer, then the laminate becomes warm.

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Room selection

When choosing a material, it is necessary to consider certain operating conditions, so it is advisable to install different floor coverings in different rooms. What to choose - laminate or linoleum, depending on the room, we decide:

• Laminate flooring is laid in the bedroom, guest room, home corridor. Laminate is more fashionable, pleasant to touch and less toxic.
• For the kitchen, as well as for the hallway, it is preferable to use linoleum. But if you like laminate flooring, then be prepared to change the flooring every 5-6 years.
• In offices where there is a large cross, linoleum is also preferable. Laminate quickly loses sight, creaks when a lot of people walk along the corridors. Such noise adversely affects the image of the company, distracts employees from work and reduces the level of performance.
• For loggias and balconies, soft linoleum is used, since a floor made of such a material seems warmer. If you leave the sash of glazing open, the laminate becomes unusable, and linoleum retains its properties. However, in severe frosts, linoleum flooring may crack.
• In the country, where it is not always possible to organize the heating process, it is preferable to lay linoleum. In a private house, the choice of material depends, like in an apartment, on the need and degree of patency of the rooms.

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Stock footage

The choice of flooring is an individual matter for everyone.Sometimes it’s better to spend more, but to lay a quality floor that can last a long time. Despite the listed advantages of laminate and linoleum, they have not yet come up with anything better than using stone tiles for rooms with high humidity and using boards or parquet for a residential apartment. And the final decision is yours!