The flooring you select matters a lot in the long run. Apart from the daily interaction in the form of cleaning and maintenance, the flooring type and quality play a vital role in enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal and resale value of the property.
Being the flooring experts in Dubai, we know how important it is to select the right flooring type for your space, whether it is home, office, or a public place. This is why we recommend vinyl flooring to most of our customers. Why? Because vinyl flooring ticks all the boxes. It is durable, water-resistant, aesthetically appealing, has different designs & patterns, and above all, it is budget-friendly.
Let’s see how vinyl compares with other types of flooring.
Vinyl Flooring vs. Tile Flooring
Appearance
Vinyl flooring comes with more design and pattern options compared to ceramic or stone tile flooring. If you are a fan of different patterns, shades, and colors and want to give a vibrant and playful outlook to the area, go for vinyl flooring.
Tile flooring also has a lot of colors and patterns, but they are limited compared to vinyl. Tile flooring is known to give a rich, decent, and elegant look to the area. Since vinyl aims to copy tile flooring, the original one takes a clear lead in this department.
Water & Heat Resistance
Tile and vinyl are 100% waterproof; there is no clear winner, but there is a catch. Tile flooring is installed using grout. To ensure proper water resistance in the long run, the grout seams must be well maintained. There is no such thing in vinyl flooring.
When it comes to heat resistance, tile flooring is far better than vinyl. Vinyl is made from synthetic materials and can be damaged by intense heat, resulting in melting or warping. On the other hand, ceramic tile isn’t bothered by steam cleaners or even if you spill a cup of piping hot water on it.
Comfort & Sound
Want a cozy underfoot experience, don’t look at anything other than vinyl flooring. It is much better than ceramic tile, hardwood, or marble, but it is no way near carpet flooring.
If you drop a glass dish on a vinyl floor, it may survive, but it will surely shatter on ceramic flooring. Moreover, vinyl flooring has been engineered over the years to become more soundproof and comfortable.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Both vinyl and ceramic tile are extremely easy to clean. All you need to do is dry mop them regularly to ensure dust and debris doesn’t gather in grout lines in ceramic tiles and on edges in vinyl flooring. A periodic wet mopping session with mild dish soap can remove most of the stains.
However, vinyl floors don’t have grout lines to act as dirt magnets; they are easier to clean in the long run.
Installation, Durability & Lifespan
Vinyl is much easier to install compared to tile flooring. Some types can even be installed by homeowners if they know how to handle adhesives, cut vinyl planks, or tiles. Ceramic tile is labor-intensive, but DIYers can install it on a small scale.
Both vinyl and tile floors are durable against heavy objects and spills, but vinyl is more susceptible to scratches. The life of both floors is around 15–25 years when installed and taken care of properly.
Cost and Resale Value
Vinyl is much cheaper than tile flooring. You can save up to 30% by opting for vinyl floors.
However, this trend is the opposite when it comes to resale value. Vinyl doesn’t add much to the overall value of the house compared to tile flooring. Designer porcelain tiles are an excellent option if you want to get more profits while selling your home.
Eco-friendliness
The vinyl manufacturing process uses VOCs, and these chemicals are a concern if vinyl is not disposed of properly. On the other hand, tile flooring is 100% eco-friendly and doesn’t impact the environment in a bad way. However, they are not reused due to the high recycling cost, but they are often crushed to use as filler in construction projects.
Vinyl Flooring vs. Hardwood Flooring
Vinyl flooring is made to mimic hardwood flooring’s executive and elegant looks. You can find almost all the designs in vinyl flooring at exceptionally cheaper rates compared to those in hardwood.
However, there are many elements in the design realm that differentiate hardwood flooring from vinyl. Since hardwood is a 100% natural material, you’ll find knots and grains in hardwood planks. This adds to the beauty of the flooring and is particularly liked by hardwood floor lovers. Vinyl flooring presents a unique and smooth look that clearly depicts man-made flooring.
Hardwood floors are not waterproof like vinyl flooring. They are water resistant at best, meaning that they can withstand a few droplets, but they aren’t the right choice for moisture-prone areas like kitchens, bathrooms, or kids’ rooms.
Vinyl has to bow down in front of hardwood when it comes to the life of the flooring. A hardwood floor, if properly maintained, can last up to 100 years. They can be abandoned for 20 years, and all you have to do is clean and polish them to bring them back to life. On the contrary, vinyl flooring can last up to 25 years at most. This explains why hardwood floors are extremely costly.
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to hardwood floors is their impact on environment. We all know from where hardwood floors come, and this can be quite damaging for the environment. However, there are some manufacturers that plant trees on a large scale in a continuous cycle to act as raw materials for hardwood floors. Vinyl flooring also has some issues. It is made using VOCs. These VOCs can be a big problem for the environment, as most vinyl ends up in landfills due to high recycling costs.
Vinyl Flooring vs. Laminate Flooring
Laminate and vinyl flooring are frequently compared to each other in terms of appearance. However, laminate is a far better option in terms of looks because its thick top layers allow designers to emboss three-dimensional designs to give a more natural-like look.
There isn’t much of a price difference between laminate and vinyl floors. But vinyl is still the better option for people on a tight budget.
Laminate floors have a fiberboard core. This core is made from wood, which can swell when exposed to water for long times. Moreover, it won’t resume its original shape after drying. So it is better not to install laminate floors in water-prone areas like the kitchen and washroom. On the other hand, we all know that vinyl flooring is 100% waterproof, but that doesn’t mean that you let water sit on it for days.
Both vinyl flooring and laminate flooring fail when it comes to heat resistance. Laminate is so sensitive to external temperature that it can expand or contract in areas where temperature changes greatly from season to season.
The good part about both is that they are easy to clean. You can wipe these floors with a dry mop regularly, and occasional wet mopping can keep them shining like new. The life of both floors is around 25 years with proper care and maintenance.
Final Words
We hope that by now you’ve made up your mind on which type of flooring is right for your home or office. If not, feel free to contact us. We at Dubai Flooring Company, DFC, are more than happy to help you and guide you to make the right flooring choices. We are one of the best flooring providers in Dubai and know what works best in Dubai’s environment.
