Cheap Linoleum

If you are looking to redo a floor in your home, you may have considered linoleum, especially if you are looking for a cheaper floor. Yes, it is true, you can find linoleum that is much cheaper than all of the other flooring options. While cheap linoleum may seem like the natural option, you should know everything that is included in the cheap price.

Now, this is not meant to talk you out of purchasing cheap linoleum. It is merely a way of showing you what you are getting for your dollar. After all, linoleum does offer the option of variety and it does not tend to discolor from sunlight. For some, this type of floor might be entirely worth it, but others may opt for something else.

That being said, I have put together a list of the things I believe you should know before purchasing cheap linoleum

Not As Resistant

You probably are not surprised that even the nicer linoleum is not exactly known for being the most durable. Compared to other floors, it can dent and crack much easier. Now, imagine the cheap linoleum. If linoleum in general is known for not being resistant, it stands to reason the less money you spend on it, the weaker it will get.

It Is Applied To The Floor Weakly

Unlike most floors, linoleum is applied to your subfloor by merely using construction adhesive. This means that in time, the corners of the floor could begin to lift. Rooms that have a lot of traffic, especially a kitchen, tend to make the floor separate from the seams much quicker. Other floors have a much better way of application that will help them last longer.

It Can Melt And Burn

Unlike a tile or an engineered flooring, linoleum can melt or burn pretty easily. If you drop a hot pan on a tile floor, there is no issue, but if you drop a hot pan on a linoleum floor you can very easily burn it. Too much heat from something can cause it to melt, this hurts the durability of the floor, meaning you may have to replace it much sooner than you anticipate. In kitchens, the last thing you likely want to have to worry about is melting or burning your floor while you are completing every day task.

It Can Have A Negative Reaction To Cleaners

It is true, maintaining your cheap linoleum floor would be pretty simple. All you have to do is sweep or vacuum it regularly and mop it regularly. Sounds simple enough, right? However, you should know that linoleum is a sensitive floor. This means you need to be extra careful when choosing a floor cleaner to use. You want to make sure that you are choosing one that will work well with the sensitive floor so that you do not discolor or damage it in any way. This may not seem like a big problem, but it is something you shouldn’t really have to deal with, right.

It Has A Shorter Lifespan Than Most Other Floors

When it comes to lifespan, you want to spend your hard earned money on a floor that will exceed your money’s worth if at all possible. You want a floor that will last a long, long time. And if this is what you want, linoleum flooring is not the right choice for you. When comparing the lifespan of linoleum with other floors, it just does not make the cut. On average, a linoleum floor could last 25 years. That doesn’t sound so bad, right? Well, when you compare it to the average life of some of the other floorings, you’ll think differently. Engineered wood lasts 50 or more years on average, any time of plain wood floor lasts 100 or more years on average, and tile lasts 75-100 years on average. When you compare that to linoleum’s measly 25 years, it just doesn’t compare. You want a floor that will truly last.

Now, as I said before, I don’t mean to talk you out of buying cheap linoleum flooring because there are certainly some benefits. And maybe you only intend to lay linoleum down until you have saved enough for a more lasting floor. Or maybe you just like linoleum and you believe the benefits outweigh the negatives. Regardless, I hope you make the choice that is best for you home, family, and budget.

2 thoughts on “Cheap Linoleum”

  1. It appears this article is referencing vinyl flooring, which would lead the uninformed astray. Linoleum is a very good product indeed.

    Reply

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