What is Loose Lay Vinyl Flooring?

Hard wood flooring is beautiful, but it comes with a lot of drawbacks.  It is difficult to take care of, for one thing. 

Photo by Roman Bozhko on Unsplash

Of course, there are plenty of other things to take into account when it comes to their maintenance and event installation.  However, there is another option that we can take to achieve a similar look without all the frustrations.

This is, as you may have guessed from the title of this article, vinyl flooring.  There are a few different variations of it, of course.  For anyone looking into getting new floors for their home and have not made up your mind yet, I do hope this can serve as a valuable resource for you!

What is Vinyl?

The big question that most people have in regard to this is what the difference between laminate and vinyl is for floor panels.  To answer this, we do not really have to look far.  You see, the former does include some form of natural hard wood, while the latter is entirely synthetic.  What you prefer will largely be up to personal taste levels and preferences, though.

What is the appeal of vinyl, then?  Why go for something synthetic?  As you can probably guess, there are several reasons.  The first is probably how durable it is.  It can last for years beyond other types, which is a big deal for a lot of homeowners.

There is also the fact that it can be cleaned rather easily, and the cleaning products used do not have to be as specific as the ones for something like hard wood.  Of course, its water resistance is nothing to sneeze at either, since so many other types of floors do not offer that sort of innate protection.  Clearly, it brings a lot to the table.

Different Styles 

Perhaps part of why loose lay vinyl floorings have exploded in popularity in recent years is how adaptable they are to whatever space you need them in.  As you can see pictured above, many dance studios utilize this material for their purposes.  Obviously, though, I do not expect the average consumer to want it in this style.

One of the biggest perks to selecting this type is all of the different choices that we have.  Often, they come in large slabs or planks that are meant to imitate wood, depending on what look you have opted to go with.  Because of how appealing wood flooring is to so many people, most opt for that sort of appearance.  You should feel free to inquire with your provider and/or installation company about what you can pick from.

Whether you want to emulate cherry wood, hickory, or oak, there will always be something to tickle your fancy.  Thanks to how long-lasting it is, as well, you will not have to worry about going through the arduous process again for the foreseeable future.  With all of these positives, it might make you wonder, though – is there a catch?

So – are there Drawbacks?

As with pretty much every single consumer good on the market out there, there are some negative aspects to getting a vinyl floor installed in your home.  Thankfully, though, they are few and far in between.  You can find some examples on this page: https://homeinspectioninsider.com/disadvantages-vinyl-plank-flooring/.  

I know that I have talked about their longevity a few times in this article today, but I will make note of the fact that they tend not to last as long as hard wood floors that are taken proper care of.  That is something to bear in mind if you are deciding between the two, of course.

Of course, if you maintain your vinyl, it will last plenty long.  Some steps to doing that are limited its exposure to direct sunlight (that means closing your curtains sometimes), sweeping or mopping up any dirt that you see at least every other day, and wiping up any spills as soon as they occur.  Check out other steps online if you are still worried about it.

The final point that I would like to make here is that they are often not considered a very eco-friendly option because of the manufacturing process.  To me, though, it is up to us as consumers to choose what we consider to be the lesser of two evils.  Whether that is using fewer real trees but more plastics or vice versa will be up to you, though.

So, are they worthwhile to install?  That will be your call, at the end of the day – all I can do is provide you with these facts and then allow you to decide from there!  No matter what direction you decide to go for, I do hope that I have been of some help here in this article today!