Vinyl flooring - the cheaper alternative to hardwood
Wednesday, 16 March 2011 7:23 PM
Alastair Darling's Budget may have made some people better off and some worse off, depending on a range of circumstances from their consumption of cider to housebuying intentions. Of course, those in the latter category may be first-time buyers who are planning to move into a home worth more than £125,000 and less than £250,000 and who are therefore going to save money on stamp duty. Those lucky people might decide this means they can spend a bit more on flooring.
But many people will not be in that category, not least those looking to install a new floor where they already live. For those where the budget is stretched, the question is that of where economies may be made without compromising on style and appearance.
Thankfully, these days vinyl sheet flooring can offer the wood effect for less. Despite being made from a type of plastic, the development of the technology involved in making the material has advanced to the point where it can not only take on the appearance of wood, but do so in a variety of styles. So whether that means oak, ash, beech or any other hardwood, vinyl flooring can do it. Similarly, it can emulate light or dark wood, charcoal effects, not to mention different types of planking and markings.
Of course, cheap vinyl flooring does not have the natural warmth or sheen of wood, but it offers its own particular qualities that in themselves may appeal to homeowners - and its low cost is just one of them?
For one thing, it is scratch resistant, perhaps to a greater degree than hardwood. It is waterproof too, which means that while wood may expand and contract with moisture and sustain damage if allowed to soak up standing water, vinyl remains impervious to spills and splashes. This in turn leads on to the fact that vinyl is easy to clean and does not pick up stains in the way other surfaces - including wood - can do.
And oak vinyl flooring can also be cushioned, meaning that it is nice and soft underfoot - which by definition hardwood is not - while still maintaining that wooden look.
So while some may pick hardwood flooring in an ideal world and given a bigger wallet, it could just be that the cheaper option of hardwood-effect vinyl flooring has more going for it than some imagine.
