Floors are something that we don’t pay enough attention to, in our daily lives. We give a lot of thought to how we construct our walls, our countertops, even our ceilings. But how many people give the thought to floors that they really should?
There are a lot of choices when it comes to flooring, from carpet, to stone, ceramic, porcelain, hardwood and vinyl. There are other choices too, but these are the most common choices in residential spaces. The two most popular choices in modernity are vinyl and hardwood, but which one is right for you? Of course, in the end, it very much comes down to personal taste, but there are some technical things to consider as well. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so before you go looking for Vinyl flooring in Odenton, MD, or hardwood flooring, let’s go over the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Floors are not cheap, regardless of material, so you want to make sure you’re choosing something you’ll be happy with before you make a commitment. Always look before you leap, right?
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl is a synthetic material. It’s essentially a type of plastic, if you want to simplify things. What a lot of people don’t realize is that vinyl is the same thing as PVC, something that you standardly only associate with pipes. However, final or PVC are prevalent materials in a a lot of applications, one of which is flooring.
Vinyl is the modern-day take on linoleum, applied in sheets with a type of adhesive. Vinyl can take on just about any appearance, looking very much like hardwood, ceramic, or having ornate and intricate patterns not unlike its ancestor, linoleum.
However, one big disadvantage with linoleum is that it’s a pain to remove, so should it need to be replaced, it’s much more onerous a process than with hardwood. It also has a distinct texture, one that can’t really be abated, meaning that he can’t be made to feel like other materials, regardless of what it looks like. It is also susceptible to scratches, as well as buckling and deformation from extreme temperature fluctuations.
In the event that a scratch occurs, or a stain occurs, it cannot be resurfaced, and must be replaced either in entirety or in sections, depending on the aesthetic and how forgiving it is of being patched. It tends to be very cold, as well.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring can really only look like one thing, that being would. Of course, depending entirely on the wooden style, there are a wide range of aesthetics within this genre, meaning there are plenty of choices. The application of stains can also vary its appearance quite a bit.
The disadvantage with hardwood is that it is very fragile, and far more susceptible to stains from spills or whatnot. However, unlike vinyl, hardwood can be resurfaced and re-stained, making it far easier to repair in many cases. While it is prone to expansion and contraction due to temperature fluctuations, if implemented properly, this is negligible due to its ability to shift the long seems, where vinyl will buckle. It is costlier than vinyl to install, as would is very costly.
Advantages of hardwood include the fact that it tends to be warmer, very insulating and rather comfortable to walk on. Would it tends to absorb more ambient warmth than vinyl, reducing the cold floor effect during cooler times of the year.
Location Matters
In the end, though, where you’re installing this floor matters. It’s a bad idea to install hardwood floors in kitchens or bathrooms, for example, where consistent exposure to moisture could warp or deteriorate it. Hardwood is best suited for living spaces, and vinyl is best suited for places where there’s a lot of moisture. So, you may want to actually look for both Vinyl flooring in Odenton, MD and hardwood flooring if you’re redoing the floors of an entire house, as neither of these is perfect for all scenarios!
