What is better laminate or linoleum 2

Before the widespread distribution of laminate flooring in Russia, no one had a question whether it was possible to lay the same floor covering in the kitchen, corridor and room. Then everyone knew for sure that linoleum would be suitable for the kitchen and corridor, but in the room it’s better to do, for example, natural wood floor on the logs.

However, the laminate (mainly due to its affordability in the financial sense and “unobtrusive” advertising) brought considerable confusion to the minds of citizens and made them doubt their usual approach to choosing flooring.

What coverage to choose? What is better laminate or linoleum?

To understand this question, one should begin, as they say, “from the basics,” that is, with the composition of these materials for the floor.

What is laminate flooring?

It should be immediately understood that laminate is not a natural material in the usual sense of the word. Of course, in its composition there is wood, but in combination with synthetic components - in the form of fiberboard.

Fiberboard (fiberboard) is made in the following way: fine wood fibers (into which chips are spread or chips) are mixed with synthetic resins and other necessary additives (giving it the necessary properties that protect it from rotting). The resulting mass is pressed to obtain a sheet of fiberboard of the required thickness.

But in order to obtain a laminate, to fiberboard (it is also called an orgalitic base) they add:

• below - balance paper (it does not allow the laminate to sag);
• from above - decorated paper imitating the structure of wood.

To protect the top layer of paper, laminate panels on top are coated with melamine or acrylic resin. Then this whole “cake” is sent under a hot press, where it turns into an already fully completed product (of course, after its complete subsequent cooling).

You can observe the process of making laminate, which is usually used as a floor covering in an apartment or house, using the video at the end of the article.

What is linoleum

Since we are going to compare linoleum with laminate, now we will “look” into the process of its production.

Note! The basis of almost all types of linoleum today is polyvinyl chloride - an artificially created substance from polymers that is not found in such a state in nature. Polyvinyl chloride is considered dangerous because of the release into the air when it is burned a large amount of toxic substances. But whether PVC is dangerous in linoleum is a moot point, and, unfortunately, these days it does not have an exact answer.

To obtain linoleum, plasticizers, fillers (this may be ordinary chalk) and stabilizers are added to the PVC powder. The resulting paste, applied to the fiberglass, becomes the basis of linoleum, to which it remains only to add color with the help of pigments and dyes, and fix everything by heat treatment.

Of course, linoleum also has a protective layer and it is made of ... PVC.

Comparison of the characteristics of laminate and linoleum

Having dealt with the production of laminate and linoleum, you can begin to compare their basic physical and mechanical characteristics, which just play an important role in the suitability and durability of materials when used as floor coverings.

In spite of the fact that both laminate and linoleum belong to the group of available floor coverings, it will be wrong to compare their properties without reference to specific conditions (more precisely, to use in specific rooms).

Therefore, we will compare the characteristics of these two materials in the case of their use in the kitchen and in the corridor.

Kitchen

What awaits the flooring in the kitchen, and how do laminate and linoleum react to changing conditions?

Temperature

In contrast to the living room, in the kitchen there is a significant temperature drop even during the day: the room heats up the stove, used for cooking, household refrigerators and other electrical appliances, as well as the vents opened for ventilation at any time of the year. However, neither laminate nor linoleum practically do not react to such temperature jumps of the surrounding air, therefore it is definitely impossible to say which one is the best in this case. It is also impossible to determine whether the release of these substances from the surface (including harmful to humans) from these surfaces increases without special laboratory tests.

Humidity

If the kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher and a washing machine, then they may slightly increase the humidity in the room, which also to some extent affects the state of the laminate (but its swelling, even if it occurs, is not noticeable to the human eye). Linoleum does not react to an increase in humidity.

Puddles on the floor

Without getting water droplets on the floor to do in the kitchen is almost impossible. It is here that it turns out that even an expensive laminate, whose “locks” are wax-treated in the factory, sooner or later begins to swell a little at the junction of the plates, turning the previously flat floor into “hilly terrain”. But linoleum practically does not react to puddles on its surface.

Furniture marks

Chairs that are constantly moved from place to place, a periodically shifted table and other elements of furniture are able to leave sagging traces on any linoleum. But you will not find such traces on the laminate, unless, of course, the weight of the furniture exceeds a couple of hundred kilograms per foot. True, there may be scratches on the laminate, but in this case it is better to stick felt or felt overlays on the legs.

Traces of food and drink on the floor

Another problem of the kitchen - the eternal traces of food and drinks on the floor - passes without a trace for linoleum (provided that you were able to wash the dirt from its relief), and greatly complicates the lives of those who have laid laminate in the kitchen (use large amounts of water to remove stains in this case is simply contraindicated).

Humidity основания под напольным покрытием

The base can be floor slabs, concrete screed. If in the kitchen there is a laminate on the substrate, its wetting from the base can be practically excluded. The same story with linoleum. True, the moisture of the base still does not pass without a trace - under the flooring can form a "plantation" of mold. Therefore, it is recommended that at least once every five years to remove any floor covering, to clean the base of the mold that has settled there, to re-prime the surface (and, if necessary, also to process penetrating waterproofing compounds), and then re-lay the floor covering (old or new).

Abrasion

In the kitchen, people, children and pets are constantly treading (if they are in the family). If you make repairs about once every ten years, then, in principle, you will not find much difference between linoleum and laminate. Their abrasion at home is minimal.

Drop items

Upon impact from the fall of a heavy object with protruding corners, both the laminate and linoleum react poorly. Eliminate the dents that appear at the same time is quite difficult for linoleum, and it is almost impossible for a laminate. If you leave the damaged laminate plate without replacement, then after some time water will get into the “wound” and the process of warping (swelling-drying) of its surface will begin.

Note! If you drop something on the linoleum floor, not just wrinkled it, but also punched, you can repair the damage as follows: carefully lift only the damaged part of linoleum (use an awl for this) and download a little transparent sealant under it. Then press the same piece of linoleum in place, aligning it. Remove any excess sealant with a cloth. If it has hardened, then carefully cut off the excess with a knife.

Caring for flooring

Any housewife will tell you that in the kitchen it is easier to care for linoleum, since not only large amounts of water, but also various chemical cleaners can be used to clean it. Laminate such treatment can not "survive" and you have to do unscheduled repairs to the kitchen.

Durability

Both laminate and linoleum can exist in the kitchen long enough if you handle them carefully. But since no one is insured from problematic situations (breaking a pipe accidentally poured on the floor of water or falling fatty food, a child artist with a felt-tip pen and other similar situations), according to experts in an ordinary apartment, linoleum will last longer.

Sensations

For those who are used to walking around the house barefoot, not least among the characteristics of the floor will be the sensation of contact with it. Laminate, despite the insulating substrate, will always show "slightly cold", but linoleum, although not warm, will not be able to cause such negative sensations, if, of course, it has a not too thin bottom layer that plays the role of thermal insulation. The exception is "warm floors", but in this case it is necessary to choose ceramic tiles, and not linoleum or laminate.

Corridor

Having considered the highlights of the “work” of flooring in the kitchen, you can smoothly go to the corridor and try to determine which is better for this room - laminate or linoleum? We will not repeat the common moments for the corridor and the kitchen; we’ll dwell only on the individual ones, which are inherent to the corridor.

Floor mats

Favorite and comfortable floor mats in front of the entrance door can play a disservice if there is a laminate in the hallway. Of course, such rugs collect dirt from the shoes quite well, not allowing it to crawl around in other rooms. But along with the dirt, the mats also collect water, which partially “gets” to the surface of the floor covering. And if the linoleum does not react to it, then the seams between the individual laminate plates may swell after some time.

Children

Another important factor that should be considered when choosing which laminate or linoleum is better is children. Small children can “damage” the laminate by making a “puddle” on it. More children manage to ride the corridors (if their space permits) on cars, skates, and even skateboards. In this case, if small irregularities “hid” under the laminate, “locks” begin to break, which cannot withstand the load on the fracture.

Note! Do not buy cheap dark laminate if you recently had a child in your family. The urine of the baby, caught on such a floor (by itself or “using” a wet diaper) will act on it like bleach, and indelible light spots will remain on the laminate.

The choice between laminate and linoleum

Separately, I would like to consider the process of laying these two materials.

Note! A serious disadvantage of linoleum is its fixed size. If your premises (kitchen or corridor) do not fit perfectly into the width of the material offered by our building stores, then you will have to buy it “with a reserve”, that is, overpay for a piece that you may never need anywhere else.

In this regard, laminate can be considered the best material, since it is usually bought almost "butt" in area with a margin of just one or two slats (in case you accidentally cut something wrong).

The processes of laying laminate and linoleum do not differ much in terms of labor intensity:

• Linoleum should be cut to size, then laid on the base and secured with a special glue (if this is not done, then moving air “bubbles” can form during operation). If you just fix it with a plinth (and the plinth is attached to the wall, only pressing the linoleum to the floor), then the linoleum can jump out from under it, even during normal cleaning with a powerful vacuum cleaner, and not just when moving around the kitchen, for example, a refrigerator;
• the laminate should not be laid on glue, but when assembling the coating, it will be necessary to cut (saw off) the end strips, adjusting the size of the room to the thermal gap near the walls (this also requires time and skill).

Note! The optimum thickness of the substrate under the laminate is two millimeters. With a thicker substrate, with a load on it (for example, when walking), a “trampoline effect” appears, which leads to the gradual and final destruction of side “locks” and the formation of visible cracks between adjacent floor covering elements.

Video

This video shows how linoleum is made and laid:

This video shows how a laminate is made and what affects its cost: