Laminate or linoleum?

Once faced with repair, a person begins to be interested in various issues that he did not even care about before. What wallpaper or wall paint to choose? What kind of lighting to install? How to decorate windows? Another popular question that worries almost every homeowner is the choice of floor covering. The choice varies between laminate and linoleum, as these options are today the most popular. So, what to give preference? Let's try to understand.

What is the difference between laminate and linoleum?

Before you start analyzing the properties of each of the materials, you need to decide what they are. So, laminate is a coating consisting of layers. In the lower part is a layer of moisture-resistant paper above which is a layer of rigid fiberboard. In the upper part there is a moisture-proof film, pasted with polygraphic paper with a pattern imitating parquet laid from valuable wood (maple, cherry, beech). The acrylic / melamine resin layer completes the construction, which provides resistance to abrasion, color fastness and chemical resistance. Laying of the laminate is carried out by docking special locks.

Unlike laminate, linoleum is made of polymers and special additives that provide resistance to mechanical stress. Linoleum as well as laminate consists of many layers, but their composition and purpose are radically different. Instead of fiberboard, foam is used instead of fiber board, and vinyl is used to protect the protective function. Linoleum can have a fibrous base, increasing its thickness and hiding the unevenness of the floor. Laying cloth is carried out with the help of a close in composition binder material or special glue.

What to choose - linoleum or laminate?

After understanding the definitions of these two floor coverings, you can begin to discuss the merits and demerits of each of them. Here the following points matter:

1. Soundproofing . Laminate itself weakly extinguishes the noise. Of course, the soundproofing level will be affected by the quality of the substrate, but it will not save you from the knocking of heels or the sounds of falling objects. Linoleum is a more plastic coating, so it partially extinguishes shock loads. High soundproofing properties have a thick linoleum with a foamed or felt base.
2. Insulation of the apartment . If we compare the thermal conductivity of polyurethane and wood, then the linoleum will lose. But there is one "but" here. The thickness of the laminate intended for homes starts at 0.6 cm, while the same thickness is the maximum for a typical linoleum. It must also be taken into account that the thickness of the pedestal affects the properties of the floor. Even a few millimeters of inexpensive isolone under the laminate will provide a degree of thermal insulation no worse than that of thick linoleum.
3. Ecology . Connoisseurs of all natural ask the only question - what is ecological, laminate or linoleum? Many mistakenly believe that the laminate is completely ecological, justifying it by the fact that its basis is a fibreboard. But what about the other layers that give it a decorative look? After all, they are completely synthetic.

On the naturalness of linoleum in general is not worth talking, because it is made of polyvinyl chloride. Thus, both materials have synthetic inclusions, therefore can not be called ecological.

4. Moisture resistance . Manufacturers of laminate openly declare that under the influence of humidity their products can be shattered and swelled. Linoleum is not the same. He not only heroically carries the washing of the floor, but also will not let the neighbors down from the bottom.

conclusions

As you can see, laminate and linoleum have a number of advantages and disadvantages. Ideally, it is better to select the floor covering in each room. So, it is better to put linoleum in rooms with high traffic (kitchen, hallway), and in all other rooms - laminate.