Vintage Style Linoleum

Vintage-look linoleum - what is it anyway? When it comes to buying a new floor, there is often a lot of confusion about the correct terminology. Prejudices and misunderstandings persist. It happens often enough that you go in search of a special floor covering and end up realising that you have been using the wrong terms all your life. This can, of course, complicate the search for the perfect floor.

A similar thing happens when people are looking for vintage-style linoleum. Because this term evokes confusion among professionals in the flooring industry. In this post, we explain what vintage linoleum is all about!

Linoleum - what is it anyway?

"Linoleum? Isn't that the old plastic floor my grandma had in the kitchen?". This sentence is standard when it comes to linoleum floors. While it is possible that Grandma had a linoleum floor in the kitchen, it was certainly not made of plastic. The likelihood is higher that Grandma's kitchen was adorned with an LVT floor: a vinyl floor available in rolls that enjoyed great popularity in the 1960s.

If linoleum has nothing to do with plastic, then what is it? Like LVT flooring, linoleum is also available by the metre. However, linoleum tiles and planks are also available today. Unlike vinyl by the metre, however, linoleum is not made of plastic, but of mainly natural raw materials. Linseed oil, natural resins, jute, wood flour, cork, limestone as well as natural colour pigments are classically found in a linoleum floor. This makes linoleum not only extremely sustainable compared to other floor coverings, but also extremely hard-wearing by nature.

But what is vintage-look linoleum?

Vintage-look linoleum - or did you mean vinyl flooring?

When customers ask for linoleum with a vintage look, they usually mean a vinyl floor. The floor covering made of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride) had a bad reputation for a long time because harmful plasticisers were found in it. However, plasticisers are necessary to give LVT flooring its typical elastic properties. Today, in addition to using plasticisers that are not harmful to health, manufacturers are focusing on manufacturing methods that are as environmentally friendly as possible.

Today, vinyl flooring impresses with a very good price-performance ratio. Not only is vinyl by the metre available in numerous designs, but high-quality LVT flooring is also very durable and offers a high level of comfort such as foot warmth, a pleasant walking sensation and impact sound insulation.

Linoleum flooring: areas of application and design possibilities

The fact that linoleum in a vintage look is confused with vinyl flooring is probably due to the format. Both are elastic floor coverings that are classically available in rolls. While you can get LVT flooring in widths of up to five metres, linoleum can only be produced in widths of up to two metres, as the heavyweight does not allow for wider rolls.

Although the design selection is also limited, the technology is improving all the time. Wood-look linoleum, such as from the Forbo Impressa collection, can now also keep up with design floor coverings.

Linoleum is increasingly used in education and health care because the flooring withstands heavy foot traffic and is very hygienic.

Meanwhile, however, linoleum flooring in the form of click-linoleum is also being celebrated in the living area. An optimal choice for sustainable living!

Vintage look LVT flooring - the alternative to linoleum in a vintage look

If the search for linoleum in a vintage look will prove to be almost endless, you will probably quickly find what you are looking for in the LVT sector. In addition to the used-look LVT flooring, you will also find romantic squiggles and ornaments on many of the LVT floorings. Since LVT flooring can be printed with any pattern, you benefit from a rich selection. It is best to choose an LVT floor that is not too cheap to get a realistic and appealing design.

Conclusion

Linoleum and LVT flooring are often confused with each other due to their format and similar texture. Linoleum flooring is characterised by sustainability and is particularly valued in the contract sector for its high durability. In the form of click linoleum and tiles, however, the sustainable floor is also becoming increasingly popular in the living area because of its positive eco-balance.

Although vintage look linoleum cannot be produced this way, the technical possibilities are always improving. If you attach importance to a nostalgic design, you should choose an LVT or vinyl floor with a vintage look. But who knows what vintage-look linoleum manufacturers will surprise us with in the future?

Until next time, your team from BRICOFLOR, the expert for walls and floors!