Lino Flooring Disadvantages

Question: If I wish to install lino flooring at my home what would be the disadvantages? Are they really efficient alternative to vinyl PVC?

Answer: Though eco friendly and one of the best alternatives to vinyl, one should be conversant with the lino flooring disadvantages. One of the men made building materials the lino structure has some great eco credentials. They are man made and the materials must still have to be processed and manufactured. Using lots of energies as well as creating wastes, this is never a 100% eco choice but is one of the best bridges between natural products and synthetic products. However the main disadvantage is that all manufactured products, and lino structures are no exception, would be lesser to natural as well as sustainable products that are not manufactures. For the purpose of flowing and in particular areas requiring the moisture resistance, lino could be a very good alternative.

Originally lino was constructed using vinyl and combining it with cork dust as well as a variety of chemicals. This was the adopted process during the 1960s and 1970s. Today the lino is made of natural materials, linseed oils, Hessian, pine rosins, wood flour, lime stones, and a jute backing with coloring. Lino structure is now available in a large variety of colors and patterns and they are also available in form of sheets or tiles. In terms of prices the cost is somewhat similar to the wood as well as carpet structure choices that a customer might have. However the very long lifespan and durability makes it more cost effective. In fact the lino can survive up to thirty years or more.

Lino ground structures are suitable for both residential and commercial purposes. Only disadvantage is that though they clone wood and carpet quite naturally they may not be as decent looking as such structures. Normally the lino is ideal for bathrroms, ensuites as well as kitchen where resilient floors are required. More often they are also made for furniture making. Some of the advantages of lino are that they are very comfortable and warm underfoot as well as non toxic in nature. They do not emit any harmful gaseous elements. Natural linseed oil creates good antibacterial properties. You can easily wipe out spills and liquids falling on them without getting stains. Lino also does not attract dust and at the same time is waterproof. Another great advantage is that it does not invite fire and is fire resistant while being flexible. One may not easily identify scratches or scuffs since the color is not surface paint. Good resistance to indentation from the static loads, cracks, and abrasions also make it one of the favorites with home makers. Best of all, it gets tougher with the passage of time and is self healer to some extent.

A couple of disadvantages of lino flooring are the low sound absorption properties and after installation the linseed oil releases some natural color as it cures. High levels of embodied energy are dispersed during the manufacture of the fabric and its distribution. However, leaving apart these few disadvantages, lino structures are the most viable and affordable alternative to vinyl flooring.

Tags: lino flooring, linoleum, Linoleum Flooring, Vinyl Flooring

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Vinyl Floors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.