Vinyl Flooring Buying Guide

One of the original smooth flooring types, vinyl flooring has been around since the 1960s. It can often be overlooked in favour of luxury vinyl, but there are so many benefits to installing vinyl flooring in your home. Comfortable and versatile, there’s a vinyl flooring design to suit any room. With a huge range of patterns, colours, and even natural effects like wood and stone, vinyl allows you ultimate flexibility when it comes to the look, with hassle-free fitting and a durable, low-maintenance floor to boot!

If you’re thinking that vinyl is the best fit for your home, our vinyl flooring guide will make sure you get it right every step of the way.

Why choose vinyl flooring?

Also known as sheet vinyl, cushion flooring or lino flooring, vinyl is a great option for those who want the look of a tiled, stone, or wooden floor on a budget. Because of its squishy felt backing and flexible surface, it also brings comfort and warmth to your home - your feet will love the soft feel of vinyl underfoot. If that wasn’t enough, it’s amazingly practical and makes things easier for homes with a busy family, tons of foot traffic, activity… and mess!

Sound good? Here are even more reasons why we love vinyl flooring:

Low maintenance – Because vinyl is super hard-wearing and seamless, it requires minimal TLC to keep it looking lovely.
Affordable – You get a lot of bang for your buck with vinyl! It might be a cheaper flooring option but it’s also really high quality. And unlike laminate, it doesn’t require underlay which helps to keep the cost down.
Easy to clean – A quick sweep and a damp mop all over is all vinyl needs to leave it sparkling. We share more vinyl cleaning tips in our ‘how to clean vinyl floors’ care guide.
Water resistant – The seamless sheet installation means no moisture can get in.
Slip resistant – A textured surface gives added grip, even when it’s a little bit wet.
Stain resistant – The stain resistant topcoat ensures nothing can penetrate the vinyl.
Durable – The tough wear layer and wear guarantees makes vinyl a good investment that will last for years.
Versatile – What other flooring type can be laid anywhere in the house?
Variety of designs – From Mediterranean ceramic tiles to country cottage flagstones and contemporary herringbone wood, vinyl can expertly mimic a range of other flooring designs.
Flexible – Any minor subfloor imperfections are absorbed by the felt backing so vinyl’s great for wonkier rooms.
Comfortable – The soft and flexible structure makes vinyl feel nice to walk on.
Compatible with underfloor heating – A low tog rating allows heat from below to flow into the room.
Easy installation – Vinyl can be cut to size and around awkward shapes with no special tools required. Our ‘how to fit vinyl flooring’ guide can help or you can make it even easier and let us arrange your fitting!

We’re often asked, ‘Is vinyl flooring good?’ and the answer is always a resounding YES! When most people think of vinyl, they’re remembering the old types of lino flooring from the 70s, and modern vinyl is completely different. Pop into any of our Tapi stores or explore online and you’ll be blown away by our vinyl selection, or find out more about the benefits of vinyl flooring.

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How to choose vinyl by room

You’ve probably walked on vinyl flooring in homes and businesses more than once, firmly believing that it was real wood, laminate or stone. Vinyl can be so realistic that guests to your home will never be able to tell the difference. If you’re wondering how to choose vinyl flooring based on the room it’s going to be fitted in, you need to check off the demands or issues of the space against vinyl’s many benefits. You’ll soon narrow it down to the right one!

Bathroom vinyl

Anti-slip, water resistant, easy to clean and stylish, vinyl flooring is a quick way to transform your bathroom. Because of its textured surface, vinyl is safer than tiles which can get pretty slippery from unavoidable water drips and splashes.

Kitchen vinyl

The kitchen is another room where the benefits of vinyl are obvious. Any spills can be quickly mopped up leaving no residue or staining, meaning your floor continues to look as good as new for years!

Lounge vinyl

Thick, cushioned vinyl is comfortable underfoot, and also looks fantastic. Update the cosiest room in your home with a design you love, from wood and stone effect to bold patterns, there’s a vinyl to suit every lounge.

Bedroom vinyl

Soft cushiony vinyl can be great for bedrooms, especially a kid’s bedroom. Let them get creative and play without any fear of the mess. Quick to clean plus comfort underfoot makes vinyl a perfect bedroom choice.

Hallway vinyl

Your hallway sees a lot of traffic, not to mention dirt from outside, so once again vinyl saves the day! Not only does it stand up to punishing footfall, but it’s a breeze to keep clean so your hallways stay bright and welcoming. Sheet vinyl isn’t recommended for stairs, though.

Dining room vinyl

Whatever the occasion, it’s inevitable that your dining room will see its share of spills. With stylish vinyl flooring, you don’t need to worry about that! A wipe-clean surface and a huge range of gorgeous patterns make vinyl a perfect flooring choice for your dining room.

Vinyl flooring styles

Vinyl printing is improving all the time, which means the options for gorgeous vinyl flooring get better and better! You can get almost any design you’d like, and wood, stone and tile effects can be incredibly realistic. This allows you the freedom to transform your home into the stylish space you’ve always wanted, safe in the knowledge that your dream floor is also practical and hard wearing.

Wood effect vinyl

Wood effect vinyl - complete with knots and grain detailing - is fantastically authentic. Available in any wood type you can think of, from a whitewashed oak or pale beech to atmospheric dark walnut, in a range of plank designs and finishes. Some even have a textured surface to make the design even more realistic, especially when you feel it under your bare feet. In fact, the only thing missing from wood effect vinyl is all the maintenance that comes with a real wood floor!

Stone effect vinyl

Stone floors are stunning but they’re really hard and cold to walk on barefoot! This is where stone effect vinyl comes to the rescue, providing the look of flagstone, granite or marble but with a warm, cushiony feel beneath your feet instead. And while natural stone is porous, vinyl is totally stain resistant. Another tick for vinyl!

Tile effect vinyl

Tile effect vinyl is a great affordable alternative that gives the illusion of an expensive tiled floor. If that Victorian tiled floor you’ve always dreamed of is a little out of your price range, that’s no reason to miss out – vinyl flooring will give you the look you want at a fraction of the cost! Vinyl is also cosier underfoot than cold hard tiles, and it adds insulation to make your home warmer too.

Plain vinyl

The impact of a bold, single colour can really make an impact in your space, even if you choose a calm neutral tone. Vinyl comes in any colour you can imagine, so whether you want to keep your flooring neutral or really make a statement with something vivid and eye-catching, you can take your pick. The combination of colour, practicality and affordability makes plain vinyl flooring a worthy investment for your home.

Patterned vinyl

Vinyl comes in a massive choice of designs and styles from zig-zags to stripes and everything in between. Jazz up a room with a funky geometric pattern or a colourful stripe. If you’ve always wanted to add a bit of wow factor to your living spaces or want to brighten your kids’ bedroom with fun and practical flooring, there’s bound to be a patterned vinyl to suit.

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What is the best vinyl flooring?

To find out which vinyl flooring is best, we need to delve a little bit deeper into the tech specs and look at the following elements:

Thickness
Wear layer
Wear guarantee

Vinyls are made up of different layers of materials. Some vinyls have a thick felt or foam cushioned back to give them that extra level of comfort, which feels more luxurious. However, thinner vinyls are better for imperfect subfloors, as lumps and bumps are less noticeable.

Vinyl flooring thickness doesn’t determine the quality of a vinyl. There’s minimal difference in the thickness of our highest and lowest priced vinyls, but there is a difference in the depth of the wear layer, which ranges from 0.25mm to 0.4mm. The wear and tear layer gives the vinyl its durability and resistance which keeps it looking amazing. This is how we calculate the number of wear guarantee years. A top end vinyl has a lifetime guarantee, whereas a cheaper vinyl has around 10 years – which is still a pretty long time!

So, the best vinyl flooring is the one that works best for your home and your needs. If you like the sound of vinyl flooring, order some free samples online or book a home visit and we’ll measure up too. Our Tapi floorologists are ready and waiting to help you in our stores, or if you want to find out more about vinyl, read our vinyl versus laminate guide and the pros and cons of hard flooring.