When moisture and staining agents become the major problems of most flooring, perhaps it’s time for you to learn the key differences of vinyl tile vs ceramic tile that lead you to choose the most suitable flooring for your home.
Often, people feel confused when it comes to choose a flooring. Typically, vinyl tile and ceramic tile are both excellent at loosing moisture. They are also good at resisting difficult stains.
However, the confusion of selecting one type over the two plays when you need a flooring to install at the bathroom or kitchens.
Both vinyl tile and ceramic tile have their own way of being constructed.
Here they come with the different substances leading to different characteristics dealing with the installation, maintenance and real estate value.
Now learn all the key differences we are going to share in this article including the major differences of vinyl tile vs ceramic tile, the appearance, water and heat, care, maintenance, installation, cost, lifespan, environment, sizes, resale value and comfort and sound.
The Major Differences of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
The materials constructing the vinyl tile is just same with the ones constructing the sheet vinyl.
The materials are thin and typically made from PVC plastic along with the fiberglass backing layer.
This materials are covered by both wear layer and a printed design layer. Vinyl tile can be simply cut into squares in range 9 to 18 inches across.
Some vinyl tile forms are called composite tiles which include the pulverized stone dust in the process of production.
This makes the vinyl tile looks more realistic than the plastic vinyl tiles.
Vinyl tile also comes in term of luxury vinyl that has a thicker layer along with the click-lock edges.
Luxury vinyl is available not only in planks but also in tiles. Noticeably, the luxury vinyl tile is more prestigious than the standard ones. It is also more expensive to afford.
By comparison, ceramic tile is constructed from the natural earth clays combined with the other flooring materials.
A surface glaze is used to cover the ceramic tile. To harden the tile, the materials are fired in ovens.
In this case, porcelain is a kind of ceramic tile. It is constructed from the finer clays and fired at the high degree of temperature, allowing the porcelain to be harder and more durable.
Ceramic tile is much functional to use not only for home flooring but also for countertops, showers and walls. Meanwhile. Vinyl tile focuses on being flooring material only.
Read Also: Consider Luxury Vinyl Flooring Top Manufacturers To Choose The Best Flooring
Appearance of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Though vinyl tile is designed to mimic the look of ceramic tile or stone, the result is not always convincing.
Most of people who have already use the both flooring types can shows well the difference between them.
However, there are a huge option of colors and styles are available in vinyl tiles, permitting you to choose any design you want.
By comparison, ceramic tiles require you to pay a bit for the tiles with an amazing design.
Yet, you can search and find the ceramic tiles based on your likeness since there are a wide selections of colors and styles which are very prestigious and attractive.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for appearance?
The answer is ceramic tiles.
Though it is clearly claimed that vinyl tile is able to mimic the look of ceramic tile, most people say it is just fake.
Water and Heat Resistance of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
The next thing you need to know about vinyl tile vs ceramic tile is the water and heat resistance offered by both of flooring type.
This way, you are going to evaluate which of them will be more resistant to water and heat. It is because water and heat are the common sources of problem for flooring.
In this regards, either vinyl tile or ceramic tile is resistant to water. It is due to the fact that the materials of the two flooring types are added by waterproof feature.
However, water can still seep down the underlayment and subfloor due to the joints of the tiles.
Due to its construction, vinyl tile flooring is entirely resistant to water damage. As mentioned, the joints between the tiles still allow the water to seep down.
Therefore, it is considered that vinyl tile is not as waterproof as vinyl sheet.
Further, an intense heat can also melt and scorch the flooring. Vinyl can also emit the toxic gas when it comes to home fire.
In this case, the luxury vinyl planks are more problematic when it comes to moisture cases. The joints are not as tight as the standard vinyl tiles.
However, vinyl is basically waterproof. There will be no issue if you just wipe the spills as immediately as possible.
Similarly, ceramic tile offers also the good resistance toward the water damage.
Make sure the flooring surface is well-maintained and kept sealed. Further, ceramic tile proves to be resistant to heat damage.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for water and heat resistance?
The answer is ceramic tile.
In fact, both vinyl tile and ceramic tile are impervious to water damage but the water can still seep down through the tile joints.
However, ceramic tile is more resistance to heat than the vinyl tile.
Care and Cleaning of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Vinyl tiles and ceramic tiles are similarly have the easy ways of cleaning the materials.
Sweeping and vacuuming can be the regular way to keep the floors clean from any dirt, dust and debris while damp mopping can be periodically performed to clean the difficult stains.
In this damp mopping, you can combine the mild soap with the warm water to allow you to clean the stains easily.
However, it is far easier to clean the vinyl tile than the ceramic tiles.
The seal coat of ceramic tile can degrade because of the dingy grout lines. Thus, you need necessarily a grout cleaner with bleach.
Now which of the flooring type will be the best for care and cleaning?
The answer is the vinyl tile.
Vinyl tile doesn’t have such grout lines that collect stains or mildew. Truly, vinyl tile is still the one that is easy to care and clean.
Durability and Maintenance of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Our vinyl tile vs ceramic tile review also include the durability and maintenance in the discussion.
In this case, the lifespan of vinyl tile is expected about 10 years under the normal use and condition.
Due to the soft and resilient materials constructing the vinyl tile, it is considered that vinyl tile is more prone to gauges and scratches.
However, it is just easy to replace the damaged tiles with the new ones. The process of heating the tile and loosening its adhesive is also pretty easy.
You can pull the tile out and scrape the floor as well as gluing a new tile over.
On the other hand, ceramic tile has a longer lifespan which is 40 years and even more.
If there is any damaged tiles, you can easily remove and replace them with the new tiles. To keep the ceramic tile floors durable, grout lines must be released every few years.
Additionally, the floors must be cleaned anytime they are dirty and stained either with the debris or mildew.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for durability and maintenance?
The answer is ceramic tiles.
In this case, ceramic tiles are hard and durable.
Installation of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Long ago, vinyl tile uses the glue-down installation technique at which the flooring is troweled onto the subfloor just before the tiles are individually pressed down into the place.
Nowadays, the flooring market has already been dominated by the self-adhesive tiles. Adhesive is provided by the manufacturers completed by the protective paper to cover.
This way, you can peel away when you want to install the tiles. This ease makes the vinyl tile be the choice of DIYers.
Many kinds of luxury vinyl planks and tiles are typically installed as floating floors at which the individual pieces use the snap-lock system to join along the edges.
In this case, this installation technique is the same with that of laminate flooring which is noticeably easy for DIYers.
Differently, ceramic tile use a thin-set adhesive to glue down the tiles on the underlayment of cement floor.
If you purchase partial tiles, you can cut them using the special tool scoring and snapping the tiles.
The tool is usually a power wet saw. When you finish drying the adhesive, fill the joints between the tiles using a mortar-based grout.
Ceramic tile is a labor-intensive, meaning that many DIYers have successfully handled the installation by themselves. However, hiring a professionals is also common.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for installation?
The answer is vinyl tile which is a preferable choice for most DIYers.
Cost of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Cost will also be one of the most crucial consideration included in vinyl tile vs ceramic tile review.
Generally, vinyl tile is low in price. In this case, the big box home improvement centers offers the average prices ranging from $1.50 to $3 per square foot along with the installation cost about $3 per square foot.
To cut off the flooring budget, you can take DIY option, meaning that you install the flooring by yourself.
By comparison, ceramic tiles come with the price around $5 per square foot for the materials and $4 to $14 per square foot for the professional installation. The plain white tiles can cost more than $1 and even more than $20 per square foot for the porcelain tiles.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for installation?
The answer is vinyl tiles.
Truly, vinyl tiles are ideal for most DIYers. On the other hand, ceramic tiles need more amount of work for the installation.
Lifespan of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Vinyl tile is available to last for 10 years. However, you can expect a longer lifespan if it is a light-use condition.
On the other hand, ceramic tile have the longer lifespan which is about 40 years or even more than that.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for lifespan?
The answer is ceramic tile.
No doubt about it. Ceramic tile is not only long-lasting but also highly durable.
Environmental Considerations
Definitely, it is a must to come to environmental considerations.
In this relation, vinyl flooring contains too many toxic chemicals in manufacturing process.
Sadly, these chemicals are unbreakable when they are laid down in the landfills.
Besides, there is a potential possibility that the toxic gases will release when they are burned.
This will make the homeowners think twice since they are environmentally conscious.
On the contrary, thanks to the natural product constructing the ceramic tile with no toxic in its elements.
One thing to remember, old ceramic tiles present will not contaminate the landfills.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for the environment?
The answer is ceramic tile.
Ceramic tile is a very good option for those with environmental concerns.
Sizes of Vinyl Tile Vs Ceramic Tile
Sizes are the other consideration to look at when it comes to choose vinyl tile vs ceramic tile.
In this relation, both vinyl tile and ceramic tile comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes.
However, ceramic tiles offers more options than the vinyl tile. Vinyl tile typically comes with the size of 9 to 18 inches in square shapes.
On the other hand, ceramic variously offers about 3 inches to 18 inches. Ceramic tiles offers not only a square shape but also geometric and rectangular shapes.
So which flooring type will be the best for sizes?
The answer is ceramic tile.
It is due to the big number of shape and sizes options available which are larger than the vinyl tile.
Resale Value
If you are going to sell your home or move to the other dwelling, it is much recommended that you choose the flooring type with the good resale value.
In this concern, vinyl flooring is best described as an economy flooring while ceramic tile is prestigious one.
Some real estate professionals and prospective homebuyers will look at this ceramic tile more especially when the floors are using the designer porcelain tiles.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for resale value?
The answer is the ceramic tile.
Along with the well maintenance, the ceramic floor will look so prestigious and great compared to the vinyl tile flooring.
Read Also: Evaluate Self-Adhesive Vinyl Tiles Review Pros and Cons To Meet Your Need
Comfort and Sound
The last to present in this vinyl tile vs ceramic tile review is the flooring comfort and sound.
Due to the resilient material, vinyl tile is more comfortable and uncrowded underfoot than the ceramic tile which is noticeably hard.
When a china dish dropped on a vinyl flooring, it might survive. On the other hand, it gets shattering when it dropped onto ceramic floors.
One thing to remember is the fact that vinyl flooring can be a kind of hard flooring when it is installed on concrete subfloors.
Dealing with the hard flooring matter, ceramic tile is constructed from a cold flooring materials.
It can be a delightful cozy flooring surface if you don’t install it over radiant heating system.
So which of the flooring type will be the best for comfort and sound?
The answer is vinyl tile.
Though the flooring materials of these both flooring type are hard underfoot, vinyl tile is softer than the ceramic tile.
Final Words
In short, the big benefit offered by the vinyl tile lies in its affordable price and easy DIY installation.
Meanwhile, on most comparison, ceramic tile is best described as a superior flooring with a good look, high durability and good resale value.
