Tiles vs Vinyl Flooring: Which Should I Choose for My Home?

A breakdown of their pros and cons.

While flooring options are plentiful, the choice between tiles and vinyl flooring is perhaps one of the most common dilemmas homeowners face – which is probably why you’re reading this article in the first place.

Before choosing either tiles or vinyl, it’s important to remember that each material comes in various forms, which can affect things like their durability and price:

The different types of tile and vinyl flooring

Tiles typically come in two main categories:

• Ceramic tiles: a white/red body tile made with a softer type of clay
• Porcelain tiles: a denser, harder type of tile that is made with a harder type of clay (kaolin) and fired at a higher temperature than ceramic tiles.

Additionally, one subgroup of porcelain tiles is homogenous tiles, which are full-body tiles that have a consistent colour and composition throughout the entire build.

Similarly, vinyl comes in separate forms:

• Sheet vinyl: the most popular type of vinyl flooring in Singapore, coming in large, continuous sheets.
• Vinyl plank: plank-like flooring made with vinyl, to imitate the look of hardwood
• Vinyl tiles: similar to vinyl planks, they are tiles made with synthetic materials like PVC (not clay, unlike regular tiles).
• Luxury vinyl tiles or planks: made with sturdier materials to mimic the feel of hardwood. Pricier than regular vinyl.

Now that you understand the different types of tiles and vinyl, here’s a breakdown of each material group based on several factors:

1. Cost: vinyl

In general, vinyl is cheaper than tiles. In Singapore, vinyl flooring is typically priced at around $4 to $8 per square foot, while tile prices can hover anywhere between $5 to $35 per square foot.

Note that these prices are for the materials alone, and does not include labour costs, which will be addressed in the subsequent point.

2. Ease of installation: vinyl

Across the board, vinyl flooring is easier to install. Sheet vinyl can be installed by simply gluing it down onto the subfloor, while many vinyl planks and tiles are installed via a secure click-lock system.

In contrast, the tile installation process is a little more complicated and involves:

1. Prepping the subfloor to ensure that it’s clean, dry, and level.
2. Applying the adhesive (mortar)
3. Laying down the tile
4. Grouting the joints

As installing tiles takes significantly more time and effort, labour costs will also be on the higher side. Tile installation costs are around $4 to $6 per square foot, while vinyl installation costs are around $1 to $4 per square foot.

3. Durability: tiles

Between ceramic and porcelain tiles, the latter is significantly more durable as the material composition and manufacturing process makes them much harder and denser.

This quality is also what makes porcelain tiles much more durable than vinyl. Not only are they resistant to scratches as well as wear and tear, they’re also not prone to discolouration, which vinyl can be susceptible to after its protective layer wears off.

4. Water and heat resistance: tiles

Porcelain tiles once again come out on top with their incredible resistance to both heat and moisture, which makes them ideal for use in kitchens and bathrooms.

Vinyl, on the other hand, is susceptible to warping when exposed to high levels of heat and moisture, especially if not applied properly.

5. Maintenance and ease of cleaning: vinyl

Both tiles and vinyl are relatively easy to maintain and clean – all it takes is regular sweeping and mopping to ensure that they remain in tip-top condition. Just make sure to avoid using rough materials like steel wools to prevent any scratches and marks.

Additionally, for tiles, you’ll need to spend some time cleaning the grout as it can get dirty easily. Consider weekly or fortnightly cleans with a grout brush, using grout cleaner (or plain ol’ water and baking soda) to get rid of dirt and grime.

6. Design and overall aesthetics: it depends

Walk into any flooring shop, and you’ll find that both tiles and vinyl come in many different designs. The former, however, has an edge with its sheer variety of designs (like wood looks, stone, terrazzo, etc.) while vinyl tends to lean towards wood-like aesthetics.

On the flip side, it’s harder to achieve a seamless design with tiles as grout lines visually break up the look.

One solution to this is to opt for large-format tiles – which, while pricey, will help minimise the number of grout lines. Alternatively, applying marble gum grout can also add a glossy top polish for an overall seamless look.

7. Health and safety: tiles

Slip resistance: it depends

While regular tiles and vinyl are generally smooth, both materials have non-slip variants with textured surfaces that provide extra grip – a quality that is extra useful in slippery areas like the bathroom, or in households with elderly grandparents.

VOC emissions: tiles

Following the news of homeowners falling ill after a renovation, it’s no surprise that more people are becoming easily concerned about formaldehyde emissions – particularly from the materials used in their home.

Due to the PVC used in its construction, vinyl flooring is unfortunately one of the contributors to such emissions. While there are low VOC variants out there, vinyl still loses out to tiles as the latter does not emit any VOCs at all.

So, should you choose tiles or vinyl flooring?

Both tiles and vinyl flooring have their pros and cons, so it ultimately depends on you and your lifestyle needs. As a starting point, here are our recommendations: