Natural linoleum is true linoleum. Nowadays, vinyl sheet flooring is often called linoleum, but be aware these are very different products. (And that is technically not the accurate word for vinyl sheet flooring).
Genuine linoleum or traditional linoleum is made from all-natural materials in the core of the product, including linseed oil, pine resin, wood or cork flour, and limestone.
Unlike vinyl resilient flooring, linoleum resilient flooring is breathable, extremely low-VOC, and very gentle on the environment.
Vinyl sheet flooring is plastic-based, not permeable, and very durable to water. But it’s significantly higher in offgassing, can contain problematic plasticizers, and is hard on the environment.
A third option, polyurethane sheet flooring, has the best of both worlds in that it is a waterproof plastic but without the offgassing and plasticizers of vinyl sheet.
I will compare natural linoleum (marmoleum brand), to vinyl resilient flooring (vinyl sheet), and polyurethane resilient flooring (polyurethane sheet).
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Natural Linoleum
Marmoleum, the only natural true linoleum currently available for residential use in North America, is made from linseed oil, pine resin, wood flour, limestone, and dry natural pigments. They are mixed and then calendared onto a backing. This is mostly all-natural except for the UV-cured synthetic sealer on top and the backing in the tile version.
The glue used to install it claims zero-VOC and does contain mildewcides (typically isothiazolinones).
Three Types of Marmoleum
- The roll-down flooring is the most typical kind of genuine linoleum. The sheet has a jute backing and is glued down. You can use the sheets in wet areas like kitchens and bathrooms if it’s properly installed.
- The modular tiles are also glued down, they have a polyester backing (not jute, and not fiberglass as some websites say) and are slightly more rigid.
- The “click” is the same sheet (roll down) material mounted onto a substrate of High-Density Fiberboard (HDF) and cork. The HDF is formaldehyde-free, though the binder is not disclosed. The click-together has the advantage of not needing glue for the installation and being a lot more DIY-friendly to install.
The TopShield2, a synthetic topcoat, is fairly new and is less permeable than the original TopShield, so water is less likely to soak through even if you do leave standing water. However, this is still a “breathable” material.
This flooring type feels warm to the touch and is not slippery.
The warranty for Marmoleum is 30 years.
Eco-Friendly Specs
- Climate positive (cradle to gate) from the origins to the final product, without buying carbon credits.
- The raw materials used for creating Marmoleum are rapidly renewable and have absorbed such an amount of CO2 during the time the plants, trees, and crops have grown, that this amount of CO2 exceeds the amount of CO2 that is emitted during the production process of linoleum.
- Produced with 100% green electricity derived from the sun and wind, not adding any CO2.
Other brands of natural linoleum include Tarkett, which only makes a commercial line. To read more about that brand see my article on natural linoleum.
While we don’t know the VOC (volatile organic compound) level of Marmoleum, it has a very similar if not almost the same main composition as Tarkett which lists its VOCs as ≤10 μg/m3. This is very low. Also, we can assume that most if not all of the VOCs are naturally occurring from the linseed and pine.
Vinyl Resilient Flooring
Vinyl resilient flooring is a very different product from true linoleum even though this is very commonly referred to as linoleum.
This is made primarily of PVC. Currently, in the Pharos databases, the brands that list their full or partial ingredients list the plasticizer as DOTP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate). This is a non-phthalate plasticizer that is so far understood to be safer than phthalates and to leach less. It also does not have any current known health effects. I write a little more about it in my article on vinyl plank flooring.
I definitely would still confirm with the brand that you want to use that it is free of phthalates.
The main downside of vinyl resilient flooring is that it is much higher in VOCs than just about any other type of flooring.
While this product is sometimes used in the kitchen or bathroom it’s most commonly used in mobile homes and in trailers.
Polyurethane Resilient Flooring
Polyurethane is the best alternative to vinyl resilient flooring if you want the same characteristic of a plastic sheet flooring without the offgassing and plasticizers, as these seem to have almost no offgassing and don’t contain any plasticizers.
Bio-based polyurethane means it’s made of 90% natural oils like castor oil (no linseed). It barely has an odor. It also contains minerals. The backing gives off just slightly more odor than the top – the backing contains PE and fiberglass.
I really like these polyurethane floors, and these are my top pick for healthy resilient flooring (especially if you need it to be more resilient to sitting water than Marmoleum).
Brands
Shaw Contract (which is a commercial line) has a bio-based polyurethane. While this brand is not available to individual homeowners, it’s a product we can push for in mass-produced trailers, schools, offices, and other places where vinyl sheet might normally be used.
Another company making bio-based polyurethane for homeowners (non-commercial) is Wineo, their Purline Organic Flooring. They have dealers in Europe, Asia, the US, and Canada. Their flooring is pictured above.
In terms of what’s in them, Mannington Mills (commercial) provides a full Declare label on their acrylic-polyurethane sheet flooring here, (they also claim to be 0 VOC) and Tecknoflor provides their full Declare label on their polyurethane floors here.
Corinne Segura holds certificates in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.
carole wiles
hello hello, and thank you! okay, we picked out the marmoleum colours and getting ready to schedule install, but i lost the page with the info about any adhesives, feather finishes that i saw (and actually took notes, but can’t find those either) on on your website Corine….???
Corinne
i mention the glue only briefly in the main nontoxic flooring post. if by feather finishes you mean self leveling cement i have an article on that. i also have most of my recommendations on marmoleum install in the article on flooring for a bathroom.
Shelagh
You have a great site. I’m wondering what you think of Forbo’s luxury vinyl tiles? Thanks for your time and any insights you have. https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-gl/sustainability/vinyl/plam00#:~:text=Our%20vinyl%20flooring%20is%20safe&text=That%20means%20that%20our%20vinyl,based%20inks%2C%20and%20no%20PCP.
Corinne
check out the article on vinyl plank as almost all brands have the same composition and that will show you what to ask about