Why You Need an Easy and Inexpensive Vinyl Kitchen Rug

I know it’s a little pathetic how excited I am over this $25 vinyl rug purchase, but I’m here to tell you it’s pretty fantastic. Okay, you probably also realize that this is not a rug at all. It’s simply vinyl flooring cut to size. Still, I absolutely love this vinyl floor mat solution for our kitchen and you might find that vinyl or linoleum rugs make a great addition to your dining area as well.

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The Perfect Kitchen Rug

We had been constantly scrubbing and sweeping small bits from our tile floors due to our toddler’s creative eating style and it had just become a pain to keep the tile and grout clean. I wanted to find a floor covering that would protect our tile and be easy to clean. Clearly textured rugs were out of the question so I looked to vinyl floor mats. They had some really beautiful vinyl mats on Amazon, but the price tags were painful. Luckily, the same material is available at some pretty economical prices at most home stores.

I headed over to Menards, thinking I would purchase some cheap vinyl roll flooring and cut it to size. Before I went that route though, I looked at the remnants and pre-cut 6 x 9 ft rolls that were already priced at a discount. Menards sells pre-cut $25 rolls of vinyl and linoleum, but they’re not always the prettiest patterns. Luckily, I found the perfect roll amongst that selection. Well, actually I’m using the underside of the roll. I noticed that a few of the rolls had this lovely red grasscloth-like pattern on the bottom. It sure is better than the weird faux tile pattern on the other side and it adds a pop of color to our kitchen. I was sold, and so was the vinyl roll. I loaded it up and drove it home.

It’s been a month now and I’m still in love with this vinyl flooring. It is so easy to clean. Simply wipe up any spills with a damp cloth and maybe a little Simple Green if necessary. It has weathered orange juice, blueberries, cake, ketchup, coffee and more without a stain. It really is perfect for our current needs.

The only aspect of this flooring that I didn’t like was the vinyl smell. We had to unroll the vinyl and let it off gas in the garage for a day or two. The smell dissipated rather quickly though and now it’s fine.

Customize Vinyl Roll Flooring

I love the look of this rug, but you could totally go for a different style by finding a vinyl pattern you like at the store and having it cut to size. Depending on the style and size of the remnant, it probably wouldn’t be that much more expensive. You could also paint and seal the vinyl flooring using a good quality oil-based paint and polyurethane. I have seen this done, but I personally don’t have the time for that and honestly don’t know how well that would hold up from day to day wear. Still, it might be fun to try in a different application where the vinyl would not have as much traffic.

For our purposes of needing a large, affordable, and easy-to-clean floor covering that wouldn’t break the bank, we really couldn’t get much better than vinyl flooring. If you have messy little ones or pets, this is the best no-mess, easy-clean flooring option.

So the next time you’re at your local home store, swing by the vinyl floor rolls and check out what they have to offer. It’s a great economical option for a kitchen or dining area to protect your floors and add some color or pattern to your space.