Design flooring as a parquet alternative - purchase recommendation, manufacturer

The environmental balance, for example compared to linoleum...

Do you have details on that? Unfortunately, chemistry is not my area of expertise.

So, for example, how does the environmental balance of linoleum and Ecuran differ?
They both seem to consist mostly of vegetable oil and solids like lime and fibers?

Do you have details on that? Unfortunately, chemistry is not my field.

I am not a chemist myself and rely on secondary literature. The materials can be of purely natural origin – oxidized linseed oil with cork, wood or mineral components, natural pigments, and jute as a carrier material. Thus, they are fully compostable without residues during disposal (provided one does not use the nastiest glue, wood flour from the tropics, etc.). I do not know the energy balance in production.

For those who reject design flooring, are you yourselves afraid of the Blue Angel?

The Blue Angel by no means certifies the complete harmlessness of a product. It only states that the labeled products are more environmentally friendly than comparable products in this product group – however, the Blue Angel does not provide any information about which of two awarded products is better. Consumers can therefore choose the product that is not ideal but "better than one without the label." This is sometimes considered deceptive packaging, but actually applies to many labels.

The label is only awarded upon application. Consequently, there are products on the market that meet the criteria but do not carry the label. This means that there may be "better" products than those with the Blue Angel label, which are just not recognizable as such. Even environmental and consumer protection advocates do not always refrain from criticism. For example, Swedish conservation authorities discovered that solvent-free and solvent-reduced paints, which had received the Blue Angel in Germany, posed a serious problem in wastewater treatment plants. When the preservatives contained in the paint residues entered the wastewater, they killed the microorganisms in the sewage tanks. The consumer magazine Öko-Test was finally able to classify only four out of 33 tested varnish paints for DIY use, including 26 with the Blue Angel, as unreservedly recommendable.

Are there still any factual arguments against design flooring with Blue Angel?

Vinyl floors are also just PVC – they were only renamed because the term "PVC" is rightly considered tainted.

The production of PVC polymer based on petroleum and rock salt already releases dangerous pollutants: among others, dioxins. Substances in this group can enter the air, groundwater, and soil. They decompose biologically only very slowly, accumulate especially through food intake in animal and human fat tissue, and are toxic to varying degrees. The most poisonous dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), for example, has been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1997 and is extremely toxic even in the smallest amounts.

To make the brittle and hard PVC in its raw state moldable, floor manufacturers use plasticizers. In further processing, phthalates are still frequently used, which are legally regulated in children's products. These are not chemically bound in the material. They can enter the human body primarily through household dust and continuously escape from the floors – only when the material becomes porous is it assumed that the contained plasticizing substances have fully or at least largely evaporated. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, phthalates are "now detected everywhere in the environment." In Western Europe alone, the annual production volume amounts to around one million tons. More than 90 percent go into the manufacture of soft PVC products such as flooring.

Often additional substitute plasticizers are also used. These compounds have not yet been sufficiently investigated for possible health risks! Dibutyltin is also often contained as a UV stabilizer; this can already impair the immune and hormone systems of animals and presumably humans at smaller doses.

Another topic is the substances used as flame retardants, such as tributoxyethyl phosphate (TBEP), which is considered irritating to skin and eyes. Or other organophosphorus compounds, which are considered highly hazardous to water.

Hello everyone,
thank you very much for your numerous responses. Unfortunately, I was a bit busy yesterday and am only getting back to you now. Basically, I did not want to start a controversy about environmental compatibility, etc. I think everyone should decide that for themselves... ;).

I don’t quite understand floating vinyl. It is usually on a fiber backing. Then you might as well install laminate, because most of the advantages mentioned above are lost!

I think that was misunderstood. I meant glued vinyl directly on the screed, if I still have the context right in mind.

If it only comes down to scratches and dents, there’s not much against it. The problem with parquet is that the wear layer is often so thin (2-3mm) that even a dropped pair of scissors can penetrate it completely. And then you don’t have a character scratch but see the chipboard shining through.

Correct, parquet manufacturers save on every corner and at every end. Please understand that I am not willing to pay over €100/m2 for a plank that is even remotely as large as what you can get as a design floor.

Corresponding parquet with a thicker wear layer or even solid wood planks are correspondingly significantly more expensive, aside from special offers and B-grade goods, which must first exist in the desired décor and quantity. Not everyone pays off their house and land with half equity.

And it gets really expensive... I won't be able to afford farmhouse planks and solid wood...

No underfloor heating in the house? Carpet in the play area?

Yes, and yes ;).

The Blue Angel by no means certifies the complete harmlessness of a product. It only states that labeled products are more environmentally friendly than comparable products in this product group – but the Blue Angel does not provide information about which of two awarded products is better. The consumer can therefore decide on the product that may not be ideal, but is “better than another without a label.” This is sometimes considered a gimmick, but it actually applies to many labels.

I think it’s still not wrong to pay attention to that...

Basically, we have now heard about two brands/products Classen and PureLine. Do you have any other tips/suggestions?

We are currently installing Parador Basic 4.3 (click vinyl) throughout the house and are very satisfied. The floor is definitely quieter than laminate, which is probably due to the approximately 40-50% higher specific weight. We paid 26€/sqm plus impact sound insulation. We also had the ModularOne in mind but decided against it because it has to be sawed. The Basic 4.3 can be scored with a cutter and then snapped. Since we are equipping the entire house (except for storage rooms and bathrooms) with it, this is a considerable advantage. I am now considering whether to additionally seal the floor (for durability).