I don’t generally like plastic. It’s cheap, ugly, and environmentally disastrous. I make an exception for vinyl though. It shouldn’t get a pass because it’s still plastic with all of plastics’ flaws and liabilities but there’s just something about it.

Vinyl comes in an almost limitless variety of colors and patterns. It’s tough and durable. You can cover your furniture with it and your floors. It’s easy to clean and maintain. And it’s cheap.

I like Vinyl flooring for all of those reasons but also because when properly installed it’s perfectly flat. If you spend enough money on your marble or limestone flooring you can achieve a flat floor. But it’s not something you can get with any other tile floor for any price and certainly not as cheaply as VCT.

Hardwood floors can be perfectly flat but with the cost of wood. The engineered floors that are so prevalent in homes today are a cheaper alternative to solid wood but they are seldom flat.

Vinyl upholstery is easy to clean. Unlike leather or any other upholstery material, vinyl can just be wiped up without any chance of staining. And like I said before you can get it in almost any color you could possibly imagine. Even white if you’re boring.

Wood, glass, and metal are preferable to plastic in almost every situation. But vinyl brings a practical aesthetic that no other material offers. Color, durability, and cost: no other material can compete on all three fronts like vinyl.