Benefits
Vinyl flooring was originally made to effectively cover wet areas of
the home such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens inexpensively. However
recent advances in vinyl durability and design have made it a suitable choice for
many other areas of the home such as eating areas and walkways
Here are some of the benefits one should look
at when considering vinyl:
-
Unlimited style and design options - match any
decor
-
Ease of maintenance - no hassles with mopping
-
Good durability - even in traffic areas
-
Broad range of costs - fits all budgets
-
Extremely moisture resistant - for wet area
use
-
Unlimited usage - use in any room of the home
-
Better resiliency - easer underfoot
Vinyl Construction
Vinyl flooring construction consists of a wear surface, design, core structure
consisting of packed layers of vinyl, and backing consisting of felt or vinyl.
A stronger construction results in a more durable vinyl.
Wear Surface
High grade vinyl uses an Enhanced Urethane wear surface. It is highly scrape
and stain resistant. It is easily maintained through regular sweeping and
occasional mopping.
Mid grade vinyl uses a Urethane wear surface.
Although scrape and stain resistant, it is not as durable as Enhance Urethane.
Most entry grade vinyl uses a Vinyl No-Wax
wear surface. It is less stain resistant that Urethane and does require washing
and occasionally polishing to restore its gloss.
Design
Vinyl flooring design is often created by attaching a printed image under the wear
surface similar to laminate flooring. This printed style allows many colors
and patterns to be used in the vinyl design.
An alternative vinyl design is Inlaid Floors.
Inlaid Floors consist of vinyl from the backing to the wear surface to create an
extremely durable floor and modern look.
Vinyl Style
The two most popular styles of vinyl are sheet vinyl and vinyl composition
tiles (VCT).
Sheet Vinyl
Sheet vinyl comes in rolls similar to carpet and it cut in pieces to fit the area
in which it is to be installed. Like carpets, sheet vinyl may have a seam.
Keep this in mind when dealing with patterned sheet vinyl.
Vinyl Tiles (VCT)
VCT has all the benefits of vinyl plus it looks and feels more like ceramic than
sheet vinyl. It consists of individual tiles and actually can be installed
with grout between the tiles. Its design mainly consists of limestone, plasticizers,
fillers and pigments which allow it to mimic the look and feel of ceramic tile,
but at a fraction of the cost. In fact, many people cannot tell the difference.
It is as durable as sheet vinyl however it may require additional cleaning between
the tiles.
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