Vinyl Flooring – The Essentials

By and large vinyl flooring is the most common form of resilient flooring material in the U.S. Often the two terms, vinyl floor or resilient flooring are synonymous.

Vinyl flooring is available in varying prices. The low-end vinyl flooring is the cheapest. The price of high-end flooring is comparable to more expensive kind of flooring like hardwood and has equally good appearance too.

Let’s understand the composition of vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring materials constitute different amounts of vinyl. These may have solid or composite vinyl. Solid vinyl implies pieces of vinyl set in vinyl base whereas composite vinyl comprises of pieces set in non-vinyl fillers. Solid vinyl is costlier but more durable. The higher the amount of vinyl components, the better is the quality of flooring. Vinyl floorings are provided with protective coating that may be in the form of urethane that is clear without a coating of wax or it’s all in vinyl, the latter offering better resistance to scratches and stains. However, it may lose its shine more easily than the urethane protective covering. But, then glossy floors tend to be slippery, more so if used in places like bathrooms or kitchens. Both the protective coatings will wear down with time and lose the shine unless these are waxed periodically.

All vinyl floors are provided with a cushion backing, the thickness of which varies with the manufacturer and the quality. Depending upon its place of installation, thickness may play an important role. For instance, kitchen floor should ideally have more cushioning effect to prevent breakage of items that one often drops there. But, as you might guess, a thicker cushion backing would make the floor prone to dents. The limitation may be overcome by using textured vinyl surfaces that don’t make the dents so prominent.

Vinyl flooring is available in the form of tiles or sheets. If you intend installing the floor yourself, you should opt for vinyl tiles as they offer easier and quicker installation. These tiles have an adhesive backing that you just peel off, position the tile on the floor and stick it down with a slight force. Understandably, the surface where the tile is going to be positioned has to be clean and leveled enabling perfect fitment of the tile. Another variety of vinyl tiles is provided with felt backing and would require glue for sticking it onto the surface of the floor. Once glued, their removal poses problems. Another kind, known as vinyl-backed type needs glue on its edges only and can easily be removed if replacement is needed at any time.

Per square foot cost of sheet vinyl is more than tiles. Their installation also needs more time and is not as convenient, thus making it a difficult DIY kind of a project for a normal householder.

AS is always the case, it helps to buy quality product that lasts longer and saves you from frequent replacements, often needed for cheaper variety. And, mind you in this case it’s not only the cost of the material but also the labor and expense incurred for its installation.