The floor in your home is the one surface area that receives the most traffic. It’s subjected to a great deal of wear and tear, and since everyone is continually walking on it, playing on it, dropping something on it, you need to invest in a high-quality flooring solution. Are you thinking about installing vinyl flooring in your home? More and more homeowners are becoming aware of the advantages of vinyl flooring.
Why go over budget when vinyl can readily replicate the look of costly flooring? Vinyl may be made to seem like wood planks, stone tiles, or other unusual materials from a distance. From being quite the affordable option, to easily maintainable, durable and moisture resistant, the benefits of vinyl flooring are endless.
Since a French physician discovered the substance in the nineteenth century, vinyl flooring has had a long and illustrious history. Vinyl began to be utilized as a rubber replacement after decades of study and experimentation. A Swedish firm introduced the first vinyl flooring in 1947. Flooring firms in Europe and North America began creating floor vinyl versions in the 1950s and 1960s, enhancing it with each new release. Vinyl flooring’s ability to be recycled was a significant advantage over rubber flooring, and it soon gained popularity. Vinyl has come a long way in the decades since then, and it’s more popular than ever.
The Vinyl Plank
Vinyl planks are intended to look like hardwood flooring. There are variants for nearly every type of wood grain, texture, and colour. While they have the appearance and style of wood, their usefulness is far greater. Wood flooring is not resistant to water, however, these vinyl planks are. They are also more stain-resistant and easy to clean than typical wood. Plank flooring, as opposed to a thin layer of flexible vinyl, is a considerably thicker floor vinyl material that is produced in long planks with a modified tongue-and-groove connection method that snaps together, sometimes referred to as “click-lock.”
Engineered vinyl plank is far thicker than standard glue down vinyl. It is typically 8 mm thick, making it similar to engineered hardwood (or laminate flooring). It’s built-in layers, just like engineered flooring. The top layer is vinyl, the middle layer is a high-density core board, and there is generally a connected back underlayment (e.g., cork) for additional cushioning. These flooring, like laminate, are clickable, making them simple to install.
The terms WPC and SPC relate to the vinyl plank’s structure and core layer. WPC boards are composed of a wood-plastic core, commonly referred to as RigidCore. SPC boards have a stone plastic core that is stronger than WPC. Vinyl planks with WPC and SPC cores are considered excellent quality planks, as opposed to certain types of vinyl that are composed entirely of plastic. When selecting a quality vinyl floor, you can evaluate which ones are worth the money and will endure longer than lesser options.
The Vinyl Tile
Vinyl tiles are designed to look like stone tiles. They are available in a wide range of colours and sizes and may be placed in a number of designs. The design options are limitless. Grout can even be used in between the tiles to improve the appearance of stone or ceramic tiles. Because the tiles are easy to handle and can be readily trimmed to fit in tight places, this sort of flooring is ideal for tiny areas. It is also less difficult to repair a broken piece with a single replacement tile.
The Vinyl Sheet
The vinyl sheeting, as the name implies, is a roll of flooring that can be up to 12 inches wide. This sort of flooring is ideal for big areas since it has fewer seams to align. It is both inexpensive and long-lasting, and it may be installed over existing flooring such as wood, tile, or even prior vinyl.
Inlaid vinyl is a popular design for heavy usage areas since the colour granules are embedded directly into the top layer of the vinyl. This results in a more durable appearance that is resistant to scratches and blemishes. Even though today’s vinyl flooring is meant to last longer, there are still actions to do to maintain it protected and glossy for years to come.
The Luxury Vinyl Tile
Luxury vinyl, or LVT, is a subset of the above-listed flooring types. It is classified as thick vinyl flooring since it is about 5 times thicker than ordinary vinyl. It is the extra substance that adds richness and enhances the genuine appearance of wood or stone. Multiple layers of PVC vinyl are often used to create luxury vinyl tiles. PVC is combined with different chemicals to increase its hardness. Multiple sheets of PVC vinyl are carefully crushed and suspended in a liquid via a rolling process. This is then cured using heat and air to make durable sheets of vinyl. Manufacturers can add realism to the top layer by adding a layer of depth to assist replicate the grooves seen in stone or wood. It is made with 3D printers and can imitate nearly any real stone or wood flooring. It is a high-performance flooring choice that combines durability with a traditional, costly appearance at a lower cost. It is designed to endure longer than standard vinyl, with a lifespan of up to 20 years.
LVT flooring comes in thicknesses ranging from 2mm to 8mm. They frequently have varied top layers as well, ranging from 0.1mm to 0.6mm. It may not appear to be much, especially when compared to laminate flooring, which is typically 7-12mm thick. Because of their great density and strength, luxury vinyl tiles are extremely thin. Because 4mm compressed vinyl is considerably stronger than 8mm HDF wood, there’s no need to make them much thicker. They are already more than robust enough to be utilized in high-traffic commercial installations, and they are frequently employed for this purpose. A smaller profile, of course, means less disruption to existing fixtures like skirting and shower trays, among other things.