Best Buying Guide For Vinyl FloorVinyl floors are the best options when you're looking for durability, versatility as well as affordability. However, how many types and which one you should choose are more complicated to answer. This article will help you out.Helpful tips: The Best Mop For Your Vinyl Floor: Make it Shine In No TimeWhat is vinyl flooring?Vinyl is a composite plastic that is durable and waterproof. A vinyl floor has a base layer of PVC (polyvinyl chloride ) sealed to a fibrous core, covered by a printed design layer and a transparent, strong wear layer on top. The quality of vinyl flooring depends on thickness as well as the quality of the wear layer. Some luxury options have more layers and rigid protective coatings that can withstand heavy foot traffic and feel softer on your feet.
Besides their outstanding properties: amazingly durable, dirt, stain resistant and easy to install, vinyl floors have many forms, including the two most popular ones: tile and sheet vinyl.
Let's take a closer look at each one.
Vinyl Tile
Vinyl tile is the oldest form of vinyl flooring. Each tile is a cut from one large sheet made from mixtures of filler materials, pulverized limestone, color pigments and thermoplastic binders. Unfortunately, vinyl tile is becoming less popular than other forms like plank and sheet because its porous surface needs more polishing and cleaning with a solid
Vinyl floor mop. A high amount of seams between tiles also means weaker moisture resistance, where water can seep through the tiles and loosen the base. The higher maintenance cost and shorter lifespan make vinyl tiles less attractive compared to other flooring options. And even though vinyl tiles have numerous design patterns, they are far from the color and texture versatility of plank or luxurious flooring available in the market.
Having said that, vinyl tile is budget friendly and easy to repair. You only need to fix or replace the separated damaged tiles, which is also a great DIY project.
Vinyl Sheet
Sheet vinyl has three layers: a backing layer made of fibrous material, a PVC layer embedded with a printed design pattern in the center, and on top is a transparent wear layer protecting the underneath. Unlike vinyl tiles, vinyl sheets come in rolls 8 and 12 feet wide, so you can cover your floor with far fewer seams. Fewer seams mean better water resistance and less maintenance cost. You can see why vinyl sheets are particularly great for bathrooms. According to
TheKingLive, you can install vinyl sheets by gluing them to the subfloor, sealing them at the perimeters or simply "floating" the whole floor over the underlayment.
About the price, sheet vinyl doesn't cost much more than the tile option but can be tricky to cut, fit and glue by yourself due to its cumbersome feature. Furthermore, repairing is more complicated, and you may need professional help. Still, vinyl sheets are the best choice if you want an inexpensive option for fully waterproof flooring.
Vinyl flooring will remain one of the best options for solid, affordable and versatile flooring. With all the in-depth knowledge this article gives you, choosing a suitable vinyl floor has never been easier.
