Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The Basics of Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl or polyvinylchloride (PVC) is a synthetic material commonly used in the manufacture of clothing, flooring, toys, and upholstery. Vinyl is a flexible material and comes in a lot of styles, patterns, and colors. Some people might resist covering their floor with plastic, but the fact is vinyl flooring offers an inexpensive way to renovate your home with easy to maintain floors that not only last for a long time but also look beautiful.

High quality vinyl sheets and tiles not only protect your floors but come in a number of different color and pattern variations to fulfill all your décor needs. This type of flooring is also known as resilient flooring because of its ability to resist stains and scratches. It is also easy to clean and does not require a wax coating for protection.

Vinyl sheets are available in two forms: inlaid sheet and homogenous sheet. Inlaid sheet comes with a backing as well as a vinyl wear layer. Homogenous sheet consists of the same material and elements from top to bottom. It is non-layered and non-backed material very commonly used as a safety or resilient flooring in homes and public places.

Layered vinyl flooring is available in the form of sheets and tiles. Tiles are more popular as they are easier to install and often preferred by people who like to install the flooring without any external help. Vinyl tiles are given the effects of marble, cork, timber, and slate. They come in a wide range of colors including black, copper, rust, and amber making them suitable for stylish home décor.

Some manufacturers of vinyl flooring also use embossing techniques to improve the texture even more. These tiles give a three-dimensional appearance and look attractive. Vinyl flooring available on the market comes in different grades of quality and suits every budget and décor requirement.

Vinyl Flooring – Tile Floors at a Reasonable Price

Nowadays thinking of renovating your home with luxurious wood or ceramic tile floors and expensive area rugs is almost out of question because of the sky-high prices of these products. However, there is an inexpensive alternative to these lavish floors that comes in the form of vinyl sheets and tiles. Vinyl flooring is increasingly becoming popular because of its flexibility, ease of installation, and low maintenance costs.

Vinyl is the most common type of resilient flooring, which means it is durable and long lasting. It resists stains, scratches, and heat. However, it is not recommended to install vinyl sheets outdoors because direct exposure to sunlight may cause the color to fade. This type of flooring is suitable to be installed in high traffic areas and public places. Vinyl composition tiles and vinyl sheet flooring are both types of resilient flooring.

It is not necessary to wax vinyl flooring to protect them or make them easier to clean. These tiles come with a sealant which wears off after passage of time and may require resealing. Although linoleum floors are more expensive and last longer, they need to be waxed more often. Moreover, linoleum is not recommended to be installed in bathrooms and kitchen. If you want a floor that is easy to clean and maintain, then vinyl flooring will work best for you.

Instead of going for carpet, tiled or wood flooring in areas where harsh events or rough traffic is to be expected, it is advisable to install comfortable and beautiful vinyl sheets. Wood and marble floors are not only quite expensive, they are also hard to maintain. In the category of resilient flooring, vinyl and linoleum are two good choices. However, because of the disadvantages of linoleum mentioned above along with the fact that it is more expensive, it seems reasonable to buy vinyl sheets for your flooring needs.

Slate and Marble Effects on Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring can be used to perk up the appearance of any room, including bathrooms and kitchen, because of its flair, versatility and affordable nature. Vinyl floors not only look beautiful and add positively to interior décor, but are also easy to clean and maintain. Different types of vinyl sheets and tiles are prepared by adding color and other materials which form a specific pattern on the surface. This pattern gives a new and expensive look to the entire room.

By using this technique of changing texture, vinyl sheets can be given effects of marble, slate, timber, and cork. You can also experiment with these patterns by choosing attractive colors like light black, dark black, hunter green, rust, gray, light oak, mahogany, gold, beige, rose, and blue. Slate and marble vinyl tiles come in different sizes including 12” x 12”, 16” x 16”, and 18” x 18”. High quality tiles are now available online for purchase at affordable prices.

Slate vinyl tiles reflect the ruthless natural phenomenon by which they are formed. As a result they look beautiful and earthy bringing you closer to nature. In addition to this, these tiles are practical and safe as they are made from slip-resistant surface. They are perfect to be installed in the kitchen and bathrooms where there is high risk of slipping because of moisture.

If you plan on decorating your home with natural materials like wood and stone, slate tiles would be an excellent choice. The best thing about these vinyl tiles is that they are available in a number of beautiful colors. You have options like volcanic slate, copper, and rustic slate to choose from.

If your budget does not allow buying original marble and slate tiles, vinyl flooring that gives the same look can be installed. They are prepared with such neatness and quality that no one will be able to tell the difference.

Vinyl Flooring Buying Guide

Vinyl flooring comes in a number of styles and patterns with different installation techniques. Before buying vinyl sheets to customize your floors, decide on the level of quality you are looking for in addition to finding out how many sheets you will need and the condition of the undersurface. Vinyl flooring basically comes in two forms: sheets and tiles. Similarly, there are further sub-types of these categories, each having different thickness and pattern.

The first thing to decide when customizing you floors is the budget. Inlaid vinyl sheets are more expensive than printed vinyl sheets because it offers more durability and also lasts longer. If you choose to install vinyl tiles instead of sheets, you will have a different set of options to choose from. A solid vinyl tile comes with the same color pattern on both sides as compared to the composition tile.

These types differ greatly in terms of quality and therefore it is important to decide on the quality features you have in mind. Some of these features include sunlight protection, degree of surface texture, comfort, and no-wax or wax vinyl surface. Vinyl sheets are available in both high gloss and low gloss finishes. In high traffic areas it is recommended to install low gloss vinyl sheets with more surface texture.

One of the disadvantages of vinyl flooring is that it becomes damaged when exposed to direct sunlight. The color fades and blisters form on the surface which look bad. Some manufacturers offer warranty against fading and brittleness; don’t forget to check out this feature when buying vinyl flooring.

People often install a cushioned backing in areas where high traffic is expected. Printed and solid vinyl sheets come with a foam backing or fiberglass backing. Foam cushioning is more comfortable to walk on and is also available in different thickness options.

How to Install Full Spread Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring manufacturers have recently introduced many new styles, colors, and designs of vinyl flooring to the market. In addition to this, there are countless installation options available so that the person installing them won’t have any problems and can easily do the work alone. If you want to customize your floors the way you like and without spending a lot of money, then keep reading on.

Full spread vinyl flooring is not easy to remove once it is installed and therefore not a preferred choice of a lot of people out there. But if you do not plan on changing the pattern later on then it’s a good choice for you. For installation you will need a pry bar, knife, scissors, hammer, trowel, rolling pin, and a few other tools easily available on the market. In addition to these, you require vinyl flooring tiles along with craft paper, adhesive, and a DIY kit.

Make sure you clean the floor thoroughly before installation full spread vinyl flooring on it. Keep in mind that this type of flooring is not easily removed and therefore it’s important to find out that your floor is moisture free and properly leveled. Before starting the work, remove all furniture from the room and clean the floor in such a way that there is no grease or dirt left. When cutting the vinyl floor properly you will need assistance of a template or pattern, so don’t neglect this step. Craft paper comes in handy to complete this step.

When unrolling the sheet do not wait for a long time; at the same time make sure you do not unroll prematurely. Both these mistakes can cause problems of size. Once the floor has been laid, use a rolling pin to flatten it and to make a strong bonding with the adhesive.