Vinyl flooring
Vinyl flooring is for those who want flooring to last a long time and not require special care. They are suitable for almost any room from the bathroom to the airport. Vinyl flooring can be used in kitchens, corridors, rooms, doctor’s practices, retail spaces, customer service areas, or any other home or commercial space. A very practical choice in areas where pets are kept.
Features
Minimal maintenance, a flexible and abrasion- and impact-resistant surface coating that absorbs footstep noise, moisture resistance, excellent heat transfer when laid on warm floors and easy installation – these are the main advantages.
Vinyl floor construction
Vinyl flooring consists of sheets of different sizes, which are assembled either by gluing them to the subfloor or by “click” joints. The backing of the vinyl sheet consists of flexible vinyl reinforced with fibre. It has a decorative pattern on top of which a transparent wear-resistant protective layer is applied. Wicanders, as a manufacturer of cork floors, has additionally incorporated a cork interlayer into the vinyl subfloor to make the floor warmer. The use of such materials makes the vinyl floor 100% resistant to moisture and water. The protective layer makes the top layer highly abrasion resistant and by varying its thickness the manufacturers have achieved suitability for a wide range of loads, from the home to the heaviest use in public spaces.
Design
Like any modern floor, vinyl flooring is packed with all the design innovations that make it look great:
Both wood and stone surface replicas are available
The best floors incorporate “matching structure” technology, which means that the appearance of the board matches the structure of its surface. In other words, if a branch is visible on the surface, you can both feel it as a branch and see its surface against the light.
Designs are available with plain sheet joints or with bevels on the edges of the sheets. This solution makes the vinyl floor look like a real plank or tile floor.
Changing the gloss-matt gives the floor a depth effect.
Sheet sizes are rectangular, rhomboid and square, larger and smaller. Designed to fit any interior.
Retrieved from
Adhesive vinyl flooring is commonly used in public and large spaces where the flooring requires increased shear resistance. In contrast, click flooring is laid on a specially designed subfloor, with the sheets bonded together only. The main requirement for both installation methods is a level subfloor.
A very popular recent innovation is the installation of self-adhesive vinyl flooring on self-adhesive underlay. This installation method is so good because it is:
- fastest,
- vinyl can also be laid on less than level substrates (e.g. tiles)
- very secure, as the seams cannot open, as for example this can happen with “Click” vinyl
- saves buyers money. “Click vinyl costs the same as adhesive vinyl with self-adhesive backing
Accessories
The best manufacturers offer colour-matched skirting boards for every shade, as well as the necessary accessories to finish thresholds and steps. Of course, there are also vinyl floor care and refinishing products.