Vinyl Flooring

Whether your home decorating style is retro chic or modern minimalist, vinyl flooring can help you get the look you want for your home. Vinyl flooring comes in many colors and patterns, and it can mimic natural materials, such as marble tiles or white oak planks. Scratch-resistant, spill-resistant, and stain-resistant, vinyl flooring can handle high-traffic areas of your home for decades and still look great.

Some types of vinyl flooring are waterproof. For example, wood plastic and polymer composite (WPC) vinyl is waterproof thanks to its composition of thermoplastics, wood flour, and calcium carbonate. It can be installed in areas where high moisture levels are present. Other waterproof vinyl floor options include stone plastic composite vinyl, made from natural limestone powder, polyvinyl chloride, and stabilizer. Also known as rigid core vinyl, it can be installed over many types of flooring as a floating floor.

WPC is recycled wood pulp and plastic composites that are combined to create a special material that is used as the core for the standard vinyl that forms the top layer. So even if you choose WPC flooring, you won’t see any wood or plastic on your floors. Instead, these are just the materials that provide a base for the vinyl to sit on. Compared to traditional vinyl, WPC vinyl flooring has a thicker core that helps to absorb sound. This makes it quiet to walk on and eliminates the “hollow” sound sometimes associated with vinyl floors.

Rigid core vinyl flooring is considered to be an upgraded version of engineered vinyl flooring. Rigid core flooring is set apart from other types of vinyl flooring by its uniquely resilient core layer. This core is made from a combination of natural limestone powder, polyvinyl chloride, and stabilizers. This provides an incredibly stable base for each flooring plank. You can’t tell that is what’s inside these floors once they’re installed. The floors look like any other engineered vinyl floors, with the core completely hidden underneath.

There are five essential tools anyone about to install their vinyl flooring needs, and luckily, they won’t necessarily cost you a bundle if you don’t have them. For starters, you’ll need a tape measure, which will help you determine the dimensions of your surface and visualize how many vinyl planks you’ll need to comfortably fit each row of your floor. Next, make sure you have a pencil and chalk or chalk line handy to draw out the measurements and proportions of each vinyl plank. Make sure you have a strong and sturdy utility knife, which is needed for cutting up the vinyl and corners, as well as a carpenter’s square for measuring the size of your vinyl planks and converting them to the correct measurements. Finally, after you’ve got the vinyl planks accurately divided, you’ll need adhesive to connect the vinyl flooring to the substrate, but only if you’re not using peel-and-stick or a glueless click-lock system. If you do need adhesive for your flooring, make sure you have a floor roller available to smoothly roll in the vinyl.

Calculating how much vinyl flooring you’ll need for a project is usually simple. First, determine the total square footage of a room by multiplying the length and width of the floor. Add 5-10 percent to this number for wastage just in case – more may be required if your room has a lot of angles and corners that will require additional cuts. Then, look at how many square feet are in each box of vinyl flooring you are looking to purchase. Next, divide the total square footage of flooring you’ll need by the number of square feet in each box. This will tell you how many boxes to purchase.

This is an area that largely depends on your experience with floor installation. You need to make sure that you have the necessary equipment handy before beginning installation. If you’re someone who isn’t intimidated by home repair projects, then installing your vinyl flooring should really be no problem. It’s always a good idea to contact a professional flooring installer to better visualize how long a project should take, as well as receive more understanding of which method will fit best with your budget.

Reduce water: While many vinyl floors are water-resistant, you should still be conservative with your cleaning liquids. Water can seep between the tile joints and loosen the glue beneath. Avoid heat: Do not use a steam mop or hot water when cleaning your floor, as heat can warp vinyl. Stick to a hand mop and use warm water.

Most of the time, a mixture of water and vinegar does the trick, but you can also clean with a solution formulated for vinyl floors. These products will not damage your floors and will help them look like new. Many brands manufacture floor cleaners, so just look for a product that indicates it’s safe for use on vinyl. The bottle should say nonabrasive, or carry a similar label. Eco-friendly options are a great choice as well. Remember to check whether the cleaner is a concentrate – if it is, you’ll have to dilute it before use.

Vinyl flooring is an excellent choice for houses with pets, and it’s great for small children too. The flooring is scratch and stain resistant, low in allergens, easy to clean and maintain, and even quiet to walk on.

Vinyl flooring is a synthetic product made of plastic. The top layer is called the wear layer, and it’s one of the key parts of the floor. Vinyl flooring has three types of wear layers, and it’s important to keep in mind where you want to install your vinyl when you’re considering which wear layer to get.

The first wear layer is a vinyl no-wax finish. It’s the lightest wear layer, so it’s good for areas that won’t get much moisture, dirt, or foot traffic. The next type of wear layer is the urethane finish. This type is more durable, so it can stand up to moderate foot traffic. The final type of wear layer is the enhanced urethane finish. It’s the toughest finish available, and it’s highly resistant to scratches and stains and can stand up to heavy foot traffic.

After the wear layer is the decorative or printed layer that gives the vinyl its color and design. Next you have a foam layer, and finally, you reach the backing of the vinyl flooring. Although you never see the backing, it’s still a very important part of the flooring, as it increases the vinyl flooring’s resistance to mildew and moisture. Additionally, the thicker the backing, the higher the quality of the vinyl flooring.

Vinyl flooring is known for its durability. If you choose a flooring option with a think wear layer, it’s nearly impossible to dent. Additionally, it’s very resistant to stains, rips, and scuffs. Since vinyl flooring is made entirely of plastic, it also offers superior resistance to moisture. In fact, you can submerge a piece of vinyl underwater for days and see no harmful effects to it.

Even though vinyl flooring is durable, it’s not completely indestructible. If you have a sheet of vinyl with damage, you can either attempt to patch the damaged area using a leftover piece of scrap flooring, or you can replace the entire sheet. Fortunately, if you have planks or tiles, it’s easier to replace any damaged pieces. You simply need to remove the piece that’s damaged and lay down a leftover plank or tile.

The beauty of vinyl flooring is that you can install it in nearly every room of the house. Since vinyl flooring is so durable, it’s perfect for areas of the home that receive a lot of foot traffic, such as an entryway. Additionally, because vinyl flooring is water-resistant, it’s ideal for rooms that see plenty of moisture, like a bathroom, laundry room, basement, or kitchen. If you like the look of tile, but you want a softer flooring option in the rooms you spend a lot of time in, such as the bedroom or living room, vinyl flooring is a great choice.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that while vinyl flooring can hold up to a significant amount of wear and tear, sharp objects and extreme temperatures can damage the flooring. Additionally, too much exposure to direct sunlight can make the colors in vinyl flooring fade over time. This is why manufacturers don’t recommend vinyl flooring for outdoor or indoor/outdoor use.

Another advantage that vinyl flooring has over other types of flooring is that it has a variety of inexpensive options. While prices will vary depending on the thickness of the wear layer, you can usually find vinyl flooring that’s between $2 and $12 per square foot. Additionally, several manufacturers create a product called luxury vinyl tile, or LVT, which closely mimics the look of natural materials, such as stone or wood. Since LVT offers a thicker wear layer and an impressively realistic look, it’s slightly more expensive than traditional vinyl flooring and averages $3 to $14 per square foot.

Maintaining and cleaning a vinyl floor is very easy. Regular sweeping and an occasional damp mop to wipe up dirt are all you need to keep vinyl floors clean. Even though vinyl is water-resistant, liquid can get between the panels and weaken the adhesive or cause mold. Therefore, you should avoid using a soaking wet mop and be sure to wipe up any spills as quickly as possible.