Learn About Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is a versatile flooring material that created a sensation in 1933 at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. After the Second World War, as new uses and manufacturing processes were developed for vinyl flooring, its popularity soared. Vinyl compound is produced by mixing suitable additives like stabilizers, pigments and fillers to vinyl resin. Vinyl compound pellets in turn are used to produce vinyl flooring.

It is possible to print almost any design on vinyl giving it the appearance of much more expensive wood or stone flooring or to place a high resistance layer on top making it suitable for areas with heavy traffic.

If you were to rate a floor based on price and practicality, vinyl would probably beat all competitors with one hand tied behind its back. The single biggest plus of vinyl is its durability in wet areas. This relative water resistant characteristic makes it a practical flooring option for areas like the bathroom, kitchen, laundry, and basements.

Some of the advantages of vinyl flooring are

Huge variety of designs

Not only is it possible to print any design on vinyl giving it the appearance of exotic wood or marble flooring, it is even possible to customize it. It is possible to arrange vinyl tiles to create a floor that is nothing short of a work of art or to cut a soft vinyl tile to create a logo or a chosen design in a jiffy.

Low cost and easy installation

Vinyl is much less expensive compared to other flooring materials. Not only is the material less expensive, its installation is a breeze a simple DIY project that anyone can handle.

Ruggedness

If your spouse has butter fingers and you are looking for a material that won’t stain easily, vinyl is your material of choice. Neither water, mild alkalis, acids or organic compounds seem to damage vinyl. Some aromatic hydrocarbons however may make it soft. If heavy traffic is expected a suitable flooring material with an extra hard wearing layer can be selected.

Soft feel and muffling of sound

If your feet ache due to standing on a hard floor for long periods of time vinyl flooring could be the right option for you. It is possible to install vinyl flooring with additives that are soft to touch and effectively muffle sound. An added advantage of vinyl flooring is that should a glass or ceramic item accidentally fall on a vinyl floor it is much less likely to break on vinyl floor than if it were to fall on a stone, ceramic tile or hardwood floor.

Low maintenance and easy to clean

Vinyl floors require very little maintenance and simple wiping with a wet sponge or cloth will often suffice to give it that squeaky clean look.

When choosing a vinyl floor the buyer must know that

• Exposure to sunlight can damage and discolor a vinyl floor. Therefore it must not be installed in areas that receive excess sunlight.
• While it is true that vinyl floors can imitate any texture cheaper varieties of vinyl may give a look that it nowhere close to the authentic wooden floor look for example.
• Unlike linoleum, the pattern in a vinyl floor is only at the surface as a result after a few years of heavy use the surface design may disappear in small patches.
• Yet another drawback is that it is manufactured from petrochemicals and is probably not what one would call a green flooring option. However as a substitute for wood floors it does help to conserve trees.
• Some people feel that vinyl gives off gases and do not prefer to install it in enclosed spaces.
• One must bear in mind that vinyl flooring is not the best flooring option to choose when the floor is expected to bear significant static or regular rolling loads as it may develop indents.

Given its advantages it is obvious that vinyl floors offer great value for money. Given their excellent price practicality combination it is no surprise that vinyl floors are the second most popular flooring option after carpets in the United States today. If you are looking for an easy to install flooring material that gives your space a smart look without burning a hole in your pocket vinyl flooring can be a good option to explore.

Visit our Los Angeles Flooring showrooms for more information about Flooring.