Vinyl Flooring Construction Atlanta

 

VINYL CONSTRUCTION

Vinyl flooring is made by laying various materials made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) onto a backing and then binding them under heat and pressure.

Wear Layer

The top layer is the wear layer (similar to laminate flooring), which determines the durability of the tile, as well as the amount of maintenance needed to keep the floor looking great.

The density of the wear layer also affects performance. Generally, the thicker the wear layer, the more resistant the floor will be against wear. Thicker resilient floors also provide more indentation resistance, cushioning and comfort underfoot, noise dampening and insulation. For these reasons, vinyl floors with thick wear layers are recommended for high traffic areas in the home.

The “type” of wear layer also impacts wear performance.

Vinyl No-Wax

  • Dates back to the beginning of the “no-wax vinyl floor”;
  • Still used today, although mostly in entry-level price point products;
  • Resists scuffs and scrapes relatively well and does not need waxing.

Urethane

  • A polyvinyl chloride that is more stain and scuff resistant than standard Vinyl No-Wax floors.

Advanced Urethane with Aluminum Oxide

  • A more advanced form of urethane, typically impregnated with aluminum oxide (second hardest element after diamonds) to increase durability and resistance to staining and scratching.
  • Extremely resistant to the most common household stains.

Finish

- Finishes vary from high gloss to matte or satin. Generally, the lower the gloss, the more forgiving the floor will be to grit and foot traffic.

Décor Layer

As with laminate flooring, the design and color of vinyl flooring is created through an image that is printed onto the vinyl surface (covered with a wear layer for protection). This process opens up unlimited style options.

Higher quality vinyl floors are “textured” in order to give a more realistic look and feel to the product.

  • Texture is added to the wear layer through a process called “embossing”, which involves pressing textured patterns into the wear layer.
  • Embossed in Register is an enhanced process whereby the texture pattern is designed to follow the grain in the image, creating an even more realistic look and feel.

Core

The core of vinyl flooring is made from vinyl (not fiberboard, as with laminate), which makes resilient flooring softer underfoot and more resistant to moisture.