Features Of Vinyl Plank Flooring and Installation Process

Powered by easy installation processes and economical to procure, vinyl plank flooring is among the hottest new trends going on in the flooring industry. 

All around the world, prestigious flooring companies are selling vinyl wood plank flooring solutions for giving off elegance and functionality alike. 

If you are reading this then you are probably planning to replace your flooring, or are looking for brand new flooring ideas. Or, you have heard about the smart features and functionality of vinyl plank and desire the same look in your new house. Whatever be the reason, you may like to explore several flooring companies that come up with ample options to choose from. The products on offer may be anything from cork, ceramic tile, marble, or vinyl plank flooring; pretty often hardwood also becomes a prime choice as it provides durable and long-lasting solutions. 

Why is Vinyl Plank Flooring so Popular?

The task of installing hardwood flooring is often considered to be a process that’s accompanied by a huge cost of maintenance and is also quite expensive to buy. Even in a small house, the costs of installing the same might go up to thousands of dollars. Backed up by these reasons, along with many others, there are buyers who prefer to install alternate flooring options that look similar to hardwood but have cheaper price tags and involve less maintenance. Maybe something like resilient vinyl planks! 

So if you want your home to give you a feel of a floor made of hardwood, but you are in no way ready to bear the hassle and expenses associated with hardwood, then choosing high-quality vinyl plank flooring can be an effective option for you. These resilient flooring ideas are available in various styles and patterns. They comprise of many benefits of hardwood as well. They are easy to maintain and clean and serve to be an attractive option at affordable prices.

Cost Effective Flooring Choice

Well, as discussed earlier, in comparison to hardwood (with respect to its looks), laminate and vinyl flooring solutions are by far the most cost-effective options that are quite durable too. You will be able to install vinyl plank flooring in a 15 feet room at an affordable cost of (say) less than a $70. What’s more? There are no comprises made with respect to your choice of looks and imparted comfort levels too!

The cost efficiency of vinyl flooring can also felt with respect to its durability; especially when compared to hardwood. These flooring options can take up to loads of mistreatment and are not easily susceptible to tinges and scratches. You will find several commercial buildings making efficient utilization of the cost-effectiveness of adura luxury vinyl and tile plank vinyl. These floors are very useful for taking up the load of the heavy traffic that is commonplace in such locations. 

These cost-effective vinyl plank flooring planks are widely available in many distinct colors from which you can select the one that best meets your tastes and preferences. These are offered in a light wood form that would remind you of ash or bamboo, and also the dark look of cherry, to make your space all the more adorable to live in. 

So, give that perfect look to your environment at a far more affordable price than any other flooring type – you will not be disappointed by the results.

Advantageous Features of Vinyl Flooring

Now that you are aware that vinyl wood plank flooring is a cost-effective solution to your anxiety of installing expensive hardwood flooring, it’s a good time to know the benefits of the former over the latter. 

Cleaning

These resilient vinyl planks are easy and simple to clean in comparison to hardwood flooring. Damp washing methods, with the cleaners approved by the manufacturer, is the standard cleaning technique for maintaining these floors for years in a row.

Strength of the Surface

High-quality vinyl plank flooring is composed of a very strong top layer. The manufacturers thus provide a warranty on these flooring for both residential as well as commercial usage. The upper layer of these resilient flooring is made up of top quality virgin PVC; this feature makes them brilliant in repelling dents and scratches. 

Softness

Are you perplexed as to how extremely strong vinyl planks can be soft? It is a common notion that ceramic and hardwood floors give off an uncomfortable feel to you barefoot. On the other hand, vinyl flooring offers a warmer and softer feel to your feet. 

Time to Install 

The hardwood floors that are sold unfinished can take a couple to a number of days to get installed. Typically, vinyl wood plank flooring can be easily installed in much lesser time than hardwood flooring. Less installation time indicates lesser hassle and of course lesser costs to consumers like you.

Variety of Selection 

You will get various options for vinyl flooring manufacturers, both offline as well as online. These manufacturers offer several product lines that would definitely cater to the needs of consumers from all walks of life. More so, they would offer you their approved cleaners for reducing your hassles further. 

How To Install Vinyl Plank Flooring

Of late, it has become difficult to distinguish between vinyl floors and hardwood floors. However, these waterproof, cheap and easy to install floors have exaggerated the craze of vinyl plank flooring amongst modern-day customers like never before. 

1. At times, you can just paste the vinyl planks into an old surface but you have to be careful about the strength and smoothness of the surface. This type of floor is either available in either self-adhesive or regular form; so choose accordingly. 
2. When getting yourself and your home ready for the installation process, make sure that you know the exact measurement of the floor area that needs to be covered. Add 10% more to the calculated area for any unprecedented trims and errors 
3. Make sure that the surface on which you are planning to install the vinyl flooring has a solid and smooth base. In case of any cracks or dents, you might have to use a patching material as well as primer coating for sealing the holes 
4. Verify whether the planks are parallel to the wall as this is essential for bringing that perfect attractive look to your floors 
5. Finally, make it certain that the installation starts from one corner of the room. After the planks are all laid, if you find any gaps, you may like to use wood putty for filling them up to perfection. 

So, without any doubt about the flexibility and durability features of the vinyl plank flooring, get them installed right away. Go ahead; enjoy the comfy and warmth of this awesome featured flooring type!

Things To Know About Vinyl Flooring

Yes, vinyl mainly wins over other forms of flooring because of multiple factors such as strict standards and quality control measures that are put into use while manufacturing.

Known that materials such as wood, stone and ceramic might have a bit more aesthetic value than vinyl, one simply cannot ignore the fact that they are costly and slap high maintenance tasks on the customer. 

Sheet vinyl flooring is slip-resistant and is relatively soft; it is not harmful from the customer’s point of view either. That is why; it is the most popular form of flooring in existence. In addition, this kind of flooring is comparatively modern in terms of patterns and textures, and can be installed in a very short span of time.

Vinyl Flooring Health Benfits

The strict standards enforced by the manufacturers of vinyl flooring ensure that it comes with several health benefits. These benefits mainly arise due to the fact that it is very easy to clean vinyl floors. Antimicrobial coatings and germ killers are also offered by manufacturers which easily boost the sales of this flooring type. One factor that plays down vinyl flooring’s hygiene card is that it generates gases that can be harmful to the lungs. Thus, it can spoil indoor air quality.

Structure of Vinyl

Vinyl flooring sheets consist of numerous layers, each of which have their own purpose. The base layer is fundamental and supports all other layers. On top of that is a fiber glass that holds the sheet straight and flattens the same. The pattern layer is responsible for offering color, texture and looks to the sheet. The wear layer and the top coat are just protective layers that add sheen to this flooring option.

Existence and History

Sheet vinyl came into existence in the mid-20th century and is one of the coveted types of vinyl that gets installed very fast. It is made up of a mix of quite a number of raw materials, each one of them, serving its own purpose.

1. Poly vinyl chloride is used for its rigid nature that toughens the sheet vinyl.
2. Foam gel is used for adding comfort and texture to the material and sometimes for insulation as well.
3. Urethane makes the vinyl durable and long lasting.
4. While sheet vinyl flooring installation is done, preferably by professionals, it can be permanently glued hard to the floor or can be loosely placed over the floor for gaining higher durability metrics.

Vinyl Composition Tile

Vinyl Composition Tile, popularly abbreviated in the flooring industry as VCT, is made up of vinyl and ground limestone. The specialty of this mixture is that it doesn’t exactly show itself off as a mixture that people usually expect it to be. 

The only way possible for the installation for VCT is gluing it down; this has to be done mandatorily by a professional. This is because these tiles are square-shaped and very tough in nature. Therefore, while installing, it should be noted that each tile is placed closely and perfectly in sync with its neighbors. Vinyl floor tiles are manufactured using a process similar to that of vinyl sheets. But in reality, vinyl tiles turn out to be way harder than other sheets.

How Vinyl Differs From Laminate Flooring

Vinyl flooring is often confused with laminate flooring as it cannot be distinguished and identified easily, which leads to people getting stuck between deciding as to which one of them is better. Although both vinyl and laminate flooring are durable and inexpensive, there are a lot of differences that might get overlooked by customers like you.

Here, thickness, materials, resistance to water and comfort level are different. Base materials make all the difference. We can begin with two simplifications:

Vinyl’s flooring is 100% plastic core and is super resistant to moisture. It can be designed to look like wood boards and can be joined with a ‘click’ which snaps two tiles together. Laminate flooring is not as moisture resistant as vinyl flooring; however, it can be installed in a DIY way. Laminate flooring wins over vinyl flooring in terms of looks and installation.

As far as costs are concerned, both vinyl and laminate floorings stand at the same level. Laminate floorings take an upper hand over vinyl floorings in terms of factors such as resale value and comfort.

Vinyl Plank Flooring

Plank wood flooring provides a fresh and unique look to the floor and is thus in demand for its aesthetic appeal. At the same time, over the years, the quality and appearance of vinyl planks has been improved phenomenally, and has thus led to the skyrocketing of resilient flooring’s popularity. 

This in turn has led to plank vinyl flooring’s growing demand in the industry. Beyond that, vinyl plank is less expensive than all other types of floor coverings - except for laminate floorings, as mentioned before. This is mainly due to the cheap availability of additional raw materials at an inexpensive rate.

Moreover, there are certain vinyl planks that appear in a rather distressed look, or are heavily antiqued. This is mainly for those who prefer their floors to look in such a way. Vinyl planks can be easily installed with a lock/click mechanism.

What to See while Choosing a Vinyl Floor

While choosing a vinyl floor, there are a lot of factors to be considered. Your choice of style is essential. There is a wide range of options available in the market that resembles stone and hardwood finish that can be very realistic. Texture, pattern, and finish are also very important factors as they contribute to the tactile, visual and aesthetic appeal of the floors, respectively.

1. Care should be taken as to how tough the selected vinyl planks are.
2. They should also stand up to spills and traffic.
3. Waxing and buffing should be avoided.
4. Vinyl can be installed on any flat surface which is dry and clean.
5. A plywood base is always recommended for better installation.

Last Word

DIY friendly in nature, Vinyl tiles can be readily installed with the help of spray adhesives, self sticking materials, or with other options. However, installation of these sheets is largely done by professionals. Thus, it is best to seek professional assistance in order to install the best vinyl flooring, appropriately.