Types of Vinyl

Vinyl is manufactured through a pressing process. Layers of plastics and pigments are bonded together and then pressed into sheets. The sheets are then coated with a clear wear layer that seals the vinyl. The wear layer can be PVC or Urethane. Urethane is considered to be the better wear layer. The durability of vinyl is directly related to the thickness of its wear layer which can range up to 20 mils.

Two separate manufacturing processes are used in creating vinyl flooring. The traditional inlaid construction process uses chips of colored vinyl that are pressed into a sheet and bonded together. The more modern rotogravure process prints an image on the vinyl sheets between the backing and the wear layer.

Sheet Vinyl

Sheet vinyl comes in 6 or 12 foot widths, and comes with either a flex backing or a felt backing. The flex backing is available on higher quality vinyl and can be installed using the perimeter method. The felt backing can only be glued using the full spread method.

Vinyl Tiles

Vinyl tiles are made for both residential and commercial applications. The tiles range from inexpensive peel and stick to thick luxury tiles. Today's luxury tiles have a realistic patterns and textures. Even using simple colors you can arrange the tiles to create decorative patterns and borders.

Commercial tile is known as VCT(Vinyl Composition Tile). Commercial tile is used in retail stores, supermarkets, and hospitals. VCT needs to be machine buffed, and polished.

Vinyl Planks

Vinyl planks are the latest addition to vinyl flooring. Innovations in technology have been able to create realistic patterns and textures. Vinyl planks are a great choice when you want a realistic looking wood floor in a high traffic area, or an area where moisture is present such as a basement.