There's a whole new generation of vinyl floors, and they're better than ever. Since its introduction, vinyl has been the single most popular choice for floors in kitchens, bathrooms and other high traffic areas in the home. With the introduction of vinyl floor tiles, it become more popular than ever. The ease of installation made it the perfect choice for do-it-yourselfers, who no longer had to struggle with heavy sheets of vinyl or linoleum that defeated all attempts to lay it evenly. It also made it far easier to repair damaged floors - just replace the damaged tiles with new ones.
If your impression of vinyl floor tiles is the inexpensive peel-and-stick variety, a look at today's choices in vinyl floor tiles is a real eye-opener. A new process for creating vinyl floors has made it possible to create designs that were never before possible.
There are two different processes for creating vinyl floors. The older method, inlaid construction, was created by laying vinyl chips over an under-layer, then fusing them in place. It generally results in geometric designs, since it's far easier to lay the chips out in a geometric pattern. Once the chips are fused and compressed, the surface is covered with a transparent wear layer. The thickness of the wear layer is the main gauge of how well a floor will handle wear and traffic. The thicker the layer, the better it will wear.
The new method, rotogravure construction, can be used to create patterns and designs that are virtually unlimited. Rather than fusing vinyl chips into a pattern, it literally prints the design on a gel coat using colored inks. It's like the difference between a pin-dot matrix printer and a laser printer! Again, the final step in the process is the applying of a wear layer.
The advantages of vinyl flooring are many. Here is a list of some of the biggest ones:
Vinyl floors are among the easiest to care for, though they do require a little extra TLC immediately after installation. Here are some tips:
Regular care: