Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring is an aesthetically pleasing choice that can be made to imitate other flooring materials such as stone, marble, and wood. Because of its durability and moisture resistance it is primarily used in busy areas of the home such as kitchens and bathroom. Another reason for its popularity is its affordable price.

Vinyl flooring is often referred to by the popular manufacturers’ trade names Linoleum® and Congoleum®. Vinyl is made of plastic, or more specifically polyvinyl chloride – abbreviated PVC – to which other compounds are added. It can consist of either multiple layers of material or just one layer.

It is manufactured using one of two processes: inlay or rotovinyl. With inlay vinyl, color and pattern are imbedded into the vinyl layers, while with rotovinyl only a single layer of vinyl is printed with color and pattern. Both manufacturing processes require a protective coating overlay in order to boost durability. Inlay vinyl flooring, which is only available in tile form, offers great wear resistance since the colors and patterns go all the way through the flooring material. Rotovinyl comes in both sheet and tile form. Resistance to wear is dependent on the type of protective coating used during the manufacturing process. Vinyl floors are very easy to maintain. Sweeping or using a dust mop is often all that is needed.