Quickly Understanding What to Do With Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring has become increasingly popular over the last few years because it is the perfect, cheap alternative to some natural material floorings options like hardwood and stone floors. These are popular because they are easy to clean and they don’t require a lot of maintenance. They are water-resistant, as the wear layer doesn’t allow water to penetrate through and it also allows easy cleaning. Vinyl flooring is attainable in many different colours and patterns and designs - whichever one you are looking for will definitely be available. 

How Many Forms Can Vinyl Flooring Be Found In?

Vinyl flooring can be available in different forms and both of them perform the same but are fitted differently. There are two forms of vinyl that can be made - as a large sheet or as luxury vinyl tiles. The large sheet is essentially just a large sheet of vinyl flooring. This means that a large sheet, a little larger than the area it is being fit into is cut out and used to cover the sub-floor in one go. If the sheet can’t cover the entire area, multiple rolls can be used to do the job. This type is extremely useful for places that are constantly exposed to moisture like flooring for kitchens and bathrooms as it can prevent water from seeping through. During the fitting, silicone is added around the perimeter to prevent water from seeping in from the sides and ruining the vinyl layer from underneath. If it happens and water seeps in down to the underside of the vinyl, it can lead to needing a premature replacement of the vinyl. 

The other way vinyl is produced is through luxury vinyl tiles. The construction of the vinyl is the same as how vinyl sheets are created, these are simply just cut into tiles. These tiles would have to be individually laid out onto the subfloor and glued down using a stronger adhesive than what would be used on the sheet. As the sheet vinyl is one large sheet, spry adhesive can be used to make sure the vinyl doesn’t move around much but its sheer size of it can prevent it from sliding about. It’s not the same with tiles as they have to be glued down to prevent them from coming off. Tiles also allow any pattern to be made as the tiles can be laid down in any arrangement. This makes them very popular for herringbone designs as they can mimic natural hardwood flooring options. Just like the sheet option, silicone will have to be applied to the perimeter of the luxury vinyl tiles so that water doesn’t seep through to the underside and ruin the vinyl from the bottom. Over a few years, the silicone will have to be removed so a fresh coat can be applied. This is so the old silicone doesn’t start to allow moisture through to the understanding. 

Where can Vinyl Flooring Be Placed?

Vinyl flooring is chosen for its water-resistant properties as it doesn’t allow water to penetrate through the wear layer and through the other layers either. The print layer remains unaffected no matter how much moisture exposure the surface comes into contact with. There are some places in a house where it is a constant splash zone and nothing can be done about it. Out of all the flooring options available, vinyl flooring is the best for kitchens because of its water-resistant properties. Either one of the two options, a large sheet or using tiles, can be used as they both perform the same. However, the larger sheet is quicker to install as the other requires each tile to be individually laid out and glued down to the subfloor. Other flooring options would simply not perform as well in a kitchen as vinyl flooring as they are harder to maintain and keep up with the clean image. With vinyl, they can be cleaned whenever, as they don’t allow moisture through, but with other flooring options, they would have to be cleaned straight away as they can stain quickly and the stain can be difficult to lift once it dries. 

Another splash zone in the house, which is probably a bigger splash zone than the kitchen is the bathroom. The bathroom is the place where you would expect the most water spillage anyway– it is inevitable when you are popping out of a bath or splashing from the sink. Because of this, it is important that the flooring can handle a lot of water exposure. Other flooring choices would have to be prematurely replaced in installed in a bathroom as they are not designed to handle copious amounts of water like how vinyl is. The water simply sits at the top of the wear layer and it doesn’t have to be dealt with as the water can simply evaporate. A simple mop can be used to clean up water spillages and no special treatment would be required as vinyl can be quite stain resistant. The wear layer ensures that the vinyl flooring will maintain its appearance even through continuous usage as it blocks water from seeping through the vinyl and disrupting the print layer underneath. It wouldn’t be able to seep into the flooring and cause rippling or bubbles as it sits on top. Water damage can only happen at the sides where water and other liquids can get under the vinyl and ruin the backing. This can be prevented if silicone is applied properly at the perimeter, to seal the edges of the vinyl. 

Although vinyl flooring is the best flooring for bathrooms and kitchens, it can still be placed anywhere really. Because of its properties, vinyl is recommended for areas that are in constant exposure to water but it can still be placed in areas that are dry and have very little water exposure. It can be used for any part of the house, like a kid’s flooring, the hallways, and living rooms, it can be placed in bedrooms if that is what’s wanted. For it to be installed, even in bathrooms and kitchens, the subfloor will have to be prepared and adequate. Small bumps and dents aren’t an issue, but it is a requirement with larger dents as will show more through the vinyl while vinyl can be forgiving with smaller ones and simply push them into the backing. These larger and bigger dents can become visible over time and through usage which can cause wear and tear to the vinyl.