Your Ultimate Guide For Vinyl Flooring

1.

What is vinyl flooring?

Camaro PUR - Devonshire Oak 3462

Vinyl Flooring is usually 100% synthetic material, made mostly from fiberglass and PVC. It can withstand heavy use and is one of the best low cost and water-resistant floor options for heavy foot traffic and moist areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, classrooms, clinics, and many institutional applications. You can find more details on how to pick different vinyl flooring for different settings here.

2.

What are the different types of vinyl flooring?

There are commonly 3 types of vinyl flooring available in the market, including sheet vinyl, vinyl tile and vinyl plank. Sheet vinyl is made in large, flexible, and continuous sheets. While vinyl tile or Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) offers a variety of styles and designs to suit a wide range of interiors and needs. Vinyl plank mimics the natural beauty of hardwood and stone without compromising on the durability. Click here to see different shades and designs for each type of vinyl flooring

Colonia PUR - Imperial Black Marble 4515 (left)
Expona Commercial PUR - Tanned Chevron Parquet 4112 (middle)
Polysafe Quattro - Truffle Shore 5762 (right)

3.

What do you need to know about Luxury vinyl tile (LVT)?

Expona Commercial PUR - Golden Chevron Parquet 4111

LVT or Luxury Vinyl Tile is an innovative design of vinyl flooring. It provides the realistic look of either wood, stone, or ceramic tile, but is extremely hard wearing and resilient to daily wear and tear. All LVT ranges by Polyflor also feature polyurethane reinforcement to reduce maintenance costs, making it ideal for commercial and residential areas that require a hardwearing floorcovering which is attractive, modern and easy to maintain

4.

What’s the difference between vinyl and laminate floor?

Laminate is mainly made from wood by-products fused with resins. While Vinyl floor is usually made from PVC and fiberglass. Both floorcoverings are the popular choices in the market for their ease of installation (compared to hardwood floors) and budget friendliness. However, they also have some key differences.

The benefits of vinyl flooring include but are not limited to:

  • Easy to install
  • Lower cost
  • Easy to clean
  • High resistant to water and dirt
  • Low maintenance
  • Withstand high traffic uses
  • Noise absorption
  • Authentic wood, stone, and abstract effects

The benefits of laminate flooring include:

  • Durable
  • Beautiful with an authentic appearance
  • Easy to install and clean
  • Affordable

Sustainable slip resistance is also a crucial factor to consider before specifying your flooring choice, which can be found in many of Polyflor’s vinyl ranges.

Expona Flow PUR - Taupe 9843; Huckleberry Oak 9882

5.

What are the advantages of vinyl flooring compared to hardwood flooring??

Forest fx PUR - Stained Maple 3110 (Retired)

Even though hardwood floor is a natural, beautiful, and durable flooring option, vinyl floor can be a more scratch-resistant choice in the long run, especially if there are pets, children, or heavy furniture in the households, which can potentially scratch or damage the floor. On the other hand, vinyl is a better choice if you are looking for a floorcovering solution which can be used in the kitchen, bathroom or other areas where accidently spills and splashes are inevitable. This is because vinyl flooring is more impervious and water resistant when compared with hardwood flooring. You can view more comparisons between vinyl and hardwood floor in detail via our blog post “LVT vs hardwood flooring, what’s the difference”?

6.

In what ways is vinyl flooring better than tile and stone flooring?

Vinyl flooring provides softer underfoot and more slip resistant features to help users reduce the risk of falling and possibly hurting themselves. Vinyl floor is more resistant to absorbing cold and heat than tile and stone floor, making it a more kid and pet friendly floorcovering solution. Vinyl flooring is also more hygienic than tile and stone floor because of its impervious layer. This means bacteria and germs have nowhere to hide.

Polysafe Stone fx - Urban Concrete 6013; Light Concrete 5087

7.

How durable is vinyl flooring?

Polysafe Verona PURE - Midnight Blue 5238

Vinyl floor is stylish yet highly durable. Depending on the quality and how they’re installed and maintained, vinyl floor can last from 5 to 25 years. Besides its longevity, vinyl ranges usually have a wear layer to protect the floor from stains and scratches. Most Polyflor vinyl floorcoverings also feature PUR surface treatment to support a simple cleaning regime, which make it suitable for both light and heavy traffic settings without compromising on aesthetic and durability.

8.

Why is vinyl flooring slip-resistant?

Vinyl as a flooring material that is designed to be slip-resistant. Additionally, most vinyl floors, especially in the safety ranges, offer a high degree of slip resistance in continually wet areas where contaminants may be present. For example, Polyflor’s Polysafe ranges achieved high level slip resistance in the Pendulum, Abrasion and ramp tests to provide superior comfort underfoot whilst maintaining high performance and safety. You can view different safety flooring collections in detail by its slip-ratings here.

Polysafe Quattro - Chalk Dune 5766

9.

Is vinyl flooring waterproof?

Polysafe Standard PUR - Wild Mushroom 4600; Taupe 4610

Vinyl floor can be waterproof if it is well installed and maintained.  The 100% waterproof nature of the Polyflor vinyl flooring products also lend itself to regular wet cleaning, with fast drying times minimising disruption.

10.

Is it easy to install vinyl flooring?

Many vinyl floorcoverings are designed to reduce the installation time with help from professionals. For example, Expona Simplay PUR from Polyflor is a collection of loose lay vinyl tiles and planks that has been developed for heavy commercial interiors where appearance, practicality and faster project turnover time are required. You can click here to view this collection in detail or discover how to install Polyflor floorings in detail on our installation guide.

Expona Simplay PUR - Natural Wild Oak 2571

11.

Is vinyl flooring easy to clean and maintain?

Palettone SD - Weekend Sky 8611

Vinyl floor or Luxury vinyl tile is probably the best low-maintenance flooring option. For example, all the LVT collections from POLYFLOR are resistant to everyday dirt, soil or accidental splashes, which make the cleaning process much easier. You can sweep or vacuum the floor to remove loose dirt, grit, or dust. For deeper cleaning, you can just simply rinse the floor with clean water and wipe it with a mop. On top of that, all the LVT collections feature a polyurethane reinforcement (PUR) on the top of the floor layers to support ongoing maintenance and a simple cleaning regime.

12.

Why is it safe to use vinyl flooring in your interior in 2021?

With the safety regulations and advanced technologies, vinyl manufacturers like POLYFLOR make a significant contribution to creating positive indoor environments by producing vinyl planks and tiles for homes and businesses with very low VOC emissions. Furthermore, All Polyflor vinyl ranges have undergone many independent and rigorous VOC tests and have approval certifications including Eurofins, Agbb, and Finland M1 test, making it a safe floor option to use in your interior. If you're interested to learn more about how to select non-toxic flooring for your next project in 2021, please check our latest blog here.

Colonia PUR - Cliff Top Oak 4438

13.

Where can you use vinyl flooring?

Vinyl floor is ideally used in both commercial and residential settings, including healthcare, education, retail, leisure, housing, workplace, and the public sector. If you are interested in learning more about Polyflor’s vinyl products, please visit our website here or contact us here.