Resilient Vinyl FlooringVinyl has been a popular flooring choice in American homes for decades. Now grouped into a category called “resilient flooring,” today’s vinyl floors are manufactured using the latest advances in flooring technology. The shiny, plastic-looking floors that were once prone to scratching and scuffing, now feature more matte finishes, and are far more durable, easy to maintain, and wear-resistant than their distant cousins. In addition to offering better performance, these floors have gotten a bit of a makeover. Available in sheets, tiles, or planks, today’s vinyl flooring comes in a huge variety of colors, patterns, and trendy designs, with many high-end styles impressively mimicking the look and textures of popular materials such as real ceramic tile, stone, and wood.
Why Choose Resilient VinylVinyl is one of the most versatile materials used in flooring. It is highly resistant to mold, mildew, and moisture, making it one of the most popular flooring options for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and just about any room in which occasional spills and moisture are a concern. Also one of the most affordable flooring materials out there, vinyl is easy to install over most existing flooring (providing it meets specific requirements), and it’s easy to maintain. Vinyl’s built-in cushiony underlayment also makes it warmer and softer underfoot than real tile, stone, or wood.
Determining QualityWith the explosion of vinyl flooring products now available under the “resilient” umbrella, how can you tell the lower-quality varieties of vinyl from the truly resilient? It all starts with understanding the different products and the manufacturing processes used to make each.
Printed vs. Inlaid Vinyl
When shopping for vinyl flooring, you’ll likely come across two types: printed and inlaid.
With printed vinyl, patterns are printed using a paper top coat placed directly on a thin vinyl surface and then covered with several layers of clear vinyl or urethane to produce a protective wear layer. Also referred to as rotovinyl, this type of vinyl is a more affordable.