What is Vinyl Flooring?
One Source Flooring are proud to be one of the Gold Coast’s leading vinyl flooring installers. We have plenty of designs and solutions for both commercial vinyl sheet applications and residential vinyl plank and vinyl tile installations.
So what is vinyl flooring? Vinyl flooring comes in 2 different formats – vinyl sheets and vinyl planks. Modern vinyl plank flooring has come a long way since the old vinyl roll days. Technological advances have allowed manufacturers to encapsulate the beauty of natural materials such as wood, stone, terrazzo and marble and enhance them with the practicality of luxury vinyl tile (LVT). Check out some samples below.
Vinyl flooring is considered to be scratch-resistant, antibacterial, waterproof and more – making it a superior flooring solution for a range of projects.
For those who like the technical details, let’s get into it. Vinyl flooring is considered to be either homogeneous or heterogenous and comes in long sheets (usually for commercial purposes only), in planks or tiles.
Homogeneous Vinyl Flooring
Homogeneous vinyl flooring is constructed of the same PCV colour through the entire sheet and is mostly used in the construction of vinyl sheeting. There are no layers, or underlay and is a flat/chip colour finish. Homogeneous vinyl is recommended for projects such as surgeries or anywhere where hygiene regulations need to be adhered to as the sheet can be manipulated to “cove” around the edges of the room.
Heterogeneous Vinyl Flooring
Heterogeneous vinyl is constructed of multiple layers generally consisting of:
- A backing that helps create a bond with the subfloor and assists with acoustics.
- A stability layer which is generally constructed from fibreglass.
- A design layer of either timber, oak, concrete or stone.
- A transparent wear layer to protect the floor from wear and tear.
Plancher Newlook can include other layers and surface protection.
Major trade retailers sell cheaper vinyl planks with a .2 or .3 wear layer (made for light domestic use). At One Source, we focus on providing quality vinyl flooring with a wear layer of .55 or over (for heavy commercial use). This means your vinyl will last longer and has better scratch-resistance properties. Major retailers also often only sell vinyl with a short shelf-life-span, making sourcing the same product for future repairs difficult.
The Pros and Cons of Vinyl Flooring
VINYL FLOORING PROS
- Vinyl flooring is durable (thanks to its wear layer) and in most cases is scratch-resistant.
- Low maintenance and extremely easy to clean.
- Waterproof and suitable for wet areas.
- Comfortable and quiet underfoot.
- Available in a huge range of styles, colours and textures.
- Family and pet-friendly.
- Comes in realistic designs.
- Considered to be more affordable than some other flooring alternatives such as timber.
- Planks can easily be replaced if damaged.
- Can be installed almost anywhere!
VINYL FLOORING CONS
- Requires a smooth and plain subfloor for installation.
- UV rays can cause damage to some vinyl planks.
- Cheap vinyl can dent with really heavy furniture.
- Can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Cheaper vinyl can have a shorter lifespan than other flooring alternatives.
