Vinyl Floor Tiles

Is It For You?

Vinyl floor tiles of today are not what they were 10 years ago! Affordable and practical, with superb durability and realistic beauty, they can be installed in any space of the home...

Probably the fastest way to transform an existing floor, or lay a new one, is with vinyl floor tiles. They are a DIY'er favorite flooring material to install.

Vinyl flooring's high resistance to moisture is very appealing for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. The only problem is the adhesive used to lay it is NOT moisture resistant, which can cause a problem for vinyl floor tiles (more so than sheeting) if moisture/liquid spills seep between the seams and come in contact with the adhesive.

Thus it is imperative spills are wiped up ASAP, no water or liquids are left standing on the surface and to avoid soaking the floor when cleaning it.

Vinyl will resist stains and scratches, will not crack and minor dents will bounce back, but is it is prone to punctures and cuts.

In your search for vinyl floor tiles you will find not all vinyl flooring is equal... the better quality tiles are thicker and have a higher solid vinyl content.

Vinyl floor tiles are more flexible than vinyl sheeting, which can be very stiff and hard to handle and usually requires a professionl to install, but tiles have a history of becoming unglued at the corners and need re-gluing. A small problem as long as you take care of it asap...

Three Possible Finishes

Felt-backed varieties, also called "no-wax" are usually the least expensive, starting around $1 per sq/ft.

Fiberglass varieties average $3 per sq/ft and is one of the best technological advances in vinyl flooring. Often referred to as flex floor, glass-backed or glueless, it has a fiberglass core fully enclosed by vinyl. It is a seamless floor that can be put oven an existing flat and smooth surface, and is put in place using pressure-sensitive adhesive around the edges. It is more flexible than conventional sheet vinyl and works well for basements.

Luxury vinyl tiles are the toughest average $5 per sq/ft and have a thick, textured wear layer that simulate weathered stones or scraped woods floors. they are not limited to conventional square tile sizes These tiles are pretty much goof proof so if you are an advanced DIY're you should have no problems installing these tiles, otherwise leave it to a professional.

A word of caution, many self adhesive tiles tend to be of low quality, and will wear out quickly, so make sure you are getting the very best your budget will allow... it will last longer and pay off in the end.

Major manufacturers of vinyl flooring include; Armstrong, Mannington, Congoleum, Tarkett and Internationa Vinyl Corp.

Manufacturing: The Short Version

Often times confused with linoleum (an all natural materials product), the two are quite different from each other.

Vinyl is made up of synthetic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and urethane, and not what you can call environmentally friendly. The printed patterns (embossing) of vinyl is protected by a clear polyurethane coating called the "wear layer".

The off-gasses (toxic fumes) from vinyl has long been a concern for consumers, so most manufacturers (if not all) have switched from solvent-based to water-based inks (one offender). However, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) odors do linger and may take longer to get rid of

An affective way to get rid of these gasses is to let the flooring breath in an unoccupied area before installing it in an enclosed space. This step will reduce the odors common to vinyl.

Advantages