Decorating Tips - Vinyl

Expert Advice

Learn about durability, ease of maintenance and appearance retention. Use this guide and visit our store to consult with our experts first hand.

Add Up the Advantages of Vinyl

For looks, for ease of installation, for carefree maintenance, for overall durability and value ... for the price, vinyl can't be beat.

Its rugged versatility and water resistance accounts for its widespread use in kitchens, bathrooms, family dens, playrooms, finished basements and workshops. Vinyl stands up to moisture, heavy household traffic, and the active play of children and pets.

Wherever you install vinyl, it never needs waxing. You can wipe away scuffmarks and food spills with a damp paper towel! Now, that's easy clean-up.

Discover How Vinyl's Newest Looks Fit Your Decorating Plans

Available in high-fashion designs made possible through innovative manufacturing techniques, today's vinyl combines a luxurious appearance and cozy, foot-cushioning resilience to make a truly elegant - and comfortable - floor covering.

It's vinyl like you've never seen it before! The very look of vinyl has changed in the last few years, making your design possibilities limitless. Along with traditional and contemporary fashion colors and geometric patterns, vinyl is now available in natural wood and stone looks. The remarkable variety of decorator designs makes it more practical than ever for your home's formal as well as casual settings.

Remarkably realistic, vinyl flooring that reflects the timeless beauty of wood and stone retains all the other traditional advantages of vinyl, including low maintenance and affordability.

Let your imagination run free. Vinyl's newest looks were created to expand your decorating plans without expanding your budget.

All these elements make a difference in how your floor will look. Don't forget to check out Installation to learn all about the little details that make a big difference when transitioning from old floors to new.

Installation

Avoid any bumps in the road to your home design project. Use our installation guide for great tips on the transition of your old floors to the new.

We help you bring your new floors home with ease.

Installation Matters

Learn about our Points of Difference Guarantee, because how your floor is installed will impact its performance and life. We provide a warranted installation by a trained, professional craftsperson who will finish the job to perfection guaranteed.

Things to Do Before Installation

We want you to have a clear understanding of the services we provide as well as to be aware of items you will need to handle prior to the installer arriving at your home. After your purchase, items crucial to the smooth installation of your new flooring will be detailed by your sales professional in a pre-installation check list and may include some of the following:

• Verification of the installation date.

• Ensuring the removal of all "breakables" from the room.

• Determining who will remove furniture, appliances and the sub-floor, if needed.

• Arranging for the disconnection of gas appliances and icemakers.

• Determining if any change to the height of the floor require adjustments to doors in order for them to close.

• Ensuring the removal of items in storage areas and closets where the floor is to be resurfaced.

• Make certain drapes, wall hangings and pictures are removed from walls.

• Verify that your in-home temperature is appropriate for installation.

Installation

Your local Flooring America store offers expert installation for all of the flooring products we carry. You can trust our installers to create a great-looking floor for your home. Whether it's a solid-color carpet or a detailed, custom tile design, our licensed and insured professionals will get the job done accurately and beautifully.

We are so confident that you will be more than satisfied with our professional installation that we will be happy to correct any installation-related problems for free during the intended life of your floor.

Get started today and bring your colors, swatches, photos and ideas into your local Flooring America retailer. Find the store nearest you.

Vinyl Flooring

When many of us think of vinyl flooring, we may think back to a farmhouse kitchen, the grade school cafeteria, or a doctor’s office from our youth. Those expanses of cool, shiny flooring that stretched down halls and through rooms were a popular choice then because the flooring was attractive, durable, affordable and easy to maintain. Vinyl flooring still possesses those same qualities, but improvements in its composition and production make it a truly 21st century flooring option appropriate for almost any use.

Modern vinyl flooring evolved from linoleum, an earlier manufactured sheet flooring. Vinyl is actually manufactured through a pressing process, where substances like wood filler or ground cork are combined with pigments and a binding compound, such as linseed oil or resins, and this mixture is then pressed into sheets. The sheets are then coated with a clear "wear layer" that seals the vinyl and creates its finished look that can range from a natural matte finish to a glasslike gleam.

One of the most attractive features of vinyl flooring is the incredible array of colors and designs available. These remarkable design options result from two separate manufacturing processes used in creating vinyl flooring. The traditional inlaid construction process uses chips of colored vinyl that are pressed onto a carrier sheet and then bonded together; the more modern rotogravure process allows actual printing to occur on the vinyl sheets. Between these two processes, there is almost no look that cannot be provided by vinyl flooring.

The flooring itself is available in two forms – sheets and tiles. Vinyl flooring sheets come in 6 and 12 foot widths, and almost any length. Tiles are available in squares of 9, 12, 14, 16 and 18 inches. Both forms are easily customized and easily installed, and many do-it-yourselfers can lay a professional looking vinyl tile floor with little or no experience. Installation of sheet vinyl is a little more challenging, because of its size, but it too can be successfully handled by home handymen, and professional installation is always available. The variety of vinyl tile sizes compliments the wide range of colors and designs, creating limitless custom decorating options at a very affordable price.

Vinyl flooring is remarkably sturdy and wear resistant, and with some simple precautions, it retains its original beauty for years. As with all hard surface floors, it can be marked or scratched by furniture legs without protective pads, so be certain to use felt or a similar protector under heavy pieces. Vinyl can also be damaged when grit and debris are ground into its surface; avoid this by regular sweepings and moppings. And wet spills on vinyl are not uncommon (because it is such a popular choice for kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms), but these liquid spots can stain or discolor the vinyl surface if they are not promptly cleaned.

The durability of vinyl is directly related to the thickness of its wear layer. Typically, more expensive vinyl flooring has a thicker wear layer, which should provide longer wear. Most manufacturers will indicate the size of the wear layer on its products, some even guaranteeing their vinyl flooring products against rips, tears or gouges.

Adding design versatility and attractiveness to vinyl’s traditional strong points, durability and affordability, makes vinyl an excellent flooring option for your home.

Linoleum and Vinyl Make a Comeback

Nowadays, so much attention has been put to going healthy, practical, and eco-friendly. With diet commercials and environment-friendly products in vogue, households have come to realize the value of neat, ecologically friendly and durable floors. One of the most sought out flooring products for just those reasons is linoleum. Although there have been many modern advances in the flooring area, linoleum boasts a long history and is gaining more popularity as a flooring choice of many homes. As linoleum makes its comeback, many trade publications have given it rave reviews on its resurgence thanks to innovations and design options offered by linoleum manufacturers such as Forbo Industries, which holds more than 30% of the $40 million US market.

So where does linoleum fit in? Linoleum is works well when used with traditional, all-natural, and mostly-wood type of designs. It can also spice up a modern home with the help of an interior designer who has an eye for combining the look of the old with today’s modern conveniences. Although deemed by many as a difficult floor to install and less likely to absorb sound, linoleum has its advantages:

• An extremely extensive lifetime – often lasting fifty years or more when properly maintained.

• Environmentally friendly – 100% recyclable

• PVCs and other gasses are not released into the air

• Thermally insulated, extremely quiet and shock-absorbing

• Hypoallergenic – dust, pollen and dirt are repelled by it’s natural antistatic characteristics

• Develops into a more robust floor as it ages – the oxidation of the oil creates a stronger floor

Linoleum is often bought in rolls - approximately 7’ wide with lengths up to 100 feet long. It is also available in sheets, tiles, and sometimes as area rugs. The choices for the style of the floor are practically endless. Selections include a variety of patterns and an array of both bright and subtle colors. Technology has helped to find ways to improve sealers applied on linoleum. Architects and designers are clamoring for more as they find the comeback-kid the best choice for eco-conscious clients.

Linoleum was discovered by Frederik Walton who patented the product in 1863. He got the idea, as legend says, from observing how a sheet of linseed oil forms on top of paint. With this basic idea, he used a mix of linseed oil, tree resins, pigments, cork dust, ground limestone, and wood flour and pressed it onto a jute backing. Even today, the same ingredients are being used to create modern versions of the product. Mr. Walton eventually named the product by joining the Latin words "linum" (flax) and "oleum" (oil). It was not until later in the same century that Michael Nairn from Scotland made the product more appealing to the public by perfecting methods of adding design qualities such as inlaid patterns.

By the mid-1940s, with two recent world wars dictating practicality and thriftiness, people were more than ready to switch to a cheaper type of flooring. This is when vinyl was made available. Through these hard times, vinyl found an explosive popularity that left linoleum floors to be considered old-fashioned and ugly. But, linoleum maintained its reputation as a sign of luxury and prosperity among households that could afford to purchase and install it during those times.With so many flooring options, the durability and ecologically friendliness of a linoleum floor could be the answer to the complicated question of "which type of floor should I choose?" With costs comparable to that of carpet and wood flooring, patterns and colors that installers can have fun with, and an average lifespan of 40 years, linoleum is here to stay.

An Introduction to Naturcor

One of the most exciting new products in the flooring industry, Naturcor cushioned vinyl gives you a surface that is strong, yet resilient – perfect for high traffic areas and children’s playrooms. Its incredible durability and excellent resistance to scuffs, scrapes, tears and stains means it retains its original luster longer than traditional vinyl. And best of all, Naturcor is designed to mimic the beautiful, natural look of hardwood or stone in a warm, comfortable, and cushioned resilient floor. Naturcor’s technologically advanced construction allows for easy installation and maintenance. Most Naturcor products have a four-part structural composition:

1. Comfort Foam Base

2. Easy Fit Layer

3. Quick Clean Wearlayer

4. Super Guard Finish

The Comfort Foam Base is a luxurious cushion that supports the top vinyl layer and creates a crush base for indentation resistance. This cushion reduces impact noise and sound transmission, while providing unmatched underfoot comfort. And, with natural resistance to moisture, this layer resists mold and mildew. In addition, Naturcor also gives additional insulation and warmth, making it ideal for rooms with concrete floors or drafts.

The next layer is known as the Easy Fit Layer, and combines strength with flexibility, ensuring an easy and trouble-free installation process. The easy fit layer maintains a unique dimensional stability with the comfort foam. This prevents the foam layer from contracting, expanding, cracking, tearing or curling. Consequently, Naturcor does not require glue to install, and its stability allows it to float over existing floors securely.

The Quick Clean Wearlayer protects your floor against discoloration, fading, scuffs and scratches, all while retaining its beautiful finish. The quick clean wearlayer is responsible for Naturcor's long-lasting luster and appearance.

The Super Guard Finish completes the layers of Naturcor, guaranteeing ultimate protection. The advanced, urethane top layer resists scuffs, scratches and stains, providing superior protection against tearing and gouging.

With so many modern advances, Naturcor cushioned vinyl could just be that miracle that solves some of your toughest flooring choices, especially in those areas of your home that get the toughest treatment.

Installing Vinyl Flooring

With a little preparation, the right tools, and some patience, anyone can install a beautiful new vinyl floor. Vinyl flooring is a great choice for several rooms in the home, and for the experienced do-it-yourselfer, installing vinyl makes an affordable flooring option even more affordable.

Before beginning the project, gather together all the tools you will need for the job. These include:

• masking tape,

• a pry bar,

• vinyl flooring adhesive,

• a seam kit,

• a hammer,

• a notched trowel,

• a rolling pin,

• a 1" wide ruler,

• craft paper, pencil,

• scissors and a utility knife

• and of course, the beautiful new vinyl flooring

Begin by emptying the room in which the new vinyl will be installed. This allows you free movement, and adequate room to prepare the floor. Remove any moldings along the wall, and thoroughly clean the surface on which the new flooring will lay. If the floor is not level, you may wish to use plywood sub-flooring to raise the unevenness to the proper lever. You can secure the plywood underlay with 6 penny ring shank nails.

After the surface is prepared, you are ready to make the pattern from which you will cut the vinyl flooring. This may seem an unnecessary step, but it will make the entire installation much easier (and cutting more accurate) than working simply from dimensions or a measured drawing. Use craft paper to make the pattern, physically laying it out on the floor space to be covered. Attach the lengths of paper together with tape, and use smaller pieces to pattern around difficult objects, such as pipes, baseboards or vents. The template should allow _ inch between its edge and the wall on all sides – just remember to add the inch when cutting the final pieces. Mark each edge of the pattern indicating which wall it will abut, and you may also want to note on the pattern where difficult spots are located. At this point, you should have a perfect fitting floor covering made of paper.

After the pattern is built, carefully lay the vinyl flooring on a clean surface, face up. If more than one width of the flooring will be necessary for the job, overlap the vinyl so that its design aligns perfectly. When all is aligned, tape the pieces together and lay the pattern on the vinyl, making sure it is laying in the right direction, and using the utility knife, cut the flooring. Don’t forget to add an extra 1 inch to the length and 1 inch to the width. You may want to practice cutting on a scrap before cutting out the flooring from the pattern. Also, where possible, align the pattern so that your cuts will be on a line or on a place in the design that is not as noticeable.

Double check your work by carefully placing the vinyl where it will be laid. If any adjustments need to be made, make them now. If the fit is good, remove the vinyl, and apply the flooring adhesive to the vinyl’s reverse side, following the adhesive manufacturer’s recommendations. Lay the flooring back in place, and press the entire floor using the roller. If seams are present, use the seam sealer kit to secure them.

It may take at least a full day for the adhesive to set, so allow enough time out of the room for everything to dry. When at least a full 24 hours has elapsed, you can reattach the baseboards, replace the furniture in the room, and enjoy the satisfaction of having installed a beautiful new vinyl floor.