Vinyl Flooring Guidelines

Vinyl flooring is the most popular type of resilient flooring and by far the most widely used flooring material in the United States. Vinyl flooring is available in both low and high end types. Low-end vinyl flooring is usually recommended if you wish to have the most affordable type of flooring material. However, high-end vinyl floors can also contend with expensive flooring like hardwood in both quality and appearance.

Vinyl flooring materials are comprised of varying amounts of vinyl. These are often in solid or composite types of vinyl. Solid vinyl is made of vinyl pieces set in a vinyl base while composite vinyl is composed of vinyl pieces embedded in non-vinyl fillers. Solid vinyl is more expensive and more solid of these two types of vinyl. High quality flooring contains higher degree of vinyl components. Wear layer is the protective topping which is found in all vinyl flooring. This can be available in urethane that is plain and without wax covering or can be present all in vinyl. The vinyl type is more resistant against stains and scratches. However it can lose its shine more easily than the urethane protective topping. Glossy floor can get slippery and can also be hazardous especially when used in the bathroom. Both types of protective toppings may wear in time and can become dull unless wax is applied regularly.

All vinyl floors have a cushion backing, which is available in variety of thickness. This characteristic is useful especially when vinyl is installed in the kitchen where there is a higher tendency of dropping breakables. Apparently, the thicker the cushion backing is the easier for the floor to suffer from dents. The answer to this problem is by using textured vinyl surfaces to camouflage the dents.

Vinyl flooring comes in two forms. These are in tile and sheet forms. Some people who do their own installations would rather use vinyl tiles. These are a lot easier and quicker to install. Most vinyl tiles have adhesive backing that an installer will have to strip off, position on the floor and attach it on. The surface where the vinyl is going to be installed needs to be clean and smooth to give a good and tight fit. Other people have felt backing and glue application to be a requirement on the floor surface for installation. However, this type is very difficult to remove if the replacement is required. There is also a vinyl-backed type, which only needs gluing on the edges that enables it to be easily removed when replacement is still required. Sheet vinyl, however, costs more than tiles per square foot. It also requires more time and determination to install. A typical do-it-yourself homeowner can find installing sheet vinyl a little more difficult.

Lastly, it is advisable to settle for better quality vinyl flooring that can last longer than to get the lowest type and suffer from the complex process of replacing the cheap floor material in only a few years’ time.

Choosing the Right Hardwood Flooring

Choosing the right hardwood flooring is very essential if you wish to get the most durability and longevity for your money. Most people select flooring material solely based on appearance. This is the common mistake made by homeowners.

You must understand first the terminology used for describing wood flooring and the way the different specifications affect the efficiency of the flooring. Not all floors are made equal, and not all have the same intended use. Before buying any type of wood flooring, be sure to understand what you are getting. Making the right decision will guarantee your hardwood floor provides a long-lasting beauty to your home.

Types of Flooring

There are three basic kinds of hardwood flooring. Compared to veneers or laminates that consist of a thin layer of wood and synthetic materials, hardwood floors are naturally made from wood all the way through. The three main types of flooring are the following:

Solid Wood Floor. Any floor that is solid from top to bottom is considered a solid wood floor. One major issue with a solid wood floor is that humidity and temperature adjustments can cause the wood to expand and contract. Based on the size of the room, the expansion may cause buckling and contraction can cause gaps.

Engineered Wood Floor. An engineered flooring material is just like plywood, where numerous layers of wood are glued together with the grains operating in opposite directions. This produces a floor surface that is a lot more stable in humid environments such as kitchens and bathrooms.

Acrylic Impregnated Wood Floor. This type of hardwood flooring is usually used in commercial applications. It is made by injecting an acrylic compound into the wood. This creates an extremely hard and durable surface.

Wood Cuts

How the wood is cut through the manufacturing process will have an effect on the stability and appearance of the wood.

Plain Sawn. This is the most popular method of chopping real wood flooring. Each cut of the lumber is made parallel with the last cut. This is the least expensive method since it generates the least waste. This also produces wood which has more variations than the other cutting method.

Quarter Sawn. With this method, lumber is first cut into quarters before being cut into strips. This makes wood flooring with a vertical grain that will expand and contract vertically instead of horizontally through humidity adjustments. Cutting this way will produce a very tight-grained appearance.

Finally you understand the basics of hardwood flooring; therefore you should have enough knowledge to choose a flooring option that will suit your unique preference. You can also get many finishing options and species of wood to choose from. Each of these options will give you different appearances and different levels of durability.

Making the right choice of hardwood flooring is very important. You really want something that will fit the look of your home; however it must also perform well under the conditions in which it will be used. Thorough selection will ensure that your money is well-invested and you will enjoy the beauty of hardwood floor in your home for many years to come.

Related Posts:

• Solid Wood Floors - Maintenance is a Requirement
• Ways to Install a Solid Wood Floor

Knowing More about Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring

Solid wood flooring is comprised of one piece of wood from top to bottom. Almost all solid wood floors are around 3/4 inch thick and are milled with a tongue and groove to ensure an installation with no gaps that can build up dirt and dust.

The wide variety of finishes and coatings can be applied at the factory (prefinished), manufacturing area or at the job site to complement the needs of the installation. Most practical issues prefer the use of prefinished solid wood flooring. There are actually three advantages: factory-finished wood flooring can be installed in a single step; there will be no erratic fumes from the finish and coating are emitted into the place; factory coatings are tougher and more durable compared to what is available for on-site application.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood flooring is made from three to six layers of laminate configured with the grain in every layer laid perpendicular to an adjacent layer. This increases strength into each finished board exceeding that of available in solid wood flooring wherein the grain runs in the same direction throughout the entire piece.

The top layer, referred to as the wear layer, is sawed, cut or shaved from a hardwood varieties and in the finished product will exhibit exactly the same appearance as a solid wood piece. Oak and maple are the most common hardwoods; however exotic species like bamboo, teak, and Brazilian cherry are also available to consumers.

High quality glue that permanently fastens the layers and also makes engineered wood floors more impervious to water, moisture and humidity than any type solid wood flooring. This manufacturing process shows that engineered wood floors can be applied below grade in basements, in kitchens and bathrooms, and in humid areas.

Both solid and engineered floors can be impregnated with acrylics to make them extremely hard and durable enough for almost any sort of usage. This is probably the kind of wood floor that you see in shopping malls and hotel restaurants.

Parts of engineered wood floors are produced from the toughest wood species which makes it very durable and also add richness and value to every home.