Everything You Need To Know About Vinyl Floors

As you can see, the amount of use you get out of a vinyl floor can range dramatically. This is why it is important to consider the application of your project, and take into account the true life-cycle cost.

Every time you have to replace your floor, you have to consider not just the material cost, but also the cost of installation, baseboards, and any other related expenses. For example, in a typical commercial space:

Add in other indirect costs related to floor replacement (not to mention the general inconvenience), and it becomes readily apparent that the smart decision is virtually always to go for the thickest wear-layer you can afford.

Here at Flooret, we make a big fuss about how the flooring industry treats warranties, and unfortunately vinyl is no different. The key points to understand about all flooring warranties. Labor costs for removal and replacement are NEVER included! This is probably the biggest item to note when considering your warranty. Keep in mind that especially with vinyl, professional installation is a large percentage of your total job cost.

Flooring warranties only cover the flooring that needs replacement. So if 10 sq ft in your entrance gets damaged, you will only have 10 sq ft of replacement product sent to you. Warranties are virtually never transferrable. They also usually require the original proof of purchase and must be filed through the original retailer. Going directly to the brand will result in them refusing your warranty, even if the retailer you purchased through is no longer in business.

Many warranties, especially for big box-store products, include so many exclusions that the brand has virtually unlimited power to deny any claim. Warranties always include an exclusion in the event the original product is no longer being manufactured.

This may all seem discouraging, but there are still two very tangible ways for you to gauge the quality of a product: the actual specification (in the case of vinyl, the wear-layer), and the commercial warranty. Brands get very nervous about commercial claims because heavy commercial environments can be unforgiving. Commercial projects also tend to be much larger than residential, so the cost of an expensive claim can be prohibitive. In short, while it is always best to make sure you have some kind of warranty, take those multi-decade warranties with a heavy grain of salt. What will ultimately determine how long your floor lasts is the quality of its specifications.

The overall thickness of your vinyl floor is generally a less important specification since it has little to do with durability (the wear-layer thickness is what determines how long the floor will last). That said, overall nominal thickness does matter in one specific case: Click flooring. The thicker a click vinyl plank, the easier it is to install, and the more secure the click mechanism. Through testing and feedback from hundreds of installers, we have found that 5 mm is the ideal minimum thickness for click flooring.

Click vinyl plank and tile have quickly become the most common construction in the industry. It is easy to install, provides a great lasting bond, and does not require additional messy adhesives. Click vinyl can be installed directly over most subfloors and existing flooring, without the need for an additional underlayment (an underlayment can be used if desired, however, for additional sound control). The only thing to note with click flooring is that the thickness of the plank should be a minimum of 5 mm, as anything thinner can result in a weak click mechanism, and is also considerably harder to install.

One concern with a click that comes from floating laminate and wood floors is the hollow feeling they often have. Vinyl is unique in this regard, however, in that both the higher density and the flexibility of the material means there are very few air pockets, even on less-than-perfect subfloors. This does mean that imperfections in the subfloor will telegraph to the surface, but as a result, it also means the hollow-spot effect isn't there.

Dryback (glue-down) vinyl is designed to be full-trowel glued. The planks are generally thinner (2-3 mm), but otherwise have all the same specifications as their click counterparts. Because the product is thinner and does not have a click mechanism, it is often less expensive. That said, this savings is usually outweighed by the fact that you must purchase adhesive, and the cost of a more experienced installer who is familiar with full-trowel installs. Although the quality of high-quality click flooring has improved dramatically, glue-down is still considered the standard when the most solid installation is needed. Nothing keeps flooring in place quite like full-trowel glue.

For more information on click or glue-down vinyl, check out our Knowledge Base article.

Loose-Lay is the newest technology in vinyl construction. The concept is based on small suction cups that create a vacuum seal with the sub-floor. The argument is that it is even easier to install than click since you can just put the planks side-by-side, and don't need to mess with getting the click mechanism to hold. In practice, loose-lay requires the perimeter of the room to be glued, especially in larger space. And even then, unless the installation is flawless, there are likely to be gaps develop between planks and tiles as the floor gets walked on.

Although a nice concept in theory, in practice the advantages of loose-lay over click or dry back are hard to quantify. When you consider that the price of loose-lay is rarely lower than click, you are better considering one of the alternatives.

Peel-and-stick vinyl is on the low-end spectrum of vinyl flooring. Offered almost exclusively by big-box-stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and Lumber Liquidators, these are usually 0.1 or 0.2 mm wear-layer products, designed with a sticker backing that you peel off, and then stick the planks to your subfloor. The adhesive on these products is notoriously unreliable, especially if your subfloor is not perfectly clean and level. Even in ideal conditions, the corners of the product will come up over time, and as they get walked on and abused, the sticker will start to peel. Although in theory, these products are usable, the low quality generally makes it an option of last resort, for extremely low-traffic, low visibility applications. If you do go this route, it is recommended to purchase 50-75% waste over your square footage, to allow for plank replacement over time.

While technical details are the most crucial when it comes to structural quality, aesthetics are just as important. Floors have a huge impact on the feel of a space, and factor largely in any interior design vision.

Print Films and Repeat Patterns: The print-film gives your floor its distinct look. With print-film manufacturers now carrying catalogs that number in the thousands, you can get virtually any design you can imagine. While there is no accounting for taste and trends, there are some objective details to consider with print design. Most print films come in a set size, usually 52" long by 40" wide. Out of this print film, planks are cut at random points, leading to a certain set of patterns.

The degree of variation between planks is referred to as the "repeat pattern". Although there is some degree of flexibility on how large of a print a company can use, in general, this size is pretty set, leading to repeating patterns every 15 SF or so. There are two things to keep in mind that can help reduce repeat patterns. The first is to pick a pattern that doesn't have overly distinct features. The more distinct the grain or texture in the print film, the more obvious it will be when that distinct pattern reappears. Secondly, it is important to be mindful during the installation of the floor what planks go next to each other. It is best to have 2-3 boxes open at a time and to make sure repeating planks are as far apart as possible.

One more note to consider with your print pattern is how "wearable" the pattern is. Floors inevitably get dirty as they get walked on, and some colors and patterns will show dirt more than others. Especially with very light or white floors, it is worth seeing if the pattern has enough of a pattern that dirt will hide. You will notice in our Modin Collection that our lighter colors like Sutton and Nakan have a worn-in appearance, to better hide actual dirt. A completely uniform white floor might look more modern at first glance but will quickly look dirty.

As with wood flooring, width and length can have a significant impact on how a floor looks. Generally speaking, the wider and longer the planks, the more luxurious the feel of the floor. Larger planks mean fewer seams, resulting in a cleaner, more open look. Vinyl plank typically comes 6" or 7" wide, and 3 or 4 ft long. For the Modin Collection, we were able to work with our supplier to provide a 9" wide and 5 ft long plank.

Vinyl plank can come in a range of textures, from flat to heavily brushed. These textures help the product look more realistic, and help give depth to the print film. Different manufacturers use different plates for their texture, and some are certainly nicer than others.

With wood floors, bevels are the grooves found between planks. These are a nice detail on vinyl, and also help visually separate the planks. With some patterns, the planks can disappear into each other, and give the impression of a single homogenous surface. The bevels can help break this up. Bevels are only really possible with thicker vinyl, generally 5 mm or thicker.

The urethane coating applied to the wear-layer can come in different sheen levels. Although mostly an aesthetic factor, there is one practical consideration with sheen. The higher the gloss level on your floor, the more scratches and wear will show. When you also consider that a shiny vinyl floor accentuates the "plastic" look of the vinyl, we think a low sheen is both more practical and more visually appealing.