Tips for choosing vinyl flooring for your home – Vinyl tiles have become quite a trend in the last few years. It is a type of synthetic flooring that is usually composed of a top layer highly resistant to wear and tear.
Underneath, there is a decorative layer formed by a high-resolution motif that imitates natural wood. Then, there is a layer of high density fiber and a final stabilizing layer that will ensure the correct leveling of each tile.
Depending on the type of vinyl flooring we are talking about, it may have been designed with different technologies to make it more resistant to stains, moisture, or dirt.
In addition, as it can be found in many designs, it is perfect to adapt it to any place in the house.
If you are thinking of placing vinyl flooring in your home, but still do not know how to select the right type, this article will be interesting for you.
Elements to consider when choosing vinyl flooring for your home
1. Format
The first thing to consider is the format of the vinyl flooring.
Depending on the manufacturer we are talking about, we have different possibilities:
- Slats: slats are longitudinal pieces designed to imitate wood flooring. They can adapt quite well to different types of installation, such as floating, click or adhesive.
- Tiles: Tiles, on the other hand, come in rectangular or square shapes. Their appearance is generally less elongated than that of slats. It is ideal to create an industrial style floor.
- Rolls: rolls allow us to create custom-made spaces. They are usually 2, 3 or 4 meters wide and the user can choose the desired length. Their installation is quite simple, as they only require a PVC carpet fixer, adhesive glue or double-sided adhesive tape. Its great advantage is that it will easily adapt to any surface.
- Installation location
Vinyl flooring can be installed in any part of the house, but before starting, you should keep in mind that not all parts of the house are equally prone to wear and tear.
For example, if you are going to place it in the kitchen, in the bathroom, or in a garage that you are planning to turn into a kind of attic, you will have to consider that these are areas of high humidity. Therefore, you will have to choose a type of vinyl flooring that is more resistant to extreme conditions.
The living room is the place in the house with the highest foot traffic. If you are going to lay the floor here, you should make sure to invest in a model that is of the highest possible quality, even if it is a bit more expensive.
- Use
The use we are going to give to the vinyl flooring is a criterion that should not be overlooked either.
- If we are looking for greater resistance, we will pick a thicker floor: they are more robust and provide a better step when walking on them. Additionally, they are more stable and the joints hold much better. The thickness of a vinyl floor usually ranges from5 to 5 mm.
- The top layer (also known as the wear layer) is very important, as it tells us how resistant the floor is to footfall, as well as to wear and tear in general. The thicker the wear layer, the more resistant the vinyl floor tiles will be.
If the area where the floor is to be laid is not going to be walked on, a thickness of 0.07 mm of the wear layer will be more than enough. For more transited areas, we will go to a minimum of between 0.15 mm – 0.30 mm. If it is for a place of intense use, we will choose a layer with a thickness greater than 0.50 mm.
- Installation systems
In addition, depending on the installation system, different options are also available:
- Self-adhesive: this type of flooring already has its own adhesive for easy installation. In addition, the pieces are easy to cut and handle.
- Clic: these are pieces that fit together and do not require any adhesives. They can be placed on any surface and there is no need to level the floor if there are no imperfections larger than 1 mm.
- Glued: These are pieces that are placed on the floor, but require the purchase of an additional adhesive.
- Self-supporting: this installation system is fixed to the floor by its own weight. It has no click or adhesive system.
Keep these criteria in mind and you will be able to easily pick vinyl flooring for your home.
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