Choosing Vinyl Floorcovering
As with carpet buying, the key to buying quality sheet goods or vinyl floorcoverings is to read and understand the product specifications as shown on the product label and in the product's descriptive literature. Common vinyl floorcovering that is offered as a special or price leader, selling in the price range of from $10 to $15 per sq. yd., most often has a very thin wear layer (surface) that is only 10 to 15 mils (mils are thousandths of an inch) in thickness. By comparison a tough, quality floorcovering that will stand up to constant foot traffic will have a wear layer that is 25 to 35 mils thick.

Although the surface of the lightweight 10-15 mil wear layer may look good on the show floor or in the sample book, it does not take much wear and abuse to damage or destroy so thin a wear layer. Most people are forced by their budget to live with the shoddy quality if they are misled into buying it. The key is closer examination of the product, and buying the floorcovering as an investment.

Cheaper vinyl floorcoverings are rotogravure or printed patterns, covered with a thin, 10-15 mil clear wear surface. If you see a floorcovering sample that has a knobby texture on the face, it is a rotogravue pattern. The knobby finish is caused by rollers or by a bonding machine that press the primary layer and the top or wear layers together. The resulting knobby surface is hard to clean and maintain, because dirt will collect in the tiny valleys so it will be hard to lift out and wash away.

For a quality floorcovering that will wear well and look terrific after years of abuse, buy an inlaid vinyl. Inlaid means the design particles are dropped onto the base material, then covered with the wear layer, rather than being a printed pattern like the rotogravure. A quality inlaid vinyl such as Mannington Gold or Armstrong Solarian may have a wear layer that is 25 to 30 mils thick.

What do you pay for quality in vinyl floorcovering? Remember the rule when buying quality: labor for installing cheap materials costs the same as for installing quality materials. All you can save is the cost difference between the materials. The cheap 10 mil rotogravure will cost $15 per sq. yd., and the quality inlaid goods will cost about twice as much, or $30 per yd.. For a 12 ft. x 18 ft. kitchen floor of 24 sq. yds, the rotogravure will cost $360, the inlaid $720.

INSTALLATION: Some of the vinyl floorcoverings are offered as do-it-yourself materials, but installing sheet goods can be a difficult way for the amateur to save money. If you buy a thicker, inlaid product, it will be stiff and hard to lay. Only the thinner rotogravure material is flexible enough to be easily handled by the amateur. We suggest that you ask your dealer to suggest an installer and have the material professionally laid.

Whether or not you can install your new floorcovering over the existing floorcovering is a difficult question to answer. If you are having an inexpensive rotogravure installed, the old material pattern may photograph through the new material. Removing the old floorcovering and adhesives is a difficult job, plus the fact that older materials may contain asbestos. In many or most cases the installer will suggest installing an underlayment of 1/4 in. lauan plywood atop the existing floor, leaving the old floorcovering in place. This is a judgment call, and depends on a number of factors, including whether existing door clearances will permit the added thickness of the 1/4 in. plywood plus the 1/8 in. thickness of the vinyl floorcovering. Because there are variable factors that demand a judgment call, you should rely on the judgment of the installer, especially if you propose to ask the installer to guarantee the work.

Vinyl Floor Tile

Vinyl floor tile can be purchased either "dry back," meaning adhesives must be applied to the surface to be tiled, or adhesive back, which has the adhesive or peel-and-stick back. Although we prefer a vinyl floor that is made from sheet goods, easy one-person installation and peel-and-stick convenience makes vinyl tile a viable flooring option for some areas. Vinyl floor tile are often used by d-i-y'ers in such areas as recreation and hobby rooms, and in finished basement or attic expansion projects.

Directions for estimating how much vinyl tile you will need are often printed on the side of the tile carton. Buy and use the tile adhesive recommended by the manufacturer, if you will be installing dry back tile. Also included in each carton of tile is an instruction sheet telling you how to apply that particular tile.

If the surface to be tiled is new plywood sheathing, you should use a product such as Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty to smooth and fill all joints and nail heads in the sheathing. This will ensure that uneven joints or hammer dimples around nail heads will not photograph through the finished floor tile. In addition to the Durham's or other floor filler you will need a mixing container, a paint stick for stirring and mixing the wood filler, and a trowel or wide putty knife to spread the wood filler.

Other tools you will need include a notched adhesive spreading trowel if you are installing dry back tile, a measuring tape, a sharp razor knife, and straight edge for cutting the tile. Also, use a chalk line to establish the mid-point of the room to be tiled. All tile application jobs begin at the center of the room, because this ensures that you will have uniform border tiles at the edges of the finished floor and a professional-looking installation.

Keep in mind that tiles that are solid colors are easy to lay. Tiles that have a pattern or design must be laid in the proper direction so that the design is continuous and not interrupted. There may be arrows on the back of any patterned tile to help you maintain the pattern direction throughout the entire project.

To ensure uniformity of color from tile to tile, check to be sure the tile cartons you buy all have the same lot numbers. Also, some tile directions recommend that you open several cartons of tile and alternate using tile from different cartons to be sure there is no obvious and abrupt color change or shift from one carton to another.

Written by Gary Branson
Reprinted with permission. Copyright HouseNet, Inc.

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