In these modern years, residential vinyl floor tile has been increasingly used on the globe either by the homeowners or by the home designers.
Vinyl refers to flooring materials constructed from synthetic substances. They usually contain many different levels of PVC which stands for polyvinyl chloride.
This PVC comes with the various quality of materials which are basically based on physical composition, constituent materials and the level of wear protection on the flooring surface.
In this case, the vinyl tile for residential comes with three main types you can consider purchasing. Each of the types has its own unique characteristics, benefits and drawbacks.
Now let’s have a quick read on this residential vinyl floor tile review particularly the types available to inspire you to choose the best residential vinyl floor tile for your lovely home.
Solid Vinyl Tiles
Solid vinyl tile is processed in the manufacturer by molding the vinyl resins ad fillers to shape in a desired size of the tile.
Solid vinyl tile comes with a more natural look than the other types of vinyl floorings.
In this case, the surface of each tile is added with a feature of abstract colors and patterns.
The tile colors are almost similar one to another, meaning that they can completely infiltrate through the material.
This is aimed to help prevent the flooring damage caused by the gouging or scratching.
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Printed Residential Vinyl Floor Tile
Printed vinyl tiles are designed along with the layering system including a padded backing, print layer and clear wear layers that are coating the printed surface. This is aimed to protect the tile surface from damage.
Printed tiles are printed with the image on their surface. There are a wide range of colors and textures to allow you to choose the most preferable tiles as you desired.
Thanks to the modern design that lets the high-end tiles to be reproduced to create the natural flooring look like the weathered stone, marble or hardwoods.
The designer tiles cam even be made into printed design with images of grass, river stones and mosaic.
One of the big benefits of the printed vinyl tiles is the fact that the wear layers provide an easy maintenance to the tiles. Usually, the flooring requires no stripping and polishing.
However, the old wear layer can also break down, making the floors less durable over the long period.
In this case, the wear layer’s quality is usually laying on its flooring construction and thickness.
As one of the most recommended residential vinyl floor tile, two types of wear layer are ready to complete the tiles construction.
The first layer is a polyvinyl chloride or two of the clear vinyl laying on the print layer. This is aimed to add a low to moderate level of protection.
The second layer is a urethane wear layer that creates a surface over the vinyl. This will make the vinyl seal stronger and more durable over the surface of the floors.
In addition to printed vinyl tile for residential, there are grades of wear layer thickness available.
Those are Grade 1 which comes with the thickest surface sealant layer to enable the flooring to be used for high traffic of commercial and residential areas, Grade 2 which comes with the thin layer for medium traffic residential and low traffic commercial installations and Grade 3 that offers the thinnest wear layer, suiting the traffic residential areas.
Residential Vinyl Floor Composite Tile
Vinyl Composite Tile is usually called VCT. In the world of flooring, it has been popularly used in Europe over the decades. Later, it is increasingly popular in America.
Vinyl Composite Tile is constructed through the mixture of vinyl resins and mineral dust filler.
As a result, the vinyl composite tile is hard and durable to be the resilient flooring option better than the other options.
The only weakness of this vinyl composite tile is the fact that the tiles are prone to be brittle, meaning that you must install them on the clean and smooth subfloor surface. If not, the tiles can crack because of the overtime pressure.
Vinyl composite tiles are typically available in a wide selection of solid colors and terrazzo style patterns.
The materials used to manufacture the vinyl are almost homogenous. Thus, the vinyl will not scratch and gouge when you are removing the printed surface layer.
VCT is one of the most popular flooring not only for residential but also for commercial spaces.
Finding Quality Residential Vinyl Floor Tile
Finding the best quality of vinyl flooring is merely important. While the natural materials tend to improve by weathering and aging, vinyl start degrading it until it looks old and worn down.
In this case, vinyl tile cannot be refinished. Thus, you must carefully choose the vinyl flooring type dealing with the high quality materials.
In printed vinyl flooring, the quality depends on the materials and the thickness in the wear layer.
In solid and VCT vinyl tiles, the quality lies in the PVC level contained in the material constructing the flooring.
In this case, the good quality vinyl tile floor will be able to last for 10 to 15 years as long as you carry out a proper installation over the dry level subfloor.
Residential Vinyl Floor Tile Options
There are two options of residential vinyl floor tile you can consider thinking over when it comes to purchase a vinyl floor tile. Those are the sizes and the surface choices.
In this relation, the vinyl floor tiles are available in standard sizes that are 9 inch, 12 inch and 18 inch squares.
These flooring options are also available in a wide range of rectangles. You can surely cut them to shape the tiles in rectangles suiting your projects.
The second option is the surface choices. A few years ago, vinyl tile for residential comes with the high gloss finishes which are the most preferable option among home owners.
Yet, vinyl tiles today are available in a wide selection of finishes such as matte, multi-colored, solid colors, marbleized and textures to stimulate the number of various natural materials.
6 Reasons Why People Choose Residential Vinyl Floor Tile
Though you have known some types of residential vinyl floor tile in this review, it would be better to know why people choose vinyl flooring for their homes.
This is aimed to provide you with the convincing reason so that you will never feel doubt anymore once you make a final decision about this vinyl floor tile.
Below are the 6 reasons we are going to share you. These reasons are best based on our searching and finding.
Prior to have a quick read on them, several things you need to know, too, are the fact that vinyl flooring tiles are entirely waterproof.
Thus, you can installed it anywhere else in the home, not only in dry locations but also in some wet locations where moisture is the common problem causing floors damage.
Vinyl flooring tiles are also made of synthetic, making it more resistant to water and stains, versatile and durable.
Besides, vinyl flooring tiles are also the major trendsetter, particularly in some areas with the high level of moisture.
A flooring expert from Bathroom Bizarre, Kyle Turner, states that vinyl flooring tiles were firstly invented in 1930s.
Nowadays, it remains in use. It even comes with the more and more desired characteristics to meet the customer’s need and expectation.
In this regards, we have collected the information from what Turner has stated about residential vinyl floor tile.
Those are the benefits of the vinyl flooring tiles that are also the reasons why people are still widely using this flooring type.
So check them out now to make you more convinced about picking up vinyl flooring for your homes.
Moisture Resistance
Moisture resistance is one of the most crucial characteristics or features of a flooring product to allow you to determine where to install it or determine whether or not you can install it on your desired room.
In this case, vinyl flooring offers a good moisture resistance by the waterproof feature. Thus, you can definitely use it in the wet locations such as bathrooms, mudrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens.
Aesthetic Versatility
In fact, vinyl floor tiles are available in a wide selections of colors and patterns to suit every décor style.
Turner states, the natural materials such as timber and natural stone are the most natural flooring materials used to stimulate the use of vinyl tile designs.
Later, Turner states that faux timber vinyl flooring is quite popular. Now it is available in planks which are just similar to genuine wooden floorboards. Once it is laid, it can resemble the looks of genuine timber floors.
In addition to the aesthetic versatility, there are a large number of colors and patterns options available to match any décor style.
In this case, the homeowners can enjoyably choose the look of natural timber in wet spaces without getting the risk of warping and flaking.
Quick and Easy Installation
Later, people keep preferring the vinyl floor tiles for their residential is due to the quick and easy installation of the flooring.
This way, the vinyl is completely designed in sheets, planks and tiles, making them incredibly easy and quick to install.
The glue-down installation method is usually used for sheet vinyl while the vinyl tiles come with the peel-and-stick backing installation method. In this case, all you need to do is just laying the vinyl sheets or tiles out tidily.
On the other hand, the vinyl floor planks are installed in the same way with laminate flooring. They use a tongue-and-grove profile to simply click the vinyl together.
Dealing with the vinyl flooring installation, Turner states that the key to successful installation depends on the floor itself.
Noticeably, installing vinyl requires a smooth surface so that there is no bump and indentation during the installation.
Turner also explains that vinyl flooring can be best laid on the top of the layer of plywood which has been sanded well and the concrete that has been smoothened.
Durability
The next reasons why people tend to use residential vinyl floor tile is the durability of the flooring.
Noticeably, vinyl flooring is considered highly durable as long as it is properly installed and professionally maintained. It can even last for 10 to 20 years.
This means that you don’t have to replace the vinyl flooring up to 20 years if the floors are still in a good condition. Thus, it is your job to keep it well so that it will be highly durable as you wish.
In relation to the vinyl flooring durability, any vinyl flooring products must have a wear layer located on the top of the vinyl. Vinyl also guarantees that it can stand out even in high traffic areas.
Read Also: Vinyl Wood Flooring Versus Natural Hardwood : Cost, Benefits and Installation
Hygienic and Stain-Resistant
To keep your vinyl floor tiles looking as good as new, all you need to do is to make sure that you are performing regular and periodic maintenance.
Regular maintenance includes the daily cleaning such as sweeping and vacuuming the dirt and dust while periodic maintenance include damp mopping that you can perform once a week.
Damp mopping is also much recommended to perform along with the vinyl-approved cleaner products.
In addition to flooring maintenance, clear wear layer is added as a surface barrier. It provide the floors with the great protection from spills and stains.
In fact, residential vinyl floor tile is easy to tidy up and clean. It is also stain resistant.
Due to the non-allergenic qualities, vinyl flooring is much suitable for hospitals, laboratories and other healthcare spaces.
However, these qualities are also desirable for residential use.
Underfoot Comfort
The last vinyl floor tiles characteristic that makes it preferable for residential use is the underfoot comfort.
Since vinyl flooring will not get cold, it will be a great flooring for cold areas. The soft texture make it be resilient so that it stand out well though it is winter.
In this regards, Turner expresses that the vinyl underlay is constructed to even out rough subfloors, to shield the flooring and to offer a better resistance to moisture and mildew.
