Quartz vinyl tile is a relatively new building material that is of great interest to people involved in repairs. This increased demand is due to the fact that this type of coating has a number of necessary qualities and requirements for the floor. Thanks to the analysis of customer reviews, you will find out which tile the majority of Russian consumers choose.
What is quartz vinyl tile?
The new coating, which has many positive qualities compared to floor tiles, laminate, parquet, has the name "quartz-vinyl floor tiles". Reviews about it for the most part are only positive. The coating is a heavy and dense material, at the same time flexible and resilient, well-proven for decoration both outdoors and in closed spaces.
Composition of Quartz Vinyl Tile
This material refers to advanced PVC coatings, which include, in addition to polyvinyl chloride, even quartz sand. Sand-quartz makes a mass fraction from 60 to 80%, the remaining 20-40% are PVC and impurities. In its composition, the quartz vinyl coating is closer to the quartz mineral than to the polyvinyl chloride, which affects the quality and characteristics of the material. It has almost zero abrasion, fireproof and moisture resistant.
This floor covering, due to the presence of polyvinyl chloride in its composition, is able to imitate the texture of various materials - wood, granite, slate, marble. Quartz-vinyl tile for the floor spreads reviews about itself instantly: customers note that it does not break into pieces and does not crack even when a heavy object was dropped on it.
Layered Quartz Vinyl Panels
Like many coatings, quartz vinyl tile has a heterogeneous structure, it consists of several layers:
- Vinyl - is the basis of tiles, which provides adhesion to the subfloor.
- Fiberglass - is a reinforcing layer consisting of thin plates, which are obtained by hot pressing without the use of harmful chemical additives.
- Quartz vinyl is a kind of unique material, it consists of fine river sand without impurities and pure shell rock.
- A decorative layer that gives an aesthetic appearance to the material, it imitates any surface, including natural ones.
- Polyurethane is a transparent layer applied on top of the tile, which increases the wear resistance of the floor covering.
It is understood that all parts of the coating, called the “quartz vinyl tile”, must be held together. A binding element is polyvinyl chloride, which is absolutely safe for humans and perfectly sticks to any surface. As a result, the thickness of quartz vinyl floor tiles is 1.6-4 mm.
Some details about the composition of quartz vinyl
Each element in the composition of this product has its own function. In addition to quartz sand, quartz-vinyl tile, the reviews of which speak for themselves, consists of a variety of plasticizers, stabilizers, pigment and other additives. The former are used to give the material elasticity. Stabilizers neutralize the negative effects of extreme temperatures, ultraviolet rays.
In order to simplify the maintenance of the flooring made of quartz vinyl plates as much as possible, the manufacturers of this material use various methods: cover the front surface with polyurethane or use metallized emulsion varnish as protection, etc.
Despite the fact that quartz-vinyl tile for the floor, the reviews have excellent, but, like any finishing material, this coating has its positive and negative sides.
Advantages of Quartz Vinyl Tile
Many people appreciate quartz vinyl tiles for their high strength and phenomenal durability. In addition, due to the fact that the composition of this finishing material includes polyvinyl chloride, quartz vinyl floor tiles acquire natural warmth. In the reviews, buyers note that it is pleasant to the touch, unlike ceramic. The main advantages of quartz vinyl flooring:
- Environmentally friendly material. Harmful substances are not released even at high temperatures.
- Quartz vinyl tile, reviews of which tell us that it does not absorb water at all, is widely used in rooms with high levels of humidity.
- Fire resistance. It does not support the combustion process, that is, it is a self-extinguishing material.
- High resistance to chemically active substances.
- High level of wear resistance and, accordingly, durability, tile service life is 25 years.
- Resistance to temperature changes.
- Impact resistance.
- It has sound absorbing qualities.
- Easy to maintain and repair. Tiles can be washed with any detergent. If necessary, repair a separate tile is easy to remove and replace with a new panel.
- Excellent aesthetic properties.
- If you wish, you can make a “warm” floor under the quartz vinyl tile, there is no need to lay the substrate.
- The material does not conduct electric current and is antistatic.
The disadvantages of quartz vinyl coating
In addition to the above advantages, this flooring has its drawbacks, consumers in their reviews note that:
- Gaps may appear between the tiles over time, which cannot happen when using rolled materials.
- It is undesirable to mount the tile on a cement base, since quartz-vinyl tile, reviews of which indicate its high heat transfer and thermal conductivity, will still be always cool in rooms with a concrete cold floor.
- Installation of quartz vinyl coating requires a carefully prepared surface, since all the roughness of the subfloor will be clearly visible after laying the tiles, because the material is quite thin. Judging by the reviews, laying quartz vinyl tiles in ordinary people causes some difficulties, but this drawback pays off with other positive characteristics.
Where can I use quartz vinyl tiles?
Due to its composition, floor quartz-vinyl tile does not change its physical parameters under the influence of high humidity, as well as from thermal radiation and temperature extremes. After a sufficiently long time, the floor will not creak and will retain its aesthetic external data. The manufacturer recommends using it in rooms with a temperature in the range from -30 to +60 degrees. This means that this floor covering can be used in any room:
- in the living rooms;
- children's rooms;
- a bathtub;
- the kitchen;
- the dressing room;
- on the terrace;
- the veranda;
- unglazed balcony;
- in the shop;
- office.
If you analyze customer reviews, you can make sure that most places quartz vinyl in the living rooms and bedrooms, less often - in the kitchen and bathroom.
Sizes and design of quartz-vinyl plates
The sizes of such tiles are different, the most common is 30 x 30 and 60 x 60 cm. A 2-2.4 mm thick coating is the most popular quartz-vinyl floor tile ( customer reviews indicate this). It is from this indicator - thickness - that the level of wear resistance of the material depends.
In construction stores, customers are offered different configuration quartz vinyl panels: square, rectangular, triangular. Since this material can be used in almost any room, you can choose a suitable design, especially since the front surface of the tiles can imitate any spectrum of shades, tones and colors. In their reviews, consumers are satisfied with a wide range of products, most choose square or rectangular plates.
Types and types of fastening of quartz vinyl panels
You can connect tiles in several ways:
- With glue locks. Each tile has 4 adhesive strips: 2 outer and 2 inner. Thanks to them, the panels are connected to each other. The gap between them is invisible, even to the touch it is very difficult to determine. It is necessary to lay this type of panel on a flat surface. In reviews, many write that it is not necessary to remove the old coating, the main thing is that the base is smooth.
- Mounting on glue. In this case, the quartz vinyl tile does not have any locks and is fixed with special glue to the base of the floor. This material is attached only to a perfectly level surface, preferably on a cement screed treated with a primer.
- Glue method. The entire back side of the quartz vinyl panel is covered with a composition that provides adhesion to any kind of surface. According to reviews, most use this method of fastening tile material.
- Groove method. It looks like a tile connection where there is a spike on one side and a groove on the other. To lay this coating also requires a flat surface of the subfloor.
- Connection with a lock. The basis for it is plastic, with spikes located on the edge in such a way as to lock in special locks that are on the adjacent panel. For the installation of tiles with a castle connection, a flat surface is necessary, since this material is not flexible and plastic enough.
Installation Instructions for Quartz Vinyl Flooring
From this article it becomes clear that the most popular modern coating is quartz vinyl tile, reviews, the whole truth about the qualities and physical parameters of which have already been studied and discussed above. To mount it correctly, you need to listen to the advice of more experienced masters, which they leave in their reviews:
- It is necessary to lay the tiles on an even and dry screed. The basis has to be previously cleared of dust and dirt.
- It is necessary to eliminate all cracks, elevations, mounds. It is recommended to treat the concrete base with soil and trim if necessary.
- The temperature required for the installation of quartz vinyl coating should not be lower than 15 degrees heat.
- Tile must be glued butt. For fixation, it is desirable to use acrylic dispersion compositions or rubber-based vinyl adhesives.
- The coating elements must be placed tightly to each other, but they can not be compressed or squeezed strongly.
- After laying the tiles, you need to press it to the base of the floor and roll it with a massive roller in all directions for better adhesion.
Floor coverings based on vinyl and quartz will create a reliable wear-resistant floor in the room, which is not afraid of moisture and temperature fluctuations. With careful and proper care, this coating will last more than a dozen years and will delight you with its impeccable appearance.