What will be the floor covering in the room depends on operational requirements and financial capabilities. In apartments, they mainly lay linoleum, lay laminate or parquet. Today, the building materials market offers many options for flooring. An alternative to expensive flooring is vinyl tile, which in its characteristics is not inferior to elite materials, and cheaper in cost.
What is vinyl flooring?
Vinyl coating is a multilayer canvas, in the lower part of which there are quartz chips with a polymer, and in the middle part there is a polymer plate with an ornament. A dense film protects it from abrasion and mechanical damage. Prefabricated vinyl floors are made in the form of small rectangles that are attached to the floor surface on an adhesive basis. The coating is soft to the touch, but at the same time its performance is higher than that of the laminate. It is in rooms with high humidity that vinyl floors are most often used: customer reviews confirm the ability of vinyl to absorb moisture. For the kitchen, hallway and bathroom, this is an ideal coating option.
Characteristics of vinyl floors
Before laying the tiles, you need to level the surface. Screed or other building mixtures will eliminate bumps. Experts do not recommend laying vinyl on a wooden floor, which can be damaged from the inside. It is necessary to remove all boards damaged by fungus or rot, to remove construction waste. There is no need to level the surface if it is even. It is enough to put a substrate, plywood or sheets of chipboard, and then vinyl floors under it. The plates have a small thickness, so it is better to pre-insulate the floors, especially in the children's room.
Vinyl for wear resistance is divided into maximum, medium and intense. They differ in the density and thickness of the protective film. In rooms with a large flow of people, it is better to use a coating with maximum wear resistance in order to maintain attractiveness for a long time. In addition, if moisture gets on it, the floor will not deteriorate or swell.
If you do not know how to lay vinyl floors, a photo of their installation can be found in this article.
Styling features
You can lay vinyl floors yourself without resorting to the help of strangers. Details are cut with scissors for metal.
Gone are the days when the store offered only plain linoleum and white tile. Today, the construction market has a wide range of materials that are unfamiliar to many, for example, quartz, vinyl floors with an adhesive base. These are new developments, using which you can make the floor beautiful and environmentally friendly in a short time. It is not a problem to choose the material, the difficulties lie in the installation of the coating, since the period of operation depends on the correct installation.
Base for coating
Quartz, vinyl floor tiles are laid on a clean, dry and even base. If it is not good to dry the surface of the floor, then moisture will gradually destroy the adhesive and coating. In the kitchen, in the bathroom or in a room with high humidity, it is recommended to pre-waterproof the floor. Dust can become an obstacle to the complete adhesion of the adhesive base of vinyl to the surface, so you need to thoroughly wash it.
Styling process
To lay the vinyl coating, first of all, you need to purchase a special knife with trapezoidal blades, which in the process of work are changed to hook-shaped. The first type of blade is necessary for marking the material, and the second - for cutting.
If the tile will be laid diagonally, then you need to be prepared for a large amount of waste. The amount of material is determined by measuring the area of the room. Many people installed vinyl floors on their own. Reviews of homemade masters note that this process is quite simple.
At the first stage, a central point on the floor surface is noted, straight lines are drawn from it, along which they will be laid. Next, the tile is greased with acrylic glue, which is most suitable for this work, and the calculation begins. Around the obstacles and near the walls, the material is cut with the help of an office knife. If desired, you can use curly patterns, if there are columns or steps that interfere with styling. After the material is laid, it is rolled with heavy rollers or a cork board to better connect to the base and prevent the formation of bubbles. In rooms with high humidity, the joints of the tiles are processed by cold welding.
Self Adhesive Vinyl Tile
The base of the vinyl tile can be not only simple (standard), but self-adhesive, that is, with a sticky base. Vinyl floors are very popular among the population, reviews about them are only positive.
The process of laying self-adhesive vinyl tiles is very simple. It is enough to remove the protective film from the back and firmly press it to a dry and cleaned base. In addition, tiles can be laid on an existing floor - parquet, linoleum or laminate. All cracks and irregularities are sealed with putty, followed by grinding. For maximum strength, the coating is treated with an acrylic based primer.
What do you need to know?
Consumers should be aware that self-adhesive vinyl flooring has its drawbacks. The fact is that the adhesive base at low temperatures loses its properties, so this coating can only be used in heated rooms. On the back of the material there are arrows indicating the laying direction. If you do not follow the instructions, the pattern is broken, and the overall picture will lose its appeal. Along with other benefits, self-adhesive vinyl floors are easy to install and inexpensive.
Advantages of vinyl floors:
- Wear resistance. This coating is ideal for rooms with high humidity and heavy loads. Vinyl floors perfectly withstand endless walking of people, moving furniture, sports training, corporate events.
- They do not fade, do not crack and do not chip.
- The material is not afraid of water.
- Environmental friendliness. Vinyl floors are made from environmentally friendly materials that do not contain heavy metals and do not emit volatile components into the air.
- Range. In the store you can find matte, textured, glossy and smooth vinyl floors. They perfectly imitate valuable species of wood, sandstone, green grass, hewn plank flooring or antique wood.
- The material is easily glued to the surface and smoothed with a roller. When installing vinyl tiles, you do not need to dismantle old floors or take out furniture.
- Light weight and hidden seams. The tile is easily cut and when laying creates a solid surface in a room with inconspicuous seams.
- Durability and easy care. Vinyl does not need to be carefully looked after - dirt is easily washed off with ordinary water, and strong stains can be removed using household chemicals.
- Reasonable price and ergonomics. Vinyl flooring and the cost of its care will cost the buyer inexpensively.
- Heat. Unlike tiles and stone, which become cool in winter, this material is very warm.
The disadvantages include only artificial origin. Such a minor minus is overlapped by a number of advantages that vinyl floors have, customer reviews confirm this fact.
Structural types of material
Despite modern modernization, this coating in its characteristics resembles linoleum. Like its predecessor, the wear resistance of vinyl tiles is expressed in numbers. The longest-lasting material belongs to the 43rd class and has a protective layer thickness of 0.5 mm. Vinyl floors with these numbers belong to the commercial category and are recommended for sports and industrial premises. Materials of 32-34th grade with a coating thickness of 0.3 mm belong to the household category and are suitable for flooring in residential buildings.
New On Sale
Vinyl coatings appeared on the domestic market quite recently, but in such a short time they managed to win the respect of consumers. With the help of vinyl floors, you can easily decorate the house in a modern style, using material stylized in embossed leather or perennial oak. Thanks to a large selection of colors, you can realize your most original fantasies. Vinyl coating is a vivid example of the successful implementation of design ideas. In addition, it is a reliable and high-quality material for any room. The floor from it is convenient and easy to maintain, it is well washed and not afraid of water. In order for the room to shine with freshness and cleanliness, a rather light wet cleaning is enough.