Should you install vinyl flooring in your home?
Flooring is one of the most expensive cost when it comes to home renovations – and the bigger your house, the bigger your bill. It's almost permanent too because it's a tremendous hassle to redo the floor.
Vinyl flooring falls under the category of Resilient Flooring, along with Linoleum, Cork, and Rubber. Resilient flooring has and will always be considered material for any building project because of its durability, safe designs, and most importantly, economical cost.
"The condition of the flooring should be dry, level, smooth and clear from dust before introducing vinyl plank flooring. It is utmost important to rectified any unevenness surface before vinyl installation."
Current vinyl flooring available in the market is either in sheet or planks form. Apart from a host of benefits, vinyl flooring is also less expensive than installing tile or stone flooring. As aforementioned, vinyl planks come in large assortments of colours, designs and textures, with some even mimicking the look of wood planks or stone tiles, it is not difficult to discover a style that coordinates with the design of the home.
Price
The cost of vinyl flooring supply and installation is in the range of S$3.50 per square feet to S$9.00 per square feet depending on the fabricating country and product specification. That is only slightly more expensive than the pure supply of premium Italian homogeneous tiles.
With tiles, you have to engage a contractor to perform hacking services on your existing material. Vinyl flooring does not require hacking work. Thanks to its straightforward and fuss-free installation process (via click and lock system), a vinyl floor can be fully installed in just a few hours.
Making
Depending on the brand and type of vinyl, there can be up to a total of seven materials sheets stacked together to form a single vinyl plank. The first layer UV coating follows by PU coating (a waterproof and anti-microbial coat that protects the vinyl sheet, allowing it to be stain-resistant and scratch-resistant). Then the wear layer (to protect the printed timber look graphics) follow by the printed graphic layer. The middle layer (the most substantial part of the sheet that gives it its strength) and the balance layer (this layer allows the vinyl sheet to achieve self-levelling so that ultimate flatness maybe achieve when laid). Finally the fibreglass layer (to minimise expansion and contraction due to temperature fluctuations and also to enhance its toughness) then the final layer which is the anti-slip base (to ensures that the sheet remains at its laid position and not move when walked on).
Installation
All vinyl planks have grooves attached on the perimeter of each strip, and they are installed simply by laying the pieces on the ground. The planks of vinyl will be joined together via a tongue and groove method until the whole floor is covered. The vinyl will be cut with a simple cutter to accommodate to the edges and corners of your space. No glue is needed.
Should you require your renovation to be completed in double-quick time, vinyl flooring would be a better bet.
Requires Very Little Maintenance
Once installed, weekly dry mopping and regular vacuuming are all that's necessary to keep them sparkling clean. If something does spill, soap and water clean the mess in a matter of minutes.
Less Noisy Than Hardwood
Porcelain tile and stone are hard surfaces that don't absorb sound well. Because vinyl floor has a softer and more absorptive quality, the sounds of walking on the flooring are muffled, resulting in less noise as you walk around the space.
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