About Vinyl Flooring.
Types of Flooring
Essential for ensuring the long-term performance of all types of resilient flooring is understanding the formulation of these products and their maintenance needs.
Vinyl Composition Tile
Vinyl composition tile (VCT) accounts for more square footage than any other category of resilient flooring. Millions of square feet of this well-known product have been installed in retail stores supermarkets, hospitals, and schools.
Solid Vinyl Tile
Solid vinyl tile (SVT) is different than VCT, although they often are grouped into the vinyl tile category. Managers also might hear the term luxury vinyl tile (LVT) applied to printed film products made to look like wood, stone, concrete and other materials.
But not all LVT products are solid vinyl, and many of them are residential-grade products. As a result, it pays for managers to ask a few questions about LVT products. Make sure to ask the supplier to define its characteristics and maintenance requirements.
SVT can be made with a homogeneous appearance that looks similar to VCT, but the printed-film products make up most of the business today. These products use a photographic print film laminated between a backing and a clear vinyl wear layer. Some SVT products feature extremely realistic designs.
The difference between VCT and SVT is vinyl content. SVT has much more vinyl in it, so it is not as porous. The printed film products are made with a clear vinyl wear layer on top that is highly resistant to staining and soiling.
Linoleum
Linoleum is made of linseed oil, pine rosin, ground cork, wood flour, mineral fillers, and pigments, and it is bonded to a jute or synthetic backing. Although the linoleum once was a printed product, manufacturers today sell homogeneous, marbleized linoleum.
Workers should never try to scrub off the yellowish film. Linoleum floors are more sensitive to chemicals and abrasives than vinyl floors. Workers also should not use high-pH strippers or cleaners because strong alkaline cleaners can damage linoleum. Instead, they should use chemicals formulated for linoleum floors.
Sheet Vinyl
Sheet vinyl falls into two categories. Some products are similar to VCT, and others are more similar to vinyl content and even clear wear layers that are maintained like SVT. Managers should ask manufacturers which category defines their sheet- vinyl flooring. Sheet vinyl often is flash-coved up the wall, and these areas need extra care during cleaning. Workers also should inspect floor seams. If they start to open, cleaning the floor might make the problem worse.
Rubber
Institutional and commercial facilities continue to use rubber tile, sheet and stair treads because they are tough, durable and slip-resistant. The surface texture can vary from a smooth marbleized or chip design. Raised designs, including circular, square, hammered or diamond-plate patterns, also are popular with circular, square, hammered or diamond-plate designs.
Workers can clean smooth rubber products with mops or pads, but they should use brushes to clean textured products. Workers might coat rubber floors to increase the product’s gloss, but this process might reduce the floor’s slip-resistant characteristics. A better choice might be to clean and buff the floor, or to use detergents that clean the floor and leave behind a protective, non-buffable film that is waterproof and slip-resistant.
