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Why Resilient/Vinyl?
Resilient floors, as the name implies, have some “give” or elasticity when you walk across them. This category includes linoleum, cork, rubber and resilient vinyl.
Resilient floors are often used in kitchens and baths because of their good looks, resistance to moisture and wide variety of colors and textures.
These floors are relatively easy to keep clean.
No matter which resilient floor you choose, you will find stylish options, high performance and tremendous value.
You can completely customize your floor by mixing contrasting colors patchwork style, creating medallions or curved cuts that express your unique vision and personality. Let your imagination run free!
Now, all vinyl floors are resilient but not all resilient floors are vinyl. However, the most common type of resilient flooring is vinyl.
There are two types of vinyl flooring: sheet vinyl and vinyl composition tiles (VCT).
VCT has all the advantages of vinyl, is available in a wide array of colors and can look good anywhere.
Spare vinyl composition tiles can be kept on hand to repair worn areas, and the VCT format opens up unlimited possibilities for creating your own unique patterns.
However, vinyl flooring also offers you many tempting advantages.
In fact, no other floor covering category offers you the selection, styling, ease of maintenance and value as a vinyl floor!
Thanks to some great advancements in styling and technology, vinyl floors have been changed forever.
Vinyl flooring can now realistically mimic the look and textures of real resilient, stone and wood grain patterns.
These amazing replicas have such incredible realism it is difficult for most people to tell whether it's the real thing or not. Who needs to know, right?
Finally, a note about linoleum, which is not a resilient flooring but the one you probably recall as the original kitchen and bath flooring.
While linoleum, because it is a “natural” flooring material, is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance, the most popular floor covering material in this category is vinyl.
Specialty Resilient Products
Maybe the flooring solution for the way you live is a more specialized product, one that is truly unique and a little outside the mainstream.
No problem. This is your section. It contains four different and distinct products that really are in a class by themselves.
All are beautiful, stylish and have their own personality – to create a special feeling and atmosphere in your home.
All are resilient floors, that means, as the name implies, they have some "give" or elasticity when you walk across them.
They may even give a little “bounce” to your spirits!
Linoleum: the old standard is now the new one.
Today’s linoleum is a far cry from the flooring you crawled around on in your mother’s kitchen.
It’s enjoying renewed popularity as a flooring choice because it is made of natural ingredients. So you may take a natural liking to it.
These natural ingredients include linseed oil, cork, limestone, wood flour and tree resins.
An advantage to you is the fact that the color in linoleum goes all the way through, making it extremely wearable and durable.
Another reason for linoleum’s renaissance is that, while it normally comes in sheets, it can be hand-cut for intricate patterning and one-of-a-kind artistry.
Thus it’s very customizable, giving you wide freedom to express yourself.
Linoleum is a quiet, warm surface that cushions your feet and requires minimal maintenance, although it may scuff or mark if not kept well polished.
Cork: it’s a show stopper in any home
Beautiful and unique, warm and inviting, cork flooring commands attention, discussion and a typical question: what kind of floor is that?
Read on and you can easily answer that question, and more; impress friends and neighbors alike.
Cork is actually the bark of a tree commonly known as Cork Oak.
Predominantly found in Portugal and Spain, Cork Oak is native to the Mediterranean region.
The bark naturally splits every 9 to 15 years and can be safely harvested causing no harm to the tree. Hooray for the environment!
The bark re-grows and the cycle continues on for years and years.
Some Cork Oak trees have been known to live up to 500 years.
Cork flooring can be a viable alternative for any room in your home.
It is a natural product, so even if finished in color or left natural, it will show variations in characteristics, tones and shades from tile to tile.
Cork flooring is installed much like a hardwood floor in that, once installed, a urethane coating is applied.
However, cork flooring is much warmer than wood as well as being durable and forgiving. We’re all for forgiveness.
Cork flooring is not only warm to walk on and extremely quiet with natural sound absorbing qualities, it’s also naturally hypoallergenic and naturally resistant to mold and mildew. Great advantages one and all.
Rubber: a great idea to bounce around
Today rubber flooring can be purchased in a wide array of handsome colors to match your home and its personality.
Stud rubber flooring is available in either sheet or tile form.
Rubber floors offer you and your home a variety of benefits.
Rubber flooring is extremely durable, virtually indestructible, quiet and warm to walk on, and if you are on your feet a lot, great to work on.
It is also very good at resisting dents and stains and its waterproof surface has an anti-slip finish.
However, rubber is a relatively expensive flooring choice and must be installed by an experienced installer for maximum performance.
But if it’s truly unique you’re after, and a sure-fire conversation starter, rubber flooring is an idea well worth bouncing around.
Specialty Resilient: two floors in one
Recently, manufacturers have begun selling a new product that offers the benefits of resilient flooring with the look and feel of real resilient tile or wood.
Called specialty resilient, this flooring material is made of vinyl and aluminum oxide.
The result is a lightweight, durable floor that creates less strain on your back and legs. And who wouldn’t appreciate that?
Like resilient flooring, specialty resilient flooring is applied with a mastic over a sound subfloor.
This product is available in residential grades and comes in many patterns and designs based on stone, granite, marble and exotic wood grains. Just imagine the possibilities in your home.
Basic product sizes are 16" x 16" and 17" x 17". Certain types of specialty resilient flooring can even be grouted to virtually guarantee the resilient tile look.
Why Ceramic Tile?
Ceramic is dynamic. Its unique character, texture and nature-made material add energy, excitement and enchantment to any room. Ceramic is optic. Its multitude of styles, shapes, patterns, colors and finishes offers you a visual home from elegant, quiet and sedate to vibrant, emotional and provocative.
Ceramic creates magic and mystique. With a tradition that dates back to ancient civilizations, ceramic tile can be found in a variety of settings in diverse cultures and structures around the world.
Ceramic tile is a natural product made up of clay, a number of other naturally occurring minerals, and water. Glazed ceramic tile has a ceramic coating applied to the tile body, which gives the tile its color and finish. Glazed ceramic tile is the natural choice for your interior floors and walls.And there’s logic to glazed ceramic, through these umerous qualities. Durable - a properly installed ceramic tile will outperform and outlast nearly any other floor covering product created for the same application. Easy care – and that’s for you, right? Glazed ceramic tile resists stains, odors, and dirt and can be cleaned up with a damp mop or sponge or common household cleaners.
Ceramic tiles are essentially a low-maintenance material. However, even glazed tiles are somewhat porous, and require care and attention, especially in heavy traffic areas. Scratch resistant - Grade III and Grade IV glazed ceramic tiles are extremely resistant to scratching and you never have to worry about a cut or tear like you do with some other types of floors.
Environmentally friendly - ceramic tile is manufactured using natural materials and does not retain odors, allergens, or bacteria. Beautiful and versatile - modern ceramic manufacturing technology has created virtually an unlimited number of colors, sizes, styles, shapes and textures that will add rich beauty and character to any room’s decor. Fire resistant - ceramic tile doesn't burn nor emit toxic fumes. Even hot kitchen pans or skillets will not scorch or melt the surface of glazed ceramic tile. That can be a comfort when you’re actively preparing food. Water resistant - most glazed ceramic tile has a dense body that permits little or no accumulation of moisture. This means spills from common liquids found in a kitchen are not a big concern. In summary, ceramic tile is a practical, functional choice for your floor that offers you a unique opportunity for self-expression because of its beauty, flexibility and design potential.
Source: Floor Covering Weekly |
