Vinyl, now known as "Resilient", is manmade and urethane based. Some styles are great for kitchens and high traffic areas and others better in bathrooms. It's all about the wear layer. Ask your salesperson to show you the difference. It's warmer than tile and cleans easily. Unlike "laminate", it's perfect in high moisture areas and with hundreds of patterns, is often less expensive than hardwood or tile. It's available 6' or 12' wide, and seams are chemically welded with a low or high gloss seam sealer.
- Karndean Int’l
- Adura by Mannington
- DuraCeramic by Congoleum
- Stainmaster Ultralife Resilient Flooring
- Mannington
- Congoleum
- K Tech
- Armstrong
- Flexitec
- Stainmaster Flooring Center
Many have a textured wear layer with satin to high gloss finishes making tile and wood styles more realistic. Buying note: Check the pattern repeat. There's a higher waste factor in larger patterns (6" and up). Most quality vinyl has an anti-yellowing warranty, some incorporate silver to make it antimicrobial and some have a no rip, no tear, no gouge warranty.
Congoleum's Air Step Plus, CushionStep by Armstrong, or Flexitec by IVC US, Inc. are popular new soft sheet vinyls. They're cushioned, sound dampening, 100% dimensionally stable (won't contract, expand, crack or curl), and no underlayment's needed. Learn More...
