Choosing the right flooring is an important decision. It is a process in which you have to consider both personal taste and practicality. You want a lovely floor, but it has to resist heavy traffic, the pets, the kids, their toys and accidental spills. Luxury vinyl has a exceptional molecular structure and can be used in an infinite number of applications. It is a very flexible material that creates a world of flooring opportunities. In recent years, great progress in technology has enhanced the performance of vinyl flooring spectacularly, especially in the areas of durability against rips, tears and gauges. Vinyl floors are known for their ease of maintenance and are unaffected by high levels of humidity, which makes them an obvious choice for high moisture areas such as kitchens or bathrooms. However, vinyl is also a perfect alternative for any other room in your home where you require a beautiful, durable and easy-to-clean floor that creates a luxurious and warm feel underfoot.

All vinyl products are made from a combination of vinyl resin and various additives, which gives these products their particular properties. Most vinyl fencing formulations are made up of about 80 percent vinyl resin.

Extrusion and co-extrusion are the manufacturing processes used to make vinyl outdoor living products. After proprietary compounds are made by combining additives with vinyl resin, the product is extruded through molds to form various shapes and is cut into various lengths. Extrusion uses the same vinyl formula (compounds with stabilizers, modifiers and inhibitors) throughout the entire manufacturing process. In a co-extrusion process, the UV inhibitor and other modifiers for weatherability are concentrated in an outer layer while stabilizers and modifiers for durability and strength are put in the inner core of the product.

The wear layer is critical to the performance of a vinyl floor. The thickness of the wear layer varies with each manufacturer's collection or series and is generally measured in mils. The thickness of the mil is about the same as a page in your telephone book. So a 10 mil wear layer would be comparable in thickness to about 10 pages in your telephone book.

The special urethane finishes used on today's residential, high-end vinyl floors will give you a richer looking floor, better designs, better tear-resistance and much better performance.
 
Sheet Vinyl vs. Vinyl Tile
Today Vinyl floors come in two forms. Sheet Vinyl and Vinyl Tiles. Sheet vinyl is sold in rolls that are either 6 or 12 feet wide and the customer can order any specified length. This provides advantages in the quickness of installation, and allows for a greater range in pattern and style. However, if a section of the vinyl floor gets damaged, generally it is very hard to patch a sheet vinyl floor. Vinyl tile floors are much like a ceramic tile in the fact that they are installed by the piece, providing the availability to have a very custom floor. The greatest advantage of vinyl tile over sheet vinyl floor is that if a section gets damaged, it's easy to just simply replace a tile.