Lollyloopp
Member
What are the pros and cons of vinyl sheet flooring from concrete subfloor prep to install to holding up to high traffic and multiple animals
Thank you
Thank you
Pros and cons to vinyl sheet flooring
- Thread starter Lollyloopp
- Start date
Help Support Flooring Forum - DIY & Professional:
I am a big fan of sheet flooring. The worst part of vinyl flooring and the most apt to fail has been the seams. Vinyl planks are nothing but seams. Some that I installed 30 years ago still looks great.
Lollyloopp
Member
Thank you!
Any cons? Especially installation on a concrete subfloor?
Any particular brand you recommend that is more comfortable and will last 30 years?
There are several different types of sheet vinyl constructions on the market today. Some terms to know to understand these structures would include:
Inlaid Sheet Vinyl: This product is made of individual chips of colored PVC that are compressed and heated to form a continuous sheet of material. Inlaid vinyl can be constructed with (heterogeneous) or without (homogeneous) a backing. It's called "Inlaid" because the PVC chips are Inlaid onto a backing system or, in the case of homogeneous vinyl, on a carrier paper during the manufacturing process. The chips are dispersed evenly for color and patten and then compressed using large steel rollers while being heated. A clear wearlayer can be applied during the manufacturing which makes the product scuff and scratch resistant and easier to maintain. Wear layers can be made of different chemistries such as polyurethane, acrylic, or other proprietary forms of clear PVC.
Rotogravure Sheet Vinyl: This type of vinyl consists of multiple layers of dissimilar materials and uses a roto printing process to create the visual. Since this type of sheet uses printing the visual can recreate virtually any type of common building material such as wood plank, porcelain tile, stone, or marble. It can also utilize abstract patterns. Virtually any image that can be printed can be put on the surface. Similar to inlaid, the product then can (and most often does) have a clear wearlayer applied for the same reasons.
**Please note that many people confuse linoleum with sheet vinyl. The two are not the same. Linoleum does not contain any vinyl but instead is made from a mixture of lindseed oil, wood flower, and other organic materials. It is an entirely different product category and has different performance characteristics than sheet vinyl. It also has vastly different maintenance requirements than sheet vinyl.
Here is an example of an inlaid sheet vinyl:
This is an image of an inlaid sheet with felt backing from the side under a microscope that shows how the chips sort of compress together:
An example of a rotogravure (printed) vinyl:
This image shows what a common rotogravure product looks like from the side view under a microscope:
Disadvantages:
Sheet vinyl can be more susceptible to moisture emissions from concrete slabs than other types of products particularly modular products like vinyl composition tile (VCT), Luxury Vinyl Tile or Plank (LVT or LVP), ceramic tile, and porcelain tile. Most vinyl sold today is vinyl or fiberglass backed so it doesn't absorb or allow moisture to pass through it. As a result, the moisture and more importantly the alkalinity salts contained in the concrete that emit with the moisture can collect at the adhesive layer. When this happens the combination of the moisture and high alkalinity will break down the adhesive and cause a bond failure.
Due to their flexibility sheet vinyl requires much more exacting sub floor preparation so that any subfloor imperfections do not show or "telegraph" through the flooring.
It's much harder to repair if damaged than a modular product such as LVT or LVP and the repairs can be unsightly vs. replacing a damaged plank or tile in a modular installation.
Advantages:
The "glass back" or vinyl backed products today typically have a fiberglass reinforcement scrim in the layering of the product that provides much greater dimensional stability. The older felt backed or hydrocord backed vinyls were susceptible to edge curl and had to be covered at all edges or they would tend to lift over time as the vinyl layer would contract much more than the backing layer.
In commercial applications sheet vinyl provides a "seamless" or continuous flooring which can be ideal for areas where a sterile environment must be maintained such as a surgical suite since there are no open access points to the subfloor.
Many of today's sheet vinyls provide optional thicknesses for comfort underfoot.
The biggest advantage to sheet vinyls, in my opinion, are the diversity of visuals that sheet vinyl offers. There are just some types of images, particularly abstract patterns that don't lend themselves to being installed in a modular format.
I hope this helps answer your questions and please let us know if you have any other questions.
Inlaid Sheet Vinyl: This product is made of individual chips of colored PVC that are compressed and heated to form a continuous sheet of material. Inlaid vinyl can be constructed with (heterogeneous) or without (homogeneous) a backing. It's called "Inlaid" because the PVC chips are Inlaid onto a backing system or, in the case of homogeneous vinyl, on a carrier paper during the manufacturing process. The chips are dispersed evenly for color and patten and then compressed using large steel rollers while being heated. A clear wearlayer can be applied during the manufacturing which makes the product scuff and scratch resistant and easier to maintain. Wear layers can be made of different chemistries such as polyurethane, acrylic, or other proprietary forms of clear PVC.
Rotogravure Sheet Vinyl: This type of vinyl consists of multiple layers of dissimilar materials and uses a roto printing process to create the visual. Since this type of sheet uses printing the visual can recreate virtually any type of common building material such as wood plank, porcelain tile, stone, or marble. It can also utilize abstract patterns. Virtually any image that can be printed can be put on the surface. Similar to inlaid, the product then can (and most often does) have a clear wearlayer applied for the same reasons.
**Please note that many people confuse linoleum with sheet vinyl. The two are not the same. Linoleum does not contain any vinyl but instead is made from a mixture of lindseed oil, wood flower, and other organic materials. It is an entirely different product category and has different performance characteristics than sheet vinyl. It also has vastly different maintenance requirements than sheet vinyl.
Here is an example of an inlaid sheet vinyl:
This is an image of an inlaid sheet with felt backing from the side under a microscope that shows how the chips sort of compress together:
An example of a rotogravure (printed) vinyl:
This image shows what a common rotogravure product looks like from the side view under a microscope:
Disadvantages:
Sheet vinyl can be more susceptible to moisture emissions from concrete slabs than other types of products particularly modular products like vinyl composition tile (VCT), Luxury Vinyl Tile or Plank (LVT or LVP), ceramic tile, and porcelain tile. Most vinyl sold today is vinyl or fiberglass backed so it doesn't absorb or allow moisture to pass through it. As a result, the moisture and more importantly the alkalinity salts contained in the concrete that emit with the moisture can collect at the adhesive layer. When this happens the combination of the moisture and high alkalinity will break down the adhesive and cause a bond failure.
Due to their flexibility sheet vinyl requires much more exacting sub floor preparation so that any subfloor imperfections do not show or "telegraph" through the flooring.
It's much harder to repair if damaged than a modular product such as LVT or LVP and the repairs can be unsightly vs. replacing a damaged plank or tile in a modular installation.
Advantages:
The "glass back" or vinyl backed products today typically have a fiberglass reinforcement scrim in the layering of the product that provides much greater dimensional stability. The older felt backed or hydrocord backed vinyls were susceptible to edge curl and had to be covered at all edges or they would tend to lift over time as the vinyl layer would contract much more than the backing layer.
In commercial applications sheet vinyl provides a "seamless" or continuous flooring which can be ideal for areas where a sterile environment must be maintained such as a surgical suite since there are no open access points to the subfloor.
Many of today's sheet vinyls provide optional thicknesses for comfort underfoot.
The biggest advantage to sheet vinyls, in my opinion, are the diversity of visuals that sheet vinyl offers. There are just some types of images, particularly abstract patterns that don't lend themselves to being installed in a modular format.
I hope this helps answer your questions and please let us know if you have any other questions.
I'm not even going to attempt to add a comment. You da man!
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