Versatile flooring: vinyl

2009

The easy-care Vinylfu boden in the nursery is particularly well suited
Photo: Tarkett

One of the big advantages of the elastic plastic coverings is the wide range of decors: Whether wood, stone or tile look, fantasy decors, metallised, brightly colored or with subtle elegance, trendy or classic ... whatever you want, can be realized in vinyl

refined decors

Plastic floors can come from the roll or as single plate n in different formats. Especially the foamed floors, the so-called Cushion Vinyl (Cushion Vinyl), are popular in the private sector. They have a PVC wear layer of about half a millimeter, including a foam layer, which makes the coating super soft, provides a pleasant feeling of footing and dampens the sound. To increase the life and stability, you should fix the entire surface with an adhesive. In small, less frequented rooms, a semi-fixed fixation with double-sided adhesive tape is also suitable. There are also self-adhesive tiles, which are a serious alternative in terms of quality and durability.

The plastic coverings can be made completely suitable for swimming in the bathroom if they are laid with a waterproof adhesive and the edge joints are sealed off. And they are also ideal for difficult areas such as stairs: Above all, the extremely bendable CV coverings can be glued in one piece over steps or around corners.

But also in the field of plastics, there are now click systems that enable glueless laying. Similar to laminate, the floor is composed of multi-layered installation elements via click-lock. Each element has at the top a wear layer made of PVC, which covers the decorative layer and makes it tread-resistant (for optimum slip-resistance even in wet conditions with an anti-slip coating). These are followed by a carrier plate with click connection and footfall sound insulation. These laying elements are also rectangular and square.

It's unbelievable how little care vinyl needs. Worn dirt and dust can simply be wiped, swept or vacuumed. After prolonged use, a thorough cleaning is recommended, which eliminates stubborn dirt. There are special care products for regular maintenance, for occasional basic cleaning or to conjure up an extra dose of shine on the floor. But: abrasives and alkaline cleaners are unsuitable. Soft soap, for example, makes the floor dull.

Unfortunately, the whole thing has a downside . In order for the soil to become so elastic, it is necessary to add plasticizers to the plastic, which are in disrepute, to be damaging to health. And it can also contain substances such as asbestos, formaldehyde, cadmium and lead. Although most manufacturers now use combinations of raw materials that, according to the current state of knowledge, are free of such questionable ingredients.

With goods from importing countries one can not be sure in this regard. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the origin of the floor coverings when buying. And the price can also be an indication that it is inferior quality. Only from about 25 euros per square meter can be expected to receive a flawless brand product, which was produced in elaborate production processes according to strict environmental guidelines. For a no-name product from the hardware store for just three euros that is rather questionable.

A second downer is the disposal . Although a PVC floor can be recycled and processed into inferior secondary products. However, final disposal is very difficult, as vinyl floors can only be disposed of in incinerators so that the released toxins do not get into the air.

Advantage of vinyl:

Disadvantage of vinyl: