We have written about flooring materials before. At that time though, we covered only those materials that were widely used in the Indian construction industry like Vitrified tiles, ceramic tiles, mosaic, marble etc. Today we are covering a flooring material that is not yet heavily used in India, but it will surely become more popular as people become aware of all its inherent benefits.

 

Moreover, the fact that it is now available for use in India through several importing agencies should drive its adoption in the country a bit faster. We got these details from one such agency – Halcyon in Chennai - when we happened to speak to them. The material we are talking about is Vinyl sheets.

 

Vinyl is an artificially created flooring material. It invariably has several layers within it; consisting of protective wear layer, printed design layer, glass fiber, etc. The exact arrangement in which the various components in the sheet are put together and their thickness can differ from case to case. And with these varying compositions, the properties of the concerned sheets can change.

 The key properties of vinyl are:

1. It provides protection against germs because of its anti microbial nature.
2. UV coating on the wear layer ensures that only a minimum of dust accumulates on the sheet and that it is easy to clean.
3. Glass fiber reinforced cell with foam backing maintains the dimensions of the material. This means that the flooring does not shrink or expand due to climatic variations like hot & humid conditions.
4. Good noise reduction. Vinyl sheets absorb footfall sounds much better than the other flooring options.
5. In some Vinyl sheets, a thick clear transparent layer at the top makes it resistant to abrasion. Thus, it is low on maintenance after installation.
6. Vinyl does not react to reagents used in hospitals and clinics. Thus it should be used in places where the floor would otherwise get stained easily.
7. Bright, colorful patterns can be created – like natural wood finishes, marble /carpet /slate finishes.
8.  It is very easy to install, almost a do-it-yourself project. As little as a single night is required to lay the flooring for an entire house. Vinyl can even be laid on top of most existing floors without having to dig up the old layout. It can be removed quite easily in case you want another change later on. 

In our opinion, Vinyl floor is a candidate that should be considered when you select flooring for your new/renovated home. The fact that PVC floors are stain free, easy to clean, low maintenance, reduces noise, germ free and easy to install; makes them quite suitable for domestic residences

The price usually hovers at around Rs. 30 – 200 per sq. ft (LG Chem Floor). GerFlor starts from 70 per sq. ft. It can vary a bit depending upon the type of Vinyl sheet you choose. This price compares with the other high end options for the homemakers like foreign marbles (Rs. 250 per sq. ft.), vitrified tiles (Rs. 50 per sq. ft. onwards), granite flooring, hardwood floors (above Rs. 150 per sq. ft.), wooden laminates (Rs. 80 - 400 per sq. ft) etc. Kerosene cut and water cut in mosaic tiles – 50 per sq. ft.

The write up will not be complete without mentioning the drawbacks of the flooring. You should be careful to mop up water that forms on top of a vinyl quickly. This is because water can loosen the adhesive used to attach the tile to the floor below. This is less important if you use a vinyl sheet (instead of vinyl tiles) since the seams between the tiles are not present there. The durability of the tile is from 5 to 20 years, depending upon whether it has a urethane wear layer and also the overall thickness of the tile. Good care will extend the life of the tile. Another point to note is that this flooring is not advisable for staircases; it is meant for flat level surfaces.

In case you want to know more about this innovative option, please feel free to drop us a line contact@aavaas.com or alternatively, you can contact murali@halcyoninteriors.in. Murali gave most of the information for this introduction into vinyl flooring.

We will be covering more of these lesser known home making options in the coming days. Surely, there are many more of these items out there and in case you know of some yourself, don’t hesitate to let us know.