 The softest hard-surface flooring with the most variety of styles and designs. And believe us when we say that this is not your mother's vinyl flooring. New advancements in vinyl technology are yielding stunning new stone and natural designs with relief construction. What a way to dress up an old kitchen or bathroom. Stop in to browse our wide selection of vinyl patterns and colors.
At Flooring Xpress, we developed and use an internal rating system for every product we purchase. Many manufacturers put their own ratings on their products, but they often use different criteria which makes it hard to get an apples-to-apples comparison as a consumer.
When we rate vinyl flooring, there are 4 basic product characteristics
that we look at: Construction, Wearlayer, Finish, and Cushion/Backing.
Additional or unique characteristics are also taken into consideration and
may increase a product's rating. It must be understood that just because
we give a Platinum rating (highest level) to a particular product, it doesn't
necessarily mean that it scores highest in all 4 of these base characteristics.
We balance all of these factors, add our experience, and then give a rating
that reflects the overall makeup of the vinyl.
 CONSTRUCTION:
There are two basic types of residential vinyl offered. The older and higher rated construction type is called inlaid and the newer, more common, construction type is called rotogravure. The inlaid construction process uses solid colored chips of vinyl that are bonded together with heat and pressure to produce geometric type patterns and designs. An advantage of inlaid vinyl is that the color goes all the way through the product, making scratches less visible thus prolonging the look of the floor. The core of the rotogravure process is a printing component that uses inks and dyes to print a pattern or design on a core layer which then gets coated with a clear vinyl wearlayer. This process has allowed for an explosion of styles and designs beyond that of an inlaid vinyl due to its printing flexibility. The drawback to this construction type is that the color does not go entirely through the product. This relies on the quality of the wearlayer to determine the long-term appearance of the product.
WEARLAYER:
The wearlayer is the clear layer above the pattern of the vinyl floor that is responsible for the overall protection and long-term appearance of the product. The thickness of the wearlayer – measured in mils – is the most determinant factor to the end quality. Generally, the higher rated and more expensive vinyl floors have thicker wearlayers. Basic vinyls (Bronze and Silver ratings) have wearlayers of 9 mils or less. Higher rated vinyl floors will most likely have a mil thickness of 10-14 (Gold rating) or 15+ (Platinum).
 FINISH:
At the very top of any vinyl floor is a finish material that gives luster and shine to the colors of the product. This finish will generally be either a PVC or Urethane cover. PVC gives a basic low-gloss or matte finish, while Urethane provides for a stronger and high-gloss finish.
CUSHION / BACKING:
Every vinyl floor has a base cushion or backing that gives both softness and strength to the entire product. Heavier cushions usually provide for a higher rating as they improve the durability of the product at the same time helping to increase the softness under foot that vinyl is known for versus ceramic, woods and laminates.
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