How-To

-Ideas for Great Floors, Sunset

New advances have made resilient flooring more appealing than ever. Not only have protective finishes been developed that make resilient flooring more durable, but manufacturers are employing new technologies to replicate traditional flooring materials, including stone, slate, and tile. At the same time they are enhancing the unique properties of resilient flooring. Embossing and luminescence give dimension to resilient flooring, while metallic finishes are being used as accents. The most popular resilient flooring is vinyl, but linoleum has recently made a comeback in its full retro glory. Cork and rubber also fall under the resilient flooring category. More custom design options are available if you choose a commercial resilient. For a custom design, you'll need the help of a designer.

Vinyl
Vinyl flooring comes in tiles or sheets, features a foam or vinyl core layered on a backing, and is finished with a design layer protected by a wear surface. Or vinyl flooring can be inlaid with vinyl granules fused on a backing of vinyl or felt. A vinyl backing will offer more resilience.

There are three types of vinyl surfaces: no-wax, urethane, and enhanced urethane. No-wax resists scuffs, scrapes, and some stains but requires occasional polishing. Urethane surfaces will stand up better to scuffs, scrapes, and stains. They hold their polished finish longer than a no-wax finish. Enhanced urethane outperforms both no-wax and urethane surfaces.

Linoleum
Linoleum was invented in the late nineteenth century and extensively used as flooring in tiles and sheets until the 1960s. This durable material, being made from flax, is ecologically sound. The name linoleum comes from linum (Latin for flax) and oleum (which means oil). Linseed oil, which is derived from flax and rosin, is oxidized to create linoleum cement. This cement is then mixed with wood flour and limestone and poured over sheets of jute backing material. It is allowed to cure to reach the desired flexibility and resilience.

Cork
Cork, which comes from the outer bark of oak trees, has been used as a flooring material for more than a century. Cork flooring is durable, provides acoustical and thermal insu-lation, and is resistant to moisture and decay. It is harvested from trees in a sustainable manner and comes either as cork floor tiles or most recently as tongue-and-groove cork flooring.

Rubber
The inherent properties of rubber flooring tiles are durability, natural resiliency, and low maintenance. Like cork, rubber is dimensionally stable, sound absorbent, and recyclable. As its styling improves and the number of design profiles grows, rubber flooring is gaining favor in homes. It's great for wet areas and recreation rooms. Some rubber flooring claims to self-heal from scratches and abrasions.