Friday, January 1, 1999

Shopping for vinyl floors

How to Shop for Vinyl Flooring

By Steve Simonson

Basic Training

If you are in the midst of shopping for vinyl, I encourage you to take a minute and brush up on the basics. First, make sure you first read Steve's Stages of Floor Shopping. See, there are many people who are more than willing to sell new vinyl flooring. However, very few will supply the proper information about the product they are trying to sell.

For the purposes of this article, I am assuming that you have concluded that vinyl flooring is what you really want. There are other choices, depending on the look that you are trying to capture. There's linoleum, natural stone, ceramic tile and laminate flooring. However, since you have narrowed your choice down to vinyl, this article should help you make the right choice within this flooring category.

Since I hold my own opinion in such high regard, I offer a money back guarantee. If you purchase a new vinyl floor based on the information you gathered from this article AND you are unhappy with your vinyl selection, I will refund the amount you paid for this article. But since I am offering this article for free, I figure my exposure is pretty low.

You may ask yourself what kind of information am I talking about? Well, the first part of any flooring experience should be a list of questions. These questions are not going to be asked by you. It will be asked by the flooring salesperson. Within these questions, the basics of your lifestyle and living habits will help establish the general needs that your floor must address.

If you have followed my first instruction and read Steve's Stages of Floor Shopping, I salute you. You now know the basic idea of floor shopping is the transformation of your experience from excitement to desperation, only occasionally leading to the final decision.

Beyond the basics, this article serves as a guide to the buying process, and to minimize the frustration that many flooring shoppers encounter. Although these principles can be used in most purchasing situations, this article is specifically focused on vinyl flooring. Remember that this is in an interview sales format and is similar to what your salesperson should be asking you. Following the standard questions, I then add some of my patented insight into common situations that hopefully will guide you to your own conclusions as to what vinyl flooring will work best for your needs.

GOOD DAY TO YOU. THANKS FOR COMING IN. LET ME GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE VINYL SHOPPING PROCESS BY ASKING YOU A FEW QUESTIONS. FIRST, IN WHAT AREAS OF THE HOME ARE YOU CONSIDERING INSTALLING VINYL FLOORING?

Typically, people shopping for vinyl flooring are covering wet areas like the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or the mudroom; but there are certainly more areas where vinyl can be used. For instance, people use vinyl in closets in order to clean them easily, as well as in dining rooms and family rooms. Usually, the dining room and family room applications coincide with usage in the kitchen or some other adjacent area.

Sometimes, in newly constructed homes, people have vinyl installed in the kitchen, eating area, entry, hall and powder room. When vinyl is originally installed in the house, subsequent homeowners will many times follow the same initial layout configuration when they decide to replace the flooring. It is typically easier to go over the same area than to change the layout. However, you CAN change the layout. You just need to know what you might encounter. Problems with subfloor thickness, baseboard and transitions are just a few of the potential complications you can come across with when changing the original layout of vinyl flooring.

OK, NOW THAT WE KNOW WHERE YOU WANT YOUR NEW FLOORING, AREN'T YOU WONDERING WHAT VINYL REALLY IS?

To see a more complete account of what vinyl is made of, you should checkout VINYL 101 which is available at www.iFLOOR.com for FREE. The basic idea is that vinyl is a flooring with some kind of pattern and a high wear-resistant coat of protection on top of the pattern. There are different kinds of coatings and many different ways of applying the pattern to the flooring.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING SHEET VINYL?

Sheet vinyl comes in rolls, which means that the product comes in a specified roll width. You must order enough to cover the length of your room. An easy layout is a standard 5-foot by 8-foot bathroom. Most of the time, people select a 6-foot wide material for this layout and order a 6-foot x 8-foot roll of vinyl. This floor can be done in one piece, which means that no seams are required. Someone with experience should measure a room with a lot of twists and turns. Be sure that you consider the pattern match for areas where you will need to make a seam. This pattern match will add enough additional material so that when you make a seam, the pattern will line up on both sides of the seam.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING VINYL TILES?

Not all vinyl comes in a roll. Some vinyls are made like tiles, often called luxury vinyl tiles, and some vinyl even comes in long strips. Although these flooring materials are common, this article is directed toward roll materials because 85 to 90 percent of vinyl flooring is sold in rolls. This doesn't mean that vinyl tiles or strips are not good options for you. They can be wonderful floors. But like any product, they include some poor quality floors that are typically self-stick tiles and some very high quality floors that will outlast you. My advice if you are seeking a vinyl tile or strip floor, check out NAFCO, CONGOLEUM and ARMSTRONG and then compare qualities and looks.

NOW THAT WE KNOW WHICH ROOM(S) YOU WANT YOUR NEW VINYL IN, AND HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT YOU ARE LEANING TOWARD ROLL MATERIALS. THE NEXT QUESTION IS, HOW MUCH TRAFFIC IS THERE IN THESE AREAS?

The amount of traffic that the floor should be able to withstand is of paramount importance. If you buy a low-priced peel-and-stick vinyl tile for your entry and kitchen, you are probably asking for trouble. On the other hand, you may not need the best quality flooring for the guest powder room. One basic principle is that you are free to put the higher quality vinyl almost anywhere, but be careful where you put lower quality materials. If you do put the highest quality vinyl in the guest powder room, there are usually two reasons for doing so. Number one, the pattern is really what drove your decision; number two, the area is so small that the material does not cost a significant amount of money anyway. Who really cares if the material is $4.00 per square foot instead of $2.00 per square foot? If you only have 48 square feet (like a standard 6x8 bathroom) the difference is under $100.00.

I am always trying to appeal to good sense and logic when it comes to consumers feeling good about the floor buying process. Doesn't it make good design sense to put in the pattern you like if the difference is negligible anyway? Doesn't it make economic sense to spend the extra money and have the floor last until you literally get tired of the pattern? That's right. Unless there is some serious water damage, a high quality vinyl will probably last until you simply get sick of the pattern and wish to change it based on design issues.

Of course, the same logic should be applied to high traffic areas, except with one small difference. You really shouldn't even consider lower quality vinyl in high traffic areas if you are serious about the longevity of the floor. But if you are selling the home and simply want to cover the area to spruce up the room, go with a lower grade. That usually works fine.

On the other hand, if you have a kitchen and eating area with 3 kids and 2 pets and not the best housekeeping strategy, then you should consider having the best quality flooring installed. Why? The answer is really obvious, but let’s investigate further.

A retired couple that travels half the year probably doesn't generate heavy traffic on their flooring. Heavy traffic is more commonly associated with young families and the inevitable amounts of spills, traffic, fights, paint, running, screaming, (did I mention fights?) and much more. High traffic flooring should be selected with this in mind and therefore, you should consider starting your search in the best quality product selection. If only the cost of materials is considered, you should probably be in the $3.00 - $5.00/sq. ft. range. You should always start looking at the highest quality products for your needs so that if you fall in love with a pattern, it will be in the appropriate quality. A pattern is something that you want, but you must select your floor based on your flooring needs. Many people find a pattern that they really like, only to learn later that it is from a low quality builder grade. They of course ask the obvious question: “Does this same pattern come in a higher grade?” Unfortunately, the answer is typically NO. They then purchase the floor based on look alone and I see that same customer back after 2-4 years to purchase flooring all over again.

I understand that the pattern is the most important part of the floor when you consider how the floor will impact the room. But I can only advice caution if you throw quality into the backseat, because ultimately it is the quality of the product that will have the last say about how that floor impacts the room.

SO WE KNOW WHERE THE FLOOR IS GOING, WHO IS USING IT AND WHAT LEVEL OF FLOORING WE NEED. NOW, WHICH BRAND DO WE CHOOSE?

This, of course, is not an easy question. If you have an affinity to a brand gained from past experience, this is a good reason to at least start looking at patterns from that line.

Major vinyl brands include: ARMSTRONG, MANNINGTON, CONGOLEUM, TARKETT, and DOMCO. And the only way to objectively compare these manufacturers is to list them according to their market position - which I have done.

Each manufacturer has some unique way of showing their products and therefore deserve some level of consumer review.

However, if I suppose myself in the shopper's shoes (a small Shakespearean tongue twister), I would recommend to first consider Armstrong or Mannington.

Armstrong has a very unique system of creating inlaid floors that leads to many appealing patterns. They are known for creating the best quality floors with lots of different styles. I have recommended inlaid floors for over a decade and to this day; I still believe that they make really excellent floors that deliver the extra depth a printed floor can't match. Recently, Armstrong reduced its prices across the board in order to compete more effectively so these inlaid floors have the lowest prices in years. The only draw back to an inlaid floor by Armstrong is the fact that it is limited to 6-foot wide rolls, which in large areas creates more seams than 12-foot wide material. But again, if the seams are properly sealed, then you really have nothing to worry about in the future.

Mannington's design department is, honestly, the best in the business at this time. They don't simply copy the other manufacturers; they create new and satisfying patterns. Only recently have they received the attention they deserve. Their collection of natural styles and patterns has literally stormed the vinyl industry. Other manufactures are now copying Mannington's innovations - but the Mannington still remains strong. Mannington makes most of their flooring in both 6-foot and 12-foot widths. Some of the Mannington floors are made ONLY 12-FEET wide; so if you are looking for a bathroom, be sure that the size works for your layout.

Tarkett, Congoleum and Domco all have some nice features and benefits but due to limited space, I have held my review for the above brands.

WE KNOW A LOT ABOUT YOUR NEEDS, BUT I CAN TELL THAT YOU ARE CONCERNEDABOUT THE ADHESIVE USED TO INSTALL THE FLOOR.

The modern adhesives used in residential installations are almost all water-based instead of the toxic solvent-based adhesives used before. When properly applied, these adhesives are totally safe and will perform under your vinyl just like it's supposed to. The main word of caution about vinyl flooring adhesives is to use the same brand of glue for the same brand of flooring. That's right. If you use Mannington vinyl, I suggest you use Mannington adhesive. If you use Tarkett vinyl, use only Tarkett adhesive. If a manufacturer does not offer their own brand of adhesive, be sure you use the product they recommend.

Sometimes when you hire your own installer you need to be 100% sure that you tell them ahead of time what brand of flooring they are installing and what adhesive they will need to provide along with their installation services. Better yet, take control of the situation and provide both the floor and the adhesive to the installer prior to installation. I have yet to hear an installer complain about receiving the glue. I realize this is an added expense, but the benefit of having the correct adhesive far outweighs the additional cost.

I AM A GOOD GUY - BUT BUYER BEWARE

I strongly believe that I can lead and assist you in the floor buying process by providing objective and honest information. But I cannot make your final decision. Part of the buying process is the shouldering of due diligence on the part of the consumer. Please take the initiative and look at the actual warranty provided by the manufacturer before you buy the floor. Please read the “Care and Maintenance Instructions” before you buy the floor. Please also understand that the laws of physics apply to flooring and that it will take abuse and will scratch and scuff and look worn at some point in the future. If you select a white vinyl with almost no pattern, it will be harder to clean than a medium tone flooring with a moderate pattern. Most of all I want you to be happy with your new floor, and equally important to me is that your buying process be enjoyable.

To aid you in buying flooring, I have written this article as well as others in an easy to read format (and easy to write, luckily) and I hope you have found this helpful. I have also created a flooring website called www.iFLOOR.com that is dedicated to providing information about flooring, as well as the opportunity to purchase your flooring online. We will provide you with the knowledge so you are free to make your flooring selection. I wish you the best of luck on your project.

Steve Simonson
Please direct flaming e-mails and criticism or, dare I hope, praise to steve@ifloor.com