Vinyl Flooring Technical Data

Manufacturers of vinyl flooring measure a variety of physical data, including the following. Manufacturers will vary their formulas to produce floors that meet standards in these areas. A single formulation may not meet all performance requirements, so specifiers must check with the manufacturer to determine the best flooring for the situation involved.

Loads - Impact loads, which are momentary indentations like those produced from walking traffic; static loads, which are any loads remaining in a stationary position for long periods of time; and rolling loads, which may damage resilient flooring especially immediately following installation.

Moisture resistance - May be critical depending on the type of subfloor, since moisture conditions may affect adhesive performance. In most cases, resilient floors may be installed in areas where water might be spilled on the floor, providing the correct adhesive is used and the floor has a minimum of seams. (Spills should be mopped up immediately.)

Colorfastness - May be affected by exposure to strong sunlight.

Stain and reagent resistance - Will vary by product and manufacturer. Special formulations are available for use in areas where exposure to chemicals and staining reagents is likely to occur. In general, vinyl floors are resistant to alkalis, acids, alcohols, oils, greases and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Ketones, esters and chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons may cause softening. Check with the manufacturer for more specifics.

Light reflectivity - A measure of the percentage of light reflected off a surface, which may play an important role in the illumination of institutional, commercial and industrial facilities. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America recommends that floors have a reflectance factor of 20-40 percent in offices, 30-50 percent in educational facilities, 20-30 percent in hospital operating rooms, and greater than 20 percent in industrial settings. Retail settings will vary according to the effect desired by the designer.

Acoustics - Of special importance in areas with heavy floor traffic. Resilient flooring, in general, will cushion impacts and thereby reduce traffic noise or noise from dropped objects more than other hard-surface floors such as wood, marble, ceramic or concrete. In addition, underlayments are available to further reduce impact noise and sound transmission.

Fire retardance and heat performance - Most resilient floors are manufactured to be safe from normal fire hazards. In large-scale experiments that have been run to simulate actual fire conditions, vinyl flooring products have not been significant contributors to the spread of the fire or resulting hazards. In fact, vinyl flooring resists burning and typically does not continue burning when an external flame is removed. However, a resilient floor surface can be permanently damaged or scarred by burning cigarettes, matches or very hot items.

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