Resilient flooring

More variety means more challenges

By Christopher Capobianco

I’ve been around resilient flooring for most of my life and throughout my 35-year career, so when I read reports that resilient is one of the hottest categories in floorcoverings, it makes me smile. However, it’s more than just vinyl these days, so installers and dealers need to pay attention to the details to be sure of success. Here is a brief review of some new resilient-flooring products and some quick points on installing them correctly.

Luxury Vinyl Tile, or LVT

First, the term LVT is a huge problem in the industry today because, as ASTM recently defined it, LVT is a marketing term that does not describe a specific product. The term LVT is being applied to products that are vinyl composition, products that are solid vinyl and some that are neither. So, before installing, find out what you have and what adhesive you need. It can be anything from spray adhesive to pressure sensitive to a wet-set acrylic, and even two-part reactive adhesives in certain applications.

That’s not to mention the growing “floating” vinyl tile market that doesn’t use adhesive at all but has its own set of challenges. Another important point is proper temperature, especially in summer. Vinyl tends to grow when it’s warm. So if you install it that way, it relaxes later and you have gaps that are often misdiagnosed as shrinkage.

‘Recycled’ rubber

Also known as crumb rubber, these products are a blend of recycled tire rubber and EPDM, a synthetic material similar to rubber. Used mostly commercially, this material is fairly easy to install, generally with wet-set, single-part urethane adhesives. On roll goods, the edges are trimmed at the factory, but check the roll edges anyway and trim them if the rolls don’t go together nice and tight. It’s best to lay the rolls out overnight because the adhesive is not sticky enough to pull the material down if it is not laying flat.

With thinner-gauge material, such as 3.2 mm, the material can be a little floppy because it’s so flexible. It may take a little extra time pulling the seams together and a little painter’s tape can go a long way to hold the pieces together while the adhesive sets. If you get any adhesive on the surface, clean it off right away while it’s wet, because once it cures it’s next to impossible to get off.

Finally, some products come with a factory-applied coating, some don’t. In addition, depending on the application, it may or may not be necessary to apply floor finish to the new floor after installation. Read the fine print in the contract or the specifications and see if you are expected to do this work. Not all installers do maintenance, but you may be expected to do it.

‘PVC Free’

There is a new generation of flooring material that looks like vinyl but is not. For example, tile that looks like VCT (vinyl composition tile) but isn’t, wood looks you’d think are vinyl plank but are not, and sheet goods that have the look of a chip sheet vinyl but are actually olefin based. Most of these products don’t have their own category yet, so “PVC Free” is a catch-all term. If you don’t know the difference, you may make the mistake of assuming you have vinyl and use the wrong adhesive, seam sealer, heat weld or floor finish. Installation and maintenance products for these “PVC Free” products are very product-specific, so be careful.

Cork

I have covered cork in detail here in Coverings, and this old product’s comeback is continuing. Floating cork floors are installed following the same rules as floating laminate or wood floors, as far as expansion space, mouldings and so on. But glue-down cork is an entirely different material. Water-based contact adhesive (applied to the back of the tile and to the substrate) is the only way to adhere cork tile, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

All you need to install cork is a paint roller, a knife and a rubber mallet. Some suppliers apply the adhesive to the back of the tile for you, and others don’t, so be sure you know what you are getting and order the right amount of adhesive. After applying the adhesive and allowing it to dry, put the tile in place and use a rubber mallet to set the tile. Smacking it with your hand or rolling it with a floor roller does not do the trick.

Linoleum

Natural linoleum is another old material whose comeback is going strong. Where installers get into trouble with “lino,” as it’s called, is assuming it’s the same to install as vinyl. Linoleum tile is fairly similar to installing other resilient tile — again, with its own specific adhesive. Linoleum sheet can get you into trouble if you treat it like vinyl. It’s a different adhesive, different way of cutting and fitting the seams, and a different type of heat-weld rod for those jobs where welding is specified. If you have never installed sheet linoleum before, get some training before you do.

One common theme here is adhesive. Back in the 1970s, we had two different resilient adhesives: one for tile and one for sheet goods. Today, there are different adhesives for every product. Manufacturers have done a lot of research and testing to be sure that these new materials stick, so don’t make any assumptions in this regard. I’ve seen the results when the wrong adhesive is used — it’s not pretty, and it’s always the installer’s fault.

Do some reading when you encounter new materials. Everyone has an installation guide online now and the better suppliers have technical staff to answer questions and provide onsite support and training. Even if you have been in the trade for decades, like I have, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Some of these products are tricky to install, but if you can master them, you will have the work and your competition will not.

Christopher Capobianco is a flooring expert currently working with Forest Hill, Md.,-based Spartan Surfaces, a distributor of commercial hard-surface flooring. Chris’s family lineage in floorcovering goes back for generations. His career includes time as a retailer, architectural sales rep, technical support manager, consultant, instructor, columnist and active volunteer in several organizations.