Commercial resilient flooring has long been popular in schools, health care facilities, and mercantile settings. In schools, resilient flooring offers a cost-effective floor, which is easily and economically maintained and can last for many years before needing replacement.

In health care facilities, resilient flooring is common because it is impervious to water, resists stains, and can easily be disinfected, thus providing significant sanitary advantages over other types of flooring surfaces.

Resilient flooring refers to flooring materials that have a relatively firm surface, yet characteristically have “give” and “bounce back” to their original surface profile from the weight of objects that compress its surface. It has long been the most popular hard surface flooring in the United States, in part due to the ease of cleaning and removing spills as well as the overall moisture resistance.

Resilient flooring materials are made in various shapes and sizes including both tile and roll form. Common types of resilient flooring include:

• Vinyl composition tile;

• Vinyl tile and sheet flooring;

• Linoleum tile and sheet flooring;

• Rubber tile and sheet flooring; and

• Cork tile and sheet flooring.

According to the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, the manufacturing processes used today can replicate the look and textures of real ceramic tile, stone and wood grains.

The more expensive vinyl floors and tiles have better resistance to staining, scratches, gouges and tearing. Not only is the performance better but so is the warranty on the high-end vinyl floors. Also, as you go up in quality you will also notice improved styling and more textural realism in these floors.

The more expensive vinyl floors generally will have a thicker wear layer and a much better finish. Your expectations for how long your vinyl floor will look like new are usually based on the wear layer’s performance. To understand wear layer construction, the RFCI says it’s important to define what performance characteristics are desirable in a vinyl floor.

These performance characteristics can be broken into several key areas:

• Easy to clean;

• Stays looking like-new;

• Resists staining from normal products;

• Doesn’t show scratches easily; and

• Resistance to tearing, gouging, ripping and indentations.

The easy to clean relates to how tough it is to remove soiling and other marks from a floor’s surface. When a floor begins to look old it is usually caused by hundreds of fine hair-line scratches in the wear layer. The fine scratches come from dirt, girt, and sand rubbing on the wear layer’s surface.

Another problem low-end floors and older vinyl floors have is staining of the wear layer, which can happen from asphalt driveway sealers, Kool-Aid, plant food, marking pens, etc. If you can trade up to a better grade of vinyl flooring you will have much better performance.

The new, high-end vinyl floors have better technology to help resist showing wear and staining far better than any of the middle to low-end vinyl floors made today.

How to Care for Vinyl Floors

The new vinyl floors are extremely durable and long lasting, but like any floor covering they still need regular maintain to stay looking like new. Follow these general guidelines for vinyl flooring. For more detailed information always refer to the manufacturer’s written floor care procedures.

General Floor Care

• Vacuum regularly to remove grit and sand. Wash your floor occasionally with the manufacturer’s recommended floor cleaner.

• Wipe up spills immediately. If needed clean with the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner. You can also clean with luke warm water and clear ammonia.

• If you floor becomes dull looking you may need to add the manufacturer’s recommended floor polish to restore the original gloss level.

• Never use abrasive cleaners, soaps, paste waxes, or solvents on your vinyl floor.

• Place non-staining, walk-off mats at every outside entry to your room. This will help keep sand and grit from being tracked on to your floor.

• Wipe up spills immediately. If needed clean with the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner. You can also clean with luke warm water and clear ammonia.

Vinyl Floor Care Tips

• If your floor gets a cut or gouge in it, cover the area immediately and call a professional floor installer. A professional installer can repair the area, but if the cut is filled with dirt it may be difficult to repair correctly.

• If you purchase an inexpensive PVC vinyl floor you should consider placing 2-3 coats of the recommended floor polish on the floor immediately. Any vinyl floor with a PVC wear layer will show scuffs, scratches, and other marks very easily, by adding the coats of floor polish you will make the floor easier to maintain.

• If you have a seam open, cover it immediately, do not wash that area, and call a floor covering professional to come and repair the seam.