Waterproof Vinyl Plank Flooring
Another area that can be confusing is whether vinyl plank flooring is waterproof or not. One of the main components, PVC, is 100 percent waterproof. Both WPC and SPC planks also contain plasticizers to allow some flex without splitting, and this also helps shed water.Get more news about Vinyl Flooring Edinburgh,you can vist our website!

However, while a good deal of vinyl plank flooring is waterproof, some is only classified as water resistant. This should not be used in areas of potential high humidity or frequent spills, such as bathrooms and kitchens. Even fully waterproof vinyl plank flooring will distort if submerged for long, and it may not survive flooding.

Layer Composition
Vinyl plank flooring’s composition varies a bit from product to product. No matter the format, all vinyl plank flooring will feature a clear wear layer and pattern layer. Rigid core vinyl plank flooring, like WPC and SPC, will feature a rigid core made of either wood or stone composite, which gives the plank its rigid feel and heft in hand. Flexible LVP will not feature a core layer, but instead a backing made with vinyl and fillers. Some of the best vinyl plank flooring has an additional cork or foam acoustic layer already attached to the bottom.

While lower-cost vinyl plank flooring is usually composed of these three layers, it can be a little noisy when laid on a concrete subfloor. A thin foam or felt underlayment layer is usually recommended to both absorb the sound and add “give,” which improves the comfort underfoot.Choosing the best vinyl plank flooring for a particular area of a home or office will depend to some extent on the amount of traffic. While each format offers good durability, all surfaces wear eventually.High-traffic areas like kitchens, dining rooms, entryways, and lobbies don’t necessarily need thicker vinyl planks. While increased thickness often means greater comfort, it is the actual wear layer that is key. Interestingly, wear-layer thickness is measured in mils, and while that sounds like it would be related to millimeters, a mil is actually one thousandth of an inch (.001 inch).

Minimum wear-layer thickness is usually 2 mil, though good-quality vinyl plank flooring will generally be 6 mil and upward.Wear layer is often used as the distinguishing feature between vinyl plank flooring for residential or commercial use. A 12-mil wear layer is frequently seen as the boundary between domestic and light commercial, whereas 20 mil and upward is considered commercial, used for high-traffic offices or retail areas, for example.

However, the terms “residential” and “commercial” are somewhat arbitrary. A commercial-grade wear layer is usually advised for business premises, but vinyl flooring plank designated as commercial is often also designed to be used in a residential environment. Indeed if you have boisterous kids or pets, it could well be the optimum choice.