WEB EXCLUSIVE: Benefits of Resilient Vinyl Flooring

This Web Exclusive comes from Robert Krebs of the American Plastics Council.

The innovators of today’s interior vinyl products artfully blend traditional materials with advanced technologies to produce versatile, durable, and beautiful flooring. Many interior designers and architects recognize resilient vinyl flooring as an important material in their palette, particularly when creating spaces sustaining heavy traffic or that have to be kept meticulously clean. Design flexibility provides an added bonus.

Vinyl flooring is referred to as "resilient," because it characteristically bounces back from the weight of objects compressing its surface. This feature also contributes to favorable acoustics and comfort underfoot. Originally used only in high-traffic areas, vinyl flooring is now used in just about every hard-surface application. Durability, ease of maintenance, and moisture resistance top the list of attributes explaining its wide acceptance.

Commercial vinyl flooring is manufactured in either 12" or 9" square tiles, or continuous sheets 6' or 12' wide. Floor tile is sold as either solid vinyl or vinyl composition tile (VCT). Sheet flooring can be homogeneous, inlaid, or layered composite.

Vinyl flooring formulations differ widely, and many are proprietary. The actual vinyl content of these floors ranges from 11% to 55%. Other raw materials used include: fillers such as limestone, calcium carbonate, or clay; plasticizer additives to soften the vinyl and provide flexibility; stabilizers to minimize degradation and discoloration from heat and light; and pigments.

Versatility In Design
Vinyl sheet and tile flooring creations come in myriad styles and extensive color palettes, but the material’s versatility is particularly evident in the seemingly limitless, often intricate patterns flooring manufacturers are capable of producing. Tile can be custom cut and laid out in patterns using different colors or finishes. Corporate logos can be made from VCT to become part of the floor design, as can geometric icons or other shapes. The latter can be used, for example, to guide traffic in a hospital, school, or retail setting.

Custom designs are easily created using vinyl sheet and strip plank flooring, as well. Designers have been known to generate CAD drawings of the floor pattern they want from just a fabric sample as their inspiration. Virtually any look can be obtained to suit any decor, including classic looks simulating wood and ceramic tile.

Performance
Facility managers can (and should) expect long-lasting beauty, even in heavily traveled areas, from properly specified, installed, and maintained vinyl floors. New technologies have improved resilient flooring’s performance, making it tougher than ever—resisting rips, tears, gouging, scratching, scuffing, staining, indentation, and other physical abuse.

A floor’s durability is rated according to standards judging criteria such as: abrasion, gouge, puncture, cut, and impact resistance; how dynamic and static loads affect the life of the floor; how color is affected by heat and light exposure; and chemical resistance. Upon request, vinyl-flooring manufacturers can provide much of this information, showing exactly how their products measure up to these various performance standards.

A single flooring product may not meet the demands of every location in a building, so specifiers must check with the manufacturer to determine the best product for a particular application. Manufacturers can also recommend proper installation and maintenance techniques for ensuring the new floor performs as intended.

Some of the areas in which VCT manufacturers provide guidance include:
Loads. Consideration should be given to a floor’s ability to recover from indentation after a load has been placed on it for 24 hours. Test results show load limits to which products can be subjected with no permanent indentation after load removal.

Chemical and stain resistance. Special vinyl flooring formulations can be used in areas prone to chemical and staining reagent exposure. Manufacturers can provide test results for a variety of chemicals and reagents on individual product lines. In general, vinyl floors resist alkalis, acids, alcohols, oils, greases, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Ketones, esters, and chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons may cause softening. Some rubber materials, such as rug backings and car tires, cause staining.

Static dissipation. Not many people realize a person walking across a flooring surface can generate a static charge amounting to several thousand volts of electric potential. While not a problem in most venues, it is definitely to be avoided where sensitive electronic equipment is manufactured or operated, as in clean or computer rooms, around fiber optics, and in pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.

Specifically designed to dissipate unwanted static charges from the human body, electrostatic discharge (ESD) flooring allows electrical charges to flow safely to ground to avoid damaging sensitive equipment or creating an unwanted spark in a highly flammable area. ESD floors based on dense, homogenous, static-dissipative vinyl tile are extremely durable, resist the effects of common chemicals and solder, and are not conducive to bacterial or fungal growth.

Slip resistance. Specifying the appropriate floor surface can play a significant role in preventing slips and falls—and associated injuries, workers’ compensation claims, lost productivity, and lawsuits. Tile and sheet vinyl floors are available with enhanced slip-retardant surfaces suitable for a variety of commercial and institutional applications. Manufacturers recommend flooring with enhanced slip resistance for ramps, showers, and locker rooms, as well as areas of high humidity.

The slip resistance of a floor surface is measured by its coefficient of friction. The higher the coefficient, the less slippery the surface. Suitable VCT products are available in both sheet and tile, with abrasives in the material or a raised profile. While flooring with a raised profile is appropriate in high traffic areas where enhanced slip resistance is needed, it is potentially more difficult to clean than smooth surfaces.

Healthcare Settings
A study published in the American Journal of Infection Control suggests the use of easy-to-clean surfaces like vinyl flooring in healthcare settings is a sensible approach to controlling pathogens.1 Vinyl is one of the few materials that can stand up to the magnitude of cleaning these settings require.

Sheet vinyl floors help maintain stringent hygienic conditions, receiving high ratings where infection control is an issue because the seams can be chemically sealed or heat welded to keep out moisture and dirt. With fewer seams than most other hard surface flooring, vinyl gives bacteria fewer places to settle in and grow. For this reason, vinyl has even been specified in the bone marrow transplant units of hospitals.

Vinyl is also flexible enough to be extended up a wall to form a wall base, keeping dust from collecting where walls intersect the floor. Vinyl flooring is nearly impervious to water. Disinfectant cleaners can provide a sterile surface without damaging the floor, and most stains are easily removed.

To understand the criteria driving decisions about material choices among healthcare interior designers, The Vinyl Institute commissioned a survey of Healthcare Forum members of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). Aesthetics, durability, and ease of maintenance were repeatedly called out as being paramount.

Respondents said they specify vinyl flooring most often for the public or community spaces in healthcare facilities. VCT is the most frequently specified, followed closely by sheet vinyl and broadloom carpet. Asked to rate the top five characteristics influencing their decision to specify VCT, three-quarters of respondents said initial cost, 73% chose it for durability, 69% for aesthetics, 68% because the client preferred it, and 51% for ease of maintenance. These numbers reflect a material with a strong balance of very desirable characteristics.

For patient and long-term care resident rooms, sheet vinyl is the flooring material of choice, followed by VCT. Sheet vinyl is selected because of its aesthetics, durability, ease/cost of maintenance, client preference, and infection control. Vinyl plank flooring products are growing in popularity, ranking third in the survey among preferred materials for patient and resident rooms. The trend toward designing these spaces with a warmer, more residential feeling is likely driving this material’s popularity.

Prolonging Life
The vinyl floor’s wear layer is key to maintenance. The thickness is generally measured in mils, or thousandths of an inch. Higher-quality vinyl floors may also employ a high-performance wear layer, while lower-priced floors generally feature a vinyl wear layer to protect the underlying pattern. In general, a high-performance wear layer makes the floor easier to clean and more stain resistant.

Some of the greatest abuse to any floor comes from tracked-in dirt and abrasive grit, which wears away any floor’s surface. The good news is that proper cleaning and maintenance are the only things required to combat dirt and preserve vinyl flooring’s utility and beauty.

Floors should be swept or mopped daily to remove gritty dirt. Damp mopping should be done with a neutral detergent. Mop treatments with petroleum solvents or silicone compounds should be avoided as they can create slippery conditions. Spills should be wiped up before they dry with a clean white cloth dampened with warm water. To control tracked-in dirt, grit, or stains from asphalt and oil in driveways, non-staining doormats should be placed at entrances. Some rubber or foam-backed doormats can cause surface staining.

Periodic spray buffing and the application of a high-quality commercial floor polish are also part of the regimen to resist staining and maintain a desirable appearance over time.

Resilient vinyl flooring’s proven long-term durability and safety features, aesthetics, moisture resistance, and low maintenance requirements are indicative of a cost-effective material with a strong balance of desirable characteristics. With vinyl, designers can be assured of delivering performance as well as beauty for the right price.

Notes
1. Noskin, Gary A.; Bednarz, Patrice; Suriano, Terra; Reiner, Sandra; Peterson, Lance R.; “Persistent contamination of fabric-covered furniture by vancomycin-resistant enterococci: Implications for upholstery selection in hospitals,” American Journal of Infection Control, August 2000.

Krebs is director of communications for the Plastics Division of the American Plastics Council.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Floor at Alamodome Gets A Facelift

Today's Web Exclusive comes from Greg Schwietz, president of L&M Construction Chemicals.


For facilities of many types, a new tweak on a tried and true flooring material is paying off with maximized durability, minimized maintenance, and an aesthetic that often draws compliments. Concrete, which has performed structurally underfoot for well over a century, is now emerging as a highly attractive, long wearing, easy to maintain, affordable flooring option.

Just about any structurally sound concrete floor, old or new, can be smoothed, dry polished, and hardened and densified (a process that chemically changes the composition of the top wear surface). This floor finish option does not require waxing, sealing, or frequent maintenance other than simple mopping to maintain a highly polished, scuff-free look. The concrete polishing system, which can also include color dying of the surface wear layer in a broad range of hues, can result in substantial savings in installation and annual maintenance costs over alternative flooring options such as stained or sealed concrete, VCT, stone or terrazzo.

When the architectural firm Marmon Mok looked for a way to revitalize the 102,000 square foot concrete floor plaza level of the Alamodome, it consulted with StoneCare of Texas, of San Antonio. The firm was looking for a solution that would wear well and require only minimal maintenance. The firm had designed the popular, multipurpose domed stadium, which opened in May, 1993, and retained responsibilities for overseeing all upgrades.

The facility, which hosts sporting events, concerts, conventions, and trade shows, can seat up to 65,000 and is expandable to over 72,000 seats. The floor, which circles the perimeter of the seating, was showing signs of age and had many layers of wax over bare concrete. Repeated waxing over the years had darkened the floor’s appearance and was absorbing some of the natural ambient lighting.

StoneCare of Texas had the solution: Dry polished concrete. This new method offers a mechanical, dust-free, water-free polishing floor system that features a diamond grind, dry polish and densify process that can be performed start-to-finish in eight to 10 hours.

The dry polish process, FGS PermaShine, uses HEPA filter vacuum air purification technology to collect the dust generated during the dry abrasive grinding and smoothing process. The dust is captured and collected in lightweight bags that can be easily and safely disposed of in a landfill. The filter and collection system can keep a jobsite virtually free of any airborne dust, eliminating any need for special protection or isolation of the work area.

The process uses a series of progressively finer diamond disks in the grinding machines, enabling a polish up to a very high degree of shine. After the floor is polished for the final time, it is still somewhat porous. To achieve maximum durability, the installer applies a water-based, solvent free, VOC-free, odorless and non-toxic penetrating hardener/densifier.

The hardener/densifier chemically reacts with components in the concrete to form a dense, hard crystalline compound in the top wear layer (about 1/16 of an inch) that adds strength and wear resistance and helps preserve the highly polished look over the life of the installation without completely sealing the surface. The top wear surface continues to breathe, enabling excess moisture to escape from within. The chemical interaction also eliminates dusting and micropitting of the concrete surface by abrasion over time. Yet, because the floor is no longer porous, spills do not penetrate and wipe right up completely.

The rejuvenation of the floor at the Alamodome took about eight weeks, with the installers averaging about 3,000 square feet per shift, with work proceeding in a circle around the circumference of the dome.

“Stadium management is very pleased with the degree of shine and how it illuminates all the corridors. The Alamodome now is much brighter and cheerier,” notes Bibi Nunez, project manager at Marmon Mok.

The resulting polished concrete floor meets the NFSI (National Floor Safety Institute) standards for certification as a “high traction” floor, retaining its non-slip qualities when wet, which could satisfy similar requirements at restaurants, healthcare facilities, manufacturing plants, supermarkets and auto showrooms, The floor also complies with ADAD and OSHA requirements for interior floor surfaces.

There are a couple of green perks, as well from the environmentally friendly process. A dry polished concrete floor can contribute to up to five LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) credits under various categories, including Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Low Emitting Materials, on projects all the way up to Platinum. And depending upon the color of the dye selection, the finished floor can reflect up to 35% of lighting which reduces the heat output from the lamps, reducing any demand on an air-conditioning system and can reduce overall lighting costs, to boot.

Though the Alamodome did not dye the floor, after a floor is polished almost to the desired degree and before application of the hardener/densifier, it can be permanently dyed with a specifier’s choice of color. Dye concentration can range from a relatively subtle 25% all the way up a rich and vivid 100%. Decision makers can also specify the level of shine and choose to incorporate logos or other designs achievable by dying adjacent spaces different colors.

Dyed or not, dry polish and densified concrete retains its “just finished” appearance for the life of an installation without the upkeep required by other flooring options, including stained and sealed concrete, VCT, stone and terrazzo. FGS PermaShine floors have been proven to save as much as 65% on on-going maintenance expense, which is typically the most costly factor in the life of a finish.

Schwietz (gschwietz@lmcc.com) is president of L&M Construction Chemicals, which produces chemical treatments for the construction, repair and protection of concrete and is the developer of the FGS/PermaShine concrete polishing system.

Installer Recognized For Concrete Floor

Brown Contracting, Inc. of Eugene, OR was chosen for the top prize at the Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association (OCAPA) and American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) recent annual awards ceremony.

Don Brown and his team at Brown Contracting were awarded first place in the Commercial Division at the OCAPA/ACI’s 28th Annual Excellence in Concrete Program for their work on the Market of Choice grocery store in Eugene, OR. The awards salute the best industry professionals working with concrete in Oregon and southwest Washington.

Brown placed, finished, and polished the 30,000 square foot floor, enhancing and protecting its surface with the FGS/PermaShine Polished Concrete Floor system from L&M Construction Chemicals.

Brown Contracting integrally colored the concrete with multiple colors and gradations of local river rock, marble, and glass aggregates seeded into the surface. Subsequent to water curing, the marble and glass were exposed, polished, and hardened by the FGS/PermaShine process, which resulted in a “green” flooring option for environments such as supermarkets.

Precast concrete stair treads and landings led to eating and management office areas that also used the FGS/PermaShine system.

“When one considers medium to long-term floor maintenance savings and payback, as well as surface durability for retail foot traffic, high traction certification through the National Floor Safety Institute, and the sheer ‘awe’ power of the look, no other flooring option measures up to L&M’s FGS/PermaShine System,” said Brown.

The FGS/PermaShine process uses a patented "dry-grind" installation method, which conserves water and eliminates messy slurry disposal at landfills. The GreenSpec-listed, FGS/PermaShine system contains zero-VOC’s. The high gloss finish, in conjunction with the surface application shake-on pigments during concrete placement, can increase light reflectivity.

Sika Acquires Flooring Business

Sika Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Sika AG, recently acquired the commercial and industrial polymer flooring business of ICS Garland, Inc. The transaction closed on April 25, 2008. Revenues for this business totaled approximately US$ 14 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007.

With its second acquisition in North America this year, Sika has added another player into its industrial flooring business in this region. The ICS Garland polymer flooring business has a portfolio of epoxy, polyurethane, and ESD technology products.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the sales price. Approximately 45 employees are expected to join Sika as part of the transaction, including the ICS Garland manufacturing facility and offices in Cleveland, OH. Sika Corporation is based in Lyndhurst, NJ.

Prior to the acquisition, Sika already held a place in the market for construction chemicals including adhesives and sealants, concrete admixtures, and repair and strengthening products. The company notes that this transaction creates for it a comprehensive range of epoxy, polyurethane, and other key polymer flooring products and technologies.