Design Perspectives specializes in restaurant, hospitality and food-service design with expertise in appropriate material finishes, fixtures and lighting.
Vinyl Flooring — Really?
Specializing in food-service design, we come across many innovative materials – one being vinyl flooring.
Many have misconceptions about vinyl flooring seeming too plastic-like, but the manufacturers have come a long way in their aesthetics. When remodeling our home’s appearance, cost, durability and ease of cleanup are major factors to take into consideration for flooring. Vinyl flooring meets all those requirements.
Vinyl can come as rolled goods, tiles and three-foot planks. As an example, the faux-wood vinyls, once installed, easily can be mistaken for real wood floors. The cost for vinyl flooring is a fraction of the price of what you would spend on real wood floors or real stone tiles, not to mention the installation cost.
The longevity of vinyl flooring also is impressive and some can withstand high temperatures, particularly in a commercial application. Repairing and replacing is much easier than replacing a tile or a glued-down wood plank. The maintenance is fairly simple without the need to use chemicals that evoke harsh fumes or the need to wax/seal the flooring. Unlike carpeting, which can collect dust and odors and cause severe allergies, dusting and using a pH-balanced cleaning solution can eliminate many allergens.
For those who are aging in place, a selection of vinyl flooring with great traction and seamless transitions can prevent falls for the elderly. For our pet owners, cleanup is easy, odors are diminished and staining is minimal, unlike wood floors that can be severely damaged and become a costly replacement project.
