Vinyl Flooring Wear Layer

Vinyl is waterproof which makes it perfect for kitchens or other high traffic areas such as a living room or den.

Vinyl flooring wear layer.

Why is the wear layer important. They also have a transparent wear layer which provides additional durability. Mohawk s luxury vinyl tile plank and sheet vinyl offers a durable protective top layer that resists scratches dents and stains from family pets. Made of clear pvc film and applied to the top of the photographic layer the wear layer adds an extra boost of durability and extends the life of your resilient flooring.

The thickness of the wear layer is measured in mils and wear layers are typically 6 12 or 20 mils thick. Put simply the wear layer is the top surface that provides the durability stain and scratch resistance of vinyl flooring. Most lifeproof luxury vinyl flooring has a 6 mil wear layer. Typically the wear layer is given some level of texture or embossing to better compliment the look of the print film being used.

It is considered an entry level or builders grade flooring. Vinyl floor layer diagram courtesy of. Its warranty is lifetime for residential and 5 years for commercial use. Vinyl flooring is a product composed of several layers of different materials sandwiched together to form a highly durable practical and affordable floor covering.

With new technology some vinyls now offer added uv or durability layers on top of. The wear layer is usually a clear urethane based coating that keeps the original appearance of the floor and provides easy maintenance. It s the second half of the durability equation. In the middle is a slice of vinyl plank flooring from the home decorators collection in noble oak.

It s slightly thicker at 4mm with an 8mil wear layer while the bottom sample is shaw matrix at 3 2mm thick with a 6mil wear. But still 6 mils which is 06 inches is pretty thin. A thicker layer is more resistant to scratching and denting. 6 mils wear layer.

The level of wear on a vinyl plank is measured in mil one thousandth of an inch a mil is not the same as a millimeter as roughly 40 mil equals 1 0 mm 39 4 mil to 1 mm to be exact. This top layer of pure vinyl is called the wear layer and is the most expensive part of the flooring since it is the only thing protecting the paper print film. It s simple the wear layer helps your floor last longer. The most popular is a urethane based layer that protects the floor against scratches stains and scuff marks.

Better quality flooring tends to have the highest wear layers but is more expensive. In the photo below the top sample carries the trafficmaster allure branding and is 3 8mm thick with a 4mil wear layer. The two main types of vinyl flooring are luxury vinyl tiles lvt and vinyl roll. The wear layer keeps the original look of the floor longer providing a maintenance free finish.

If you re using vinyl planks for a low traffic area you might not need the thickest wear layer. Thick vinyl thick wear layer higher quality.