| Homeowners are offered
two types of residential sheet vinyl flooring. The older construction
type is called inlaid construction and the newer, more common
construction type is called rotogravure construction.
The
inlaid process uses solid colored vinyl chips that are laid on top of a
carrier sheet and then bonded together with heat and pressure. The
inlaid process has been around for years and generally results in
geometric type patterns and designs. Residential inlaid floors have a
clear wearlayer placed over the top of the chips to make the floor's
finish easier to maintain. It is important to note that you are not
walking directly on the inlaid chips, instead you are walking on the
clear wearlayer that was placed on top of the chips. The appearance of
your inlaid floor is dependent on how long the clear finish will last.
Inlaid Color Construction:
 | Precisely positions millions of tiny color granules through as
many as 10 unique, hand-cut stencils |
| Builds the color and pattern into the floor, from the backing to
the wear surface. |
| Creates rich, durable, handcrafted designs. |
The rotogravure printing
process is the most commonly used method for making residential vinyl
floors and offers unlimited possibilities in pattern and design. This
involves a print cylinder that spins around while the vinyl's core layer
(called the gel coat) passes underneath. The cylinder systematically
prints various colored ink dyes to create the pattern. After the print
dyes are set a clear wearlayer is applied to the surface. Like the
inlaid the appearance retention of a rotogravure floor is dependent on
the durability of the clear wearlayer. |
