VCT vs. sheet vinyl for a kitchen floor

[perc-o-prince]

Hey there,

When the boiler was replaced, the vinyl floor was damaged and it looks like the removal company will be buying us a new floor. We're considering VCT as it's so much better for wear, but what's the upkeep? We're told you need to strip it and put 3-5 coats of the polish on it right away, then maybe clean and polish it about every 6 months.

Does anyone have experience with VCT in the home? We don't really want sheet vinyl because the previous one cut and dented too much too quickly.

Thanks for any help,
Chuck

 

[danemodsandy]

VCT Is A-O.K.

Perc:

I've never been a fan of sheet vinyl in kitchens for one simple reason- kitchen floors are highly prone to denting and other damage. Moving the refrigerator can rip sheet vinyl, spills of hot grease can discolour or even melt it. And every kitchen floor gets to looking a little worn in front of the sink. With sheet vinyl, there's no really good way to repair these problems- while you can do a cut-out and patch, it always sticks out like a sore thumb.

With VCT, you can set aside some extra tiles for repairs, and while floors do change colour slightly over time, the mismatch can be minimised by a good stripping and waxing of the floor after replacement tiles have been put down. Armstrong Excelon VCT is the industry standard for wear and colourfastness- I believe Robert has it in his laundry room. I grew up with an Excelon floor that survived years of abuse. Excelon is available in a wide range of colours, too.

I am a huge believer in sheet vinyl for bathrooms, if the bath doesn't have a ceramic-tile floor. In baths, sheet makes sense- the continuous surface helps protect the subfloor from water. And bathroom floors aren't subject to as many hazards as kitchen floors, so rips, dents, and stains are much less likely. My favourite sheet vinyl is Armstrong Corlon, which is currently recommended for commercial use, but which began as a residential flooring. I know of a Corlon installation put down in 1966 that has survived five kids, several grandkids, and innumerable generations of bassett hounds, and still looks great.

A visit to www.armstrong.com will show you the styling and colour options. Let us know what you decide!

 

[danemodsandy]

Oh! Maintenance.

Yep, VCT does have to be maintained, but in home use, applying Future Floor Finish works well. Future is a Johnson Wax product, and goes down with a damp sponge mop or Fuller Brush wax applicator (which I use and recommend). Daily sweeping or vacuuming, damp-mopping every few days, putting down a thin coat of wax every month or two (or three if traffic is low), and then stripping and starting over maybe once a year is all you need.

The trick is not to over-wax. If the floor looks a little dull, it's usually a little dirty. Mop first, then apply a little more wax only if the mopping doesn't restore the shine. Too much wax leads to buildup, which looks dirty.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman- where are you now?

 

[whirlcool]

Waxy Buildup

I lived in an apartment where the kitchen had a yellow tile floor. It looked quite nice. One day I decided to use a wax remover on it. The yellow came off like sheets of ice. The tile was actually white underneath! It seems an old woman lived there before and never actually washed the floor, she just "Mop N' Glo"ed it to death!
After I got the entire floor white again, I just used Future on it with occasional washings. This was in a high rise in the near north side of Chicago (McClurg Court to be exact) and the windows in the adjacent dining room had a view of the Chicago skyline. That floor reflected all those lights beautifully!

 

[mattl]

Corlon

My mother had Armstrong Corlon installed in the basement back about '71. It's been through a lot of traffic, several floods,just about anything you can think of and still looks great. I almost wish it didn't, it's a typical 70's brown Mediterranean design, but then the whole basement rec area has that feel, and I can't think of any real reason to redo it, it's rarely used anymore.

Had Corlon put in the kitchen about 20 years ago. It's white with tan, unfortunately it's yellowed from the asphalt driveway we had. Driveway is now washed concrete but the yellowed floor still exists. Wish there was a chemical treatment to remove the yellowing, other than that the floor is in perfect condition. I generally strip it once a year and use the Zep products on it - sealer, and finish.

If anyone has any idea how to get the yellow out I'd be very appreciative!

 

[panthera]

I laid down commercial grade VCT

two years ago after flooding in my parent's basement (yes, that was while they were in the hospital, what a summer).
It has held up to considerable traffic very well. Properly laid, I don't think bathroom moisture should be a problem, but you do have to follow the directions exactly.
I am not a big fan of wax. It seems to me that if you keep the floor clean, don't wear street shoes in the house and insist that your animals' paws are cleaned before they come in, there is no need for the icky stuff.

 

[hoover1060]

I have Armstrong Solarian

Stuff from the "Urban Settings" line in both my kitchen and upstairs bath. I have just one gripe, that is the textured surface sometimes holds onto the dirty spots(such as a paw print from Jack)
So I clean it with my Hoover Floor-A-Matic scrubber and it come up great!

 

[sudsmaster]

What's wrong with plain vinyl no-wax flooring, in tiles? They even make it in self-adhesive form, so you don't have to fuss with applying glue. I've seen some very nice patterns in plain vinyl floor tile.

Advantage - low cost, low upkeep, and option of replacing just a few tiles in case of damage.

Disadvantage? Maybe more prone to show wear than VCT, but I'd guess that in most homes it would do just fine.

 

[danemodsandy]

No-Wax

Ralph:

The disadvantage I've always found with no-wax, in both tile and sheet form, is that the urethane gloss layer on top is fragile. It can disbond from the substrate if abraded (like when a refrigerator is moved), and it's terribly prone to micro-scratching in traffic lanes. Micro-scratching means that dirt makes fine scratches in the surface that get filled with dirt and grease- this is what causes the "tanning" you see on no-wax floors in traffic lanes. Also, the urethane gloss layer tends to hold grease such as that deposited on floors from cooking fumes. Once a no-wax floor becomes visibly soiled, I've found that it's much more work to get it really clean than any conventional surface I've ever dealt with.

VCT micro-scratches as well if it's not waxed. Wax is used to create a renewable wear layer on top of flooring, as well as to give it a shine. If you wax and maintain the waxed surface properly, you will not wear the surface of your floor much, if at all.

Micro-scratching can be dealt with by scrubbing with cleanser and a brush, then applying wax or no-wax floor dressing (wax by any other name is wax, mmkay?) to restore the shine. But I'd rather lay down some wax occasionally, strip it once in awhile, and not have the problem.

 

[sudsmaster]

Who is Ralph?

 

[danemodsandy]

My Apologies!

"Who is Ralph?"

Rich:

Ralph is member rp2813, who is also from the Bay Area. I saw "Bay Area" by your member name, and went on auto-pilot. I'm sorry to have confused you with someone else, but at least I confused you with someone nice!

 

[48bencix]

Inlaid vinyl

If you get a good quality inlaid sheet vinyl is should last regardless of appliance moves. Many good printed vinyls have a better wear layer too.

There are some vinyls that guarantee that they won't rip.

I like sheet goods, because there are fewer cracks and seams. My kitchen has 6 foot wide goods, but they put the seams under the washer and refrigerator, two bad places. but even though it is over 25 years old, overall it is in pretty good shape. There are a few gouges though, that and the seam locations will force me to replace it. But a good sheet vinyl removal and replacement isn't cheap. I expect my kitchen to cost somewhat over $2000.00 (It is around 200 sq. ft.)

To remove the flooring, they will need to remove the 1/4" particle board underlayment, and install new underlayment. So that will bring the price up.

Martin

 

[sudsmaster]

My plan is to replace the sheet no-wax vinyl floor in my kitchen, someday, with ceramic or porcelain tile.

 

[perc-o-prince]

My plan is to replace the sheet no-wax vinyl floor in my kit

"What's wrong with plain vinyl no-wax flooring, in tiles?"



Seriously, thanks for the input from each of you. I think it's safe to say that unless we're willing to deal with more dings and tears, VCT is the way to go. But, we'll put the recommended 3-5 coats of polish on it when it's new, then clean it and put another coat or two every, what, six months?

Chuck

 

[petek]

And to keep it shiny you'll want a lovely vintage Electrolux floor polisher like the one pictured here

 

[petek]

Or a smart chrome GE with floating brushes

 

[danemodsandy]

Chuck:

A lot's going to depend on your use of the kitchen. Lots of cooking and lots of traffic might call for a monthly topping-off of the wax with a fresh coat. Someone who uses the kitchen for cornflakes in the morning and hors d'oeuvres at party time could get away with a couple times a year.

I would NOT go the "polish" route- it has to be buffed, if you're talking about the professional floor polish that many flooring stores are touting nowadays. And a home buffer won't really do it- you need the weight and speed of a commercial buffer to harden up the polish. Future Floor Finish will give a very nice shine if applied evenly (that Fuller Brush wax applicator again), without turning maintenance into a big production number.

My own procedure with a new VCT floor is a thorough mopping after it's been down for a week or two, then application of three coats of Future. Shines like nobody's business. After that, my own cooking and traffic patterns mean that I can put down another coat of Future about every two months. Once a year, I strip and re-wax. Not too bad.

Here's a link to the Fuller Brush wax applicator on eBay- it works way better than trying to put down wax with a sponge mop, giving a smoother, more even finish:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fuller-Brush-Wa...ageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118

 

[sudsmaster]

"What's wrong with plain vinyl no-wax flooring, in

Well, nothing is wrong with the plain vinyl no-wax sheet vinyl in my kitchen, EXCEPT:

It was laid down about 40 years ago. It is contiguous with a formerly carpeted area of the adjacent family room. The join is in a broad arc. This would be fine, except the vinyl lays 1/2" above the neighboring original flooring (after I removed the wall to wall carpeting in the family room. So there is a step-off that I can't readily protect with some moulding, unless I want to get into steaming and bending wood to conform to it. As a result the edge is getting worn and chipped.

Then there is the matter of the 1/2" of particle board laid under the kitchen vinyl. It's not particularly strong, so the front load washer in the laundry closet and the fridge have created depressions where they sit.

Unfortunately the 1/2" of PB and the sheet vinyl were laid down AFTER the kitchen cabinets were installed, and it was not extended into the dishwasher alcove. Thus, the dishwasher sits in a bit of a depression, and it can't be fully shimmed to the height of the surrounding flooring because then the dishwasher would be too tall for the opening. So installing/removing the dishwasher is a real chore, almost like a chinese puzzle.

So my solution is to rip out all the old flooring, down to the original diagonal plank subfloor, lay down 1/4" Hardibacker board, then top that with ceramic or porcelain tile that will extend from the family room to the kitchen and include the laundry closet and the dishwasher alcove.

I was going to mention all this in the previous post but I wanted to keep things brief and had hoped that nobody would assume anything as you know what this makes of you and me.

Too late, I guess!

 

[perc-o-prince]

Hey Rich,

I was just wonderin' why it wasn't OK for you too! {KIDDING!!!}

No stick-on tiles for us. Why? I don't think they come in gay enough colors. If we're gonna change, it's gonna be retro like the '50's or so, and turquoise is, I believe, the lead horse, so to speak.

SANDY---

What they recommend is the Armstrong polish that's for commercial use, but you don't HAVE to buff it. It dries to a shine, but it can be buffed to a gloss finish. But, it does seal it so that there's no degradation of the tile itself. It's the same stuff they use in office buildings on VCT, and buff it when they re-apply so they get that high-gloss shine.

Chuck

 

[sudsmaster]

Chuck,

No problem, really. I jsut think that if I go to all the work of moving out all the furniture and appliances, ripping up the asbestos-laden sheet vinyl and particle board, and getting the subfloor flat, that I should put in something that really can last a long time, like ceramic or porcelain tile. If I were considering vinyl again I'd probably go with tiles, because they can be replaced as needed, and as I understand it sheet vinyl is something of a professional skill and not for the amateur. The ceramic tile will be more expensive and more work but I think it will be easier to maintain and more durable. Of course it has its own drawbacks - it can crack if the floor flexes, it will more readily break objects dropped upon it, and the grout can get a bit grungy. FWIW, the 40 year old no-wax sheet vinyl has shown no signs of wear through the nowax layer, but it does have some dings here and there that are impossible to patch without it being rather noticible. I like that it's curved up at the sides of the walls so that wet mopping is easier, though.

 

[danemodsandy]

Chuck:

The Armstrong polish sounds like they have the buffing problem addressed, so that's okay. Do find out what's needed to strip it before committing- if it's anything really noxious, that could be a problem. Stripping is always a bit of a pain. I use straight ammonia for stripping Future, always with open windows and fans going. But it's worth it, in my book.

Best of luck to you!

 

[sudsmaster]

I don't think they come in gay enough colors.

Sure they do.

Bermuda shorts optional...

And who doesn't pine for a giant asterisk in the middle of their kitchen floor?