Vinyl Flooring in Pasco, Richland & Kennewick

Statistically, if you were raised in Kennewick, Pasco, or Richland WA. you probably grew up with a vinyl floor in your kitchen or bathroom. But Vinyl flooring has come a long way over the years. Today it's easy to get confused when it comes to all the various options and acronyms related to vinyl flooring choices in Benton or Franklin counties (or anywhere else for that matter!)

 Glue down? Peel and Stick? Click together? VCT? LVP? LVT? Sheet vinyl? 

Let's start simple. 

In general, vinyl flooring options come in two types. Sheet Vinyl and Everything Else.

Sheet vinyl is the classic. But don't write it off as "old school" yet. These days there are far more quality sheet vinyl options available than in years past. Thickness, design, and costs vary based on product quality, labor, and room size. 

Everything Else

"Everything else" includes any additional vinyl options that piece together during installation (Rather than laying down an entire sheet of vinyl at once.) Some of these "pieces" are in the shape of tiles while others are in the form of planks. 

           -- VCT - Vinyl Composite Tile (VCT) is made with a mixture of vinyl and additional materials that are mixed together to create a composite tile. These were often used in department stores and schools in the past because of their lower cost, but they've fallen out of use in recent years as modern products tend to offer more maintenance free options.

           -- LVT & LVP - Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) are similar products. Both come in a wide variety of styles and quality. Installation options vary as well. Some LVT and LVP options are glue down while others "float" or click together. We highly recommend these options to most homeowners as they provide cost effective options that don't skimp on quality and style.

            -- Peel & Stick Vinyl Tile - Peel and stick vinyl tiles are available in the big box stores. These vinyl tiles are inexpensive and purchased with the adhesive already applied to the back side of each tile. The flooring installer can then peel off the backing, exposing the pre-applied adhesive, and attach each tile to the underlayment without the additional glue prep that is often required. Peel and Stick has made some advancements over the years and the ease of installation has made it popular with DIYs but in the opinion of the Flooring Formula peel and stick options still don't provide the long lasting quality and durability of the other excellent options, especially when you use the Flooring Formula to have a new professionally installed vinyl floor in your TriCity home or business.

Moisture! - Here in the Columbia Basin our fine cities of Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick see less rainfall then most areas. That said, with most flooring projects in this area rain and flooding are not our primary moisture concerns. Moisture from home sources are among the most often reported issues with flooring installations that didn't take the appropriate time to consider a defense against liquids. The good news is that vinyl flooring installed by the flooring installers at the Flooring Formula provides superior moisture defense that outshines other more expensive products that defend against liquids less effectively, (like many laminate flooring options and especially wood floors.) So, if you have pets, lots of spills, or areas where moisture protection is a must (bathrooms, kitchens, basements, laundry rooms) then the many vinyl options provided by the Flooring Formula in Kennewick WA should be considered as you make your flooring choice.

Costs - Vinyl flooring costs vary drastically based on quality, style, warranty, and product. In general vinyl is an attractive less expensive option than products like tile or wood but at the same time while modern vinyl options can be remarkably durable and relatively inexpensive they can not be repeatably refinished the way a hardwood floor can. You can call anytime to get your free quote.

Product - When you call the Flooring Formula at (509) 316-2334 our experts will provide a flooring contractor that can walk you through our multitude of vinyl flooring options. In general (though not universally true) Luxury Vinyl Planks are a superior option when trying to replicate the look of hardwood flooring, while Luxury Vinyl Tiles do a better job of mimicking stone, earthen, ceramic or porcelain  tiles. Sheet Vinyl products are desirable in rooms that have one wall that measures less than 12' making it a great option for most laundry rooms and bathrooms. (Sheet Vinyl comes in 6' and 12' rolls and installing in a room with a wall under 12' means you can save on installation because the installers will not likely have to deal with a long seam.) 

Quality - This is one of  the areas that can cause the greatest variation in cost when it comes to vinyl flooring options. This can be complicated because at first glance it isn't easy to see after the floor has been installed, but not all vinyl is created equally. Modern Vinyl products (with the exception VCT-see below) have a durable top layer that can have variations in thickness. Think of the difference between a cheep kitchen trash bag when compared to a heavy duty outdoor trash bag, the better bag is the same product, just a few mils thicker. The thicker the top layer is the more wear and tear it will take overtime while holding on to its original beauty. The quality and thickness of this layer can also drastically change the warranties provided with each product. 

Style - Vinyl flooring has simply out paced other flooring options when it comes to style improvements over time. Technology available today allows for a quality style layer to be applied before the durable top layer is applied. This means that today most vinyl products can mimic (with amazingly realistic results) a multitude of more traditional flooring materials, often at a lower cost, and with better moisture protection. Stone, rock, tile, patterns, wood, and more can be imitated in most vinyl options.

Installation - Most vinyl is either glued down or clicked together. Both installation options provide different advantages and disadvantages. In general installing a click together vinyl floor with LVP or LVT can be a quicker, cleaner, and easier to install which can save the homeowner money. On the other hand repairs on many glue down floors are far less time consuming and easier to do because often a single damaged glued down piece can be carefully removed and replaced with another without removing adjacent pieces. On a click together installation a repair to one piece often requires several undamaged pieces to be removed before getting access to the damaged plank or tile, and then reinstalled.

Note - VCT or Vinyl Composite Tile doesn't have the same quality and style options as the other vinyl flooring selections mentioned above. VCT has fewer design choices and needs regular buffing/waxing and care to maintain as well. Also, when demo'ing or breaking up older VCT flooring, installers and homeowners should take proper precautions because the older VCT was made with asbestos.