Exploring the Types of Resilient Flooring

​Resilient flooring refers to highly durable flooring, even in heavy-traffic areas. It can encompass any material that covers floors, excluding wood, concrete, ceramic, textile, or stone.

As a general rule, resilient floor options have a slight bounce-back upon compression and repeated traffic. They can handle high foot traffic, and people can walk on them comfortably.

Laminate, although similar to resilient flooring in its multilayer construction, also does not qualify since it has a wood base and lacks a bounce-back quality. Resilient flooring products span tile, sheet, and plank. Manufacturers sell sheet products in rolls since they have flexibility. Their length exceeds their width, which typically ranges from six to 12 feet. Common sheet materials include vinyl, linoleum, and rubber, with homogeneous characteristics crafted of a single layer top to bottom, or heterogeneous, with multiple layers. The material ranges in thickness from standard 0.050 inch to cushioned 0.10 inch.

Sheet vinyl combines waterproof qualities with few or no seams. When installed in small rooms with no seams, it provides 100 percent impermeability to most liquids. However, vinyl has bulky and heavy qualities that make it challenging to install without professional help, especially since the material requires precise and accurate cuts the first time. Modified loose-lay sheet vinyl, which does not require glue, has become the most forgiving option. Professionals can secure it with underlayment or subfloor using tape.

Since they have less flexibility, manufacturers cannot roll up tile and plank products. Instead, they pack them as flat pieces in cartons. Common materials include multilayered flooring (MLF), solid vinyl tile (SVT), rubber tile, and luxury vinyl tile (LVT). A variety of MLF types exist, such as solid polymer core (SPC) and wood polymer core (WPC).

The core luxury vinyl has become popular in the tile and plank category. The multi-ply product pairs rigidity with secure joinery, similar to laminate flooring, while also offering the durability and water resistance of vinyl flooring. The planks or tiles have a thickness of 8 mm (more than 1/3 of an inch), the same as many laminates. However, rigid core lacks the wood content of laminate and does not have vulnerabilities to mold and swelling.

With tight snap-lock joinery on all sides, rigid core luxury vinyl is highly water-resistant and easy to clean. Therefore, it becomes a good option for water-impacted kitchens, bathrooms, and homes with pets. Many who select rigid core luxury vinyl flooring also value its four- to five-layer construction, which addresses cold subfloors and makes walking barefoot comfortable. Thick construction adds possibilities for realistic textural embossing, giving the flooring a stone or wood-like appearance.

Flexible vinyl tile and planks offer a thinner option, as thin as 2 mm, and cost less than rigid core flooring. However, a drawback, the thinness makes them less stable at the joints, even though they have click-and-lock joinery. Thus, professionals must glue them to the subfloor to prevent shifting or pulling up.

An environmentally friendly option, cork flooring retains warmth and provides insulation, while offering a natural springiness and bounce to the step. Available in long planks or square tiles, manufacturers make it from recycled cork stoppers mixed with urethane. They bound the cork sheets with high-density fiberboard, creating strong and durable planks.

Ben Weinstein

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