Quartz vinyl flooring is a durable and resistant flooring that has only recently been used primarily for industrial applications. Today, quartz vinyl tile for the floor is often used for decorating apartments. Consider what constitutes this material, what advantages and disadvantages it has, as well as possible finishes.
Quartz vinyl floor tiles: production technology
Quartz sand is the main component that makes up most of the tile (depending on the features of the model, from 60 to 80%). The rest is various impurities that are added in order to obtain certain additional characteristics and properties of the resulting product.
So, the main characteristics of the tile – strength, resistance to fire and water, are present precisely due to quartz sand, while various plasticizers, stabilizers and pigments, in combination with vinyl, serve only as a supplement. Plasticizers provide a certain flexibility of the material, which allows to facilitate the installation process.
Stabilizers provide protection from exposure to light and elevated temperatures, but all sorts of colors are available by adding pigments. At the same time, the use of special additives even allows you to create imitations of any textures.
For the top layer of tiles, manufacturers use different versions of the compositions, for example, a layer of polyurethane or metallized polish, in order to simultaneously obtain both an aesthetic appearance and a high resistance of the coating to various influences.
Quartz vinyl tile consists of 6 layers. Consider each of them, starting with the bottom:
- a PVC layer, which serves as a base, and on the one hand serves to increase the resistance of the tile to impacts, and on the other, makes it possible to grip the material with the floor so that the fixation on the glue is effective;
- fiberglass, which serves as a reinforcement;
- quartz vinyl, which is the main layer and gives the product the necessary strength;
- a layer of decorative material that determines the texture and color of the tile;
- a thin transparent layer that serves to protect the pattern from fading as a result of exposure to direct sunlight;
- a layer of polyurethane that provides resistance to chemicals and prolongs the life of the coating.
Such a rather complex production technology of vinyl quartz tiles allows you to end up with a durable and reliable material that is resistant to all sorts of influences.
The special characteristics of this material have led to the fact that the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution are also very unusual. In order to avoid unpleasant surprises, you should familiarize yourself with all the advantages and disadvantages before buying a tile.
First of all, it is worth noting that operation in living conditions is practically not capable of leading to tile wear. Moreover, this material is capable of withstanding tremendous maneuverability, including not only people, but also cars. So, in a normal demolition room, such coverage will not exist at all, and if one of the elements is damaged, it is easy to replace it. You do not need to dismantle the entire floor, to involve specialists or to purchase any special tools.
Another important advantage is resistance to high humidity and direct exposure to moisture. Experts estimate this material as 100% water resistant, which is important in the case of laying in the kitchen or in the bathroom. But with regard to fire safety, the quartz sand, which is the main component of the tile, does not support combustion and does not emit any hazardous substances to health.
Another advantage that tenants of apartment buildings will appreciate is the level of noise insulation that vinyl quartz flooring provides. Its ability to absorb sounds with a capacity of up to 19 dB allows you to create the most comfortable living conditions.
The choice of quartz vinyl coating will also delight buyers with an abundance of color and texture solutions. Using catalogs and photos, the color of quartz vinyl tiles can be selected based on the interior design of your apartment. In addition, installation is simple enough, and the cost of the material is low, despite the weight of positive aspects and long service life.
There are vinyl quartz and disadvantages that are best to be read in advance. Thus, the laying of such a coating requires careful surface preparation, and carrying out all necessary measures to level the base. Be sure to lay the layers of hydro-and heat-insulating materials so that the floor is warm and absorbs even more noise.
Helpful advice! The best option for leveling the floor – pouring screed. This takes a lot of time, since the complete drying of the composition takes place over several weeks, however, this procedure will significantly extend the life of the coating.
The choice of quartz vinyl floor tiles should be made taking into account several basic parameters: size, thickness, manufacturer’s company, level of wear resistance and color design. At the same time, the dimensions of the tile can vary considerably, and the thickness can be from 1.6 to 3.2 mm.
Of course, firms that offer their products on the modern market, a huge amount. But some of them are more popular than others. For example, manufacturers such as Art Tile, Armstrong, Polyfloor and Upofloor are widely known.
The most popular size of quartz tiles is squares with sides of 30 or 60 cm. With such elements it is easiest to work, but the coating is quite simple, without any complicated patterns and patterns. For those who want to create an unusual interior using this material, manufacturers offer rectangular or triangular tiles, with which you can create much more interesting drawings.
Interesting! If desired, you can cut the tile into curved elements. This process should be carried out only at the factory, since it requires the use of a water-cutting method. Of course, the cost of such a coating will be significantly higher, but in the photo a quartz vinyl coating can be seen how beautiful an exclusive coating made by this method may look.
The quartz vinyl floor covering may have a different thickness, which usually does not exceed 3.2 mm. In this case, the material is considered to be the 43st highest wear resistance class. For ordinary apartments, this is usually too much, since in residential premises the material is not subjected to the loads for which it is designed. It will be quite enough to use the material of wear resistance class 23-43, which is typical for tiles whose thickness ranges from 2 to 2.5 mm.
Important! The thickness of each element determines the total weight of the entire coating, which usually is considerable. So to lay the elements of excessively large thickness – it also creates an additional load on the surface.
It is acceptable to use a thinner tile, however, in this case it is necessary to make sure in advance that the room will have a low permeability, and the floor will not be subjected to shocks and other impacts that could damage it.
There is also a classification designed to indicate the susceptibility of tiles to abrasion, as a result of constant exposure. In this case, there are several categories, the best of which is recognized as “T”. This type of tile is most often found on the domestic market. Among the characteristics of this type, it is worth noting the high resistance not only to mechanical stress, but also to chemically active substances – acids and alkalis.
A significant role is played by the indicators of combustibility and smoke-forming ability of the material. In this case, it is best to give preference to products that have the following labeling – G2 (refractoriness index) and D2 (level of smoke generation). For living conditions, this is an ideal option, since the purchase of material with lower rates is simply impractical.
As for the appearance, everything depends solely on the individual preferences of the owners, as well as the interior of the room. You can give preference to a material that imitates natural textures or choose the option with a pattern.
There are two ways of laying quartz vinyl flooring: adhesive and locking. In the first case, the elements are fixed with a special adhesive composition, and in the second, a lock joint is used. Many users argue that the second method is preferable, since it not only greatly simplifies the installation procedure, but also allows you to safely dismantle quartz-vinyl tile with a locking connection if necessary.
After becoming familiar with all the features and reviews, quartz vinyl floor tiles can leave an ambiguous impression about how successful this solution can be called. But practice shows that this option is worthy of consideration on an equal basis with others, especially if you have to finish rooms with high traffic and serious loads on the floor.
