What Is The Wear Layer Of Vinyl Flooring

It s simple the wear layer helps your floor last longer.

What is the wear layer of vinyl flooring.

The wear layer is urethane with ceramic beads for toughness. Well it s what protects your vinyl flooring from surface scratches and stains. Vinyl flooring is a product composed of several layers of different materials sandwiched together to form a highly durable practical and affordable floor covering. It s the second half of the durability equation.

Vinyl floor layer diagram courtesy of. But still 6 mils which is 06 inches is pretty thin. The wear layer is usually a clear urethane based coating that keeps the original appearance of the floor and provides easy maintenance. The wear layer is the protective coating on top of the decorative layer of the vinyl flooring.

The thickness of the wear layer is measured in mils and wear layers are typically 6 12 or 20 mils thick. Its warranty is lifetime for residential and 5 years for commercial use. Better quality flooring tends to have the highest wear layers but is more expensive. Thick vinyl thick wear layer higher quality.

If you re using sheet vinyl flooring in a low traffic area you might not need the thickest wear layer. However if you re installing sheet vinyl in a high traffic or commercial setting you probably want an extra thick wear layer. Unlike traditional vinyl this style of flooring is comprised of layers which always include a core vinyl top layer and wear layer. The two main types of vinyl flooring are luxury vinyl tiles lvt and vinyl roll.

Made of clear pvc film and applied to the top of the photographic layer the wear layer adds an extra boost of durability and extends the life of your resilient flooring. This top layer of pure vinyl is called the wear layer and is the most expensive part of the flooring since it is the only thing protecting the paper print film. The same goes for a wear layer. The thicker the wear layer the more protection for your vinyl sheet flooring.

This multilayered approach adds thickness to any product that falls into the luxury vinyl plank class but tiles are made in a similar fashion as well. It is considered an entry level or builders grade flooring. They also have a transparent wear layer which provides additional durability. Put simply the wear layer is the top surface that provides the durability stain and scratch resistance of vinyl flooring.

If you re using vinyl planks for a low traffic area you might not need the thickest wear layer. Most lifeproof luxury vinyl flooring has a 6 mil wear layer. The level of wear on a vinyl plank is measured in mil one thousandth of an inch a mil is not the same as a millimeter as roughly 40 mil equals 1 0 mm 39 4 mil to 1 mm to be exact. A thicker layer is more resistant to scratching and denting.

The most popular is a urethane based layer that protects the floor against scratches stains and scuff marks. With new technology some vinyls now offer added uv or durability layers on top of. Why is the wear layer important.