#1 Pros and Cons

First and foremost, you must know the pros and cons of each type of flooring material before deciding what type of flooring fits your lifestyle most. Talk to the sales representative about your expectation, building a good rapport is very important. 

After all researches and talking to different flooring companies, you’re still confused with the 1001 types of vinyl available in the market? What else should you look out for?

#2 Certificates and Test Reports

You should make sure the product you are getting is safe and deliver what it claims. Ask for all certifications and test reports. Be certain that you are getting what was said to be. You want to give your loved ones a safe environment to live in.

#3 Value vs Quality

Vinyl price can start from as low as $1.90 per square feet. This price is the most likely supply of material only. Are you getting what you see/hear – price vs design vs quality vs durability? Invest some time, make an effort to visit the showroom, look at the actual product, feel the quality, if it meets your expectation, you’ve probably found THE one.

#4 Knowledge & Experience

Budget is important. But more importantly, is the person who is going to give you advise, explain the product and spend the next few days or months with you till your flooring job is complete.

This floor representative should be equipped with good knowledge of the different types of flooring materials, a sound technical skill on how and what to do to achieve your ideal theme and experienced enough to foresee and tackle the tricky situation.

#5 Testimonial

Be it an established or newly set up company, there are customer orientated ones, there are sales figure orientated ones. 
Apart from the points we’ve highlighted, there is one last but not least factor you should consider, TESTIMONIAL.

Existing customers are the best person to tell you if this company is the one you should award the job to. Every customer’s expectation and the floor’s condition are different. There won’t be 100% positive reviews but do make an effort to read up some reviews of the company that you are considering. The salesperson will only paint you the beautiful picture but the reviews from the customers are always the truth that you need to know.

Looking for a suitable flooring company that suits your budget and preferences? Discuss your needs with our flooring team HERE.

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If you are looking to do some kitchen renovation, or building your kitchen from scratch, here are a couple of kitchen flooring design tips to note when choosing a flooring for a functional, yet beautiful kitchen.
 

#1 Light or Dark Flooring

When exploring kitchen flooring ideas, it is important to ask: “Do I want a light or dark colour for my kitchen floor?” The colour choice will determine how you feel in the kitchen, especially in the midst of all that messy food preparation!

In Singapore, popular kitchen flooring colours tend to be on the lighter spectrum. Light-coloured flooring is better at hiding past accidents and scratches, and it also helps the kitchen appear airy and spacious. This is especially suitable for homeowners with small kitchens. However, while keeping things light-coloured in the kitchen makes it look larger, The Floor Gallery recommends adding some dark furniture to balance out the brightness and to avoid having it look too clinical.

While dark-coloured kitchen flooring designs are not common locally, it is worth noting that they can hide oil and food stains better and is generally a unique choice across Singapore homes. This is an option for homeowners who love being bold with their home interior design or require child-friendly kitchen flooring in their households. If you like a darker kitchen floor but worry about it looking too somber, you may add light-coloured furniture, or have the walls and ceiling painted in light colours for some contrast.
 

  

#2 Use of Floor Patterns

Another kitchen flooring design that can quickly enhance your home’s overall aesthetics is the use of patterned floor tiles for your kitchen. It will not only reduce visibility on dust and dirt, but it also adds  character to your home. If cooking is your thing and the kitchen is your sacred creative space, kitchen floor tiles with patterned designs will easily allow you to express your style as an extension of your personality.

What’s even better is that kitchen flooring is no longer just limited to your standard ceramic tiles! With a wide range of kitchen flooring options nowadays, the sky’s the limit when it comes to designing your dream kitchen.
 

  

Looking for a suitable kitchen flooring that suits your budget and preferences? Discuss your best options with our flooring team HERE.

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Vinyl Flooring Disadvantage #1:
Presence of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) & volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Play safe! HERT vinyl flooring is a great choice for young ones who love to roll around the floor during playtime.

Because of the chemicals used in producing conventional vinyl flooring, there is the likelihood of a potentially dangerous amount of VOC being released into the air. This can be harmful to our bodies when inhaled on a constant basis at home. Homeowners with young children or pets will definitely want to consider an alternative such as Hybrid Eco RigidTech (HERT) flooring. Manufactured with phthalate-free material, this low VOC-emitting vinyl flooring will ensure safe and non-toxic air quality for the little and furry little ones. And, unlike conventional non-biodegradable vinyl flooring, HERT flooring is an eco-friendly vinyl flooring option that eco-conscious homeowners can embrace.

Vinyl Flooring Disadvantage #2: Subfloor imperfections & telegraphing

Goodbye uneven floors! Homeowners who use ETEC flooring can feel comfortable with a flat and safe floor for the most accident-prone part of the house – the kitchen.

With conventional vinyl flooring, the installation must be done with utmost care and precision to ensure that the subfloors are absolutely clean and smooth. This is to avoid any unevenness from underneath the vinyl flooring that may eventually show up and be a permanent eyesore! To address such potential floor bumps, a great alternative to put on your list of flooring options is the EcoTech Extreme Core (ETEC) flooring. Unlike other common vinyl flooring, ETEC has a rigid and high-density core, which makes it resistant to most subfloor imperfections and prevents the telegraphing of vinyl tiles.

Vinyl Flooring Disadvantage #3: Stains & Discoloration

Beautiful yet easy to maintain, ETEC flooring is a versatile option that this homeowner chose for the kitchen, living room and even the bedroom.

Common vinyl flooring stains often include discolouration that arises when rubber comes in contact with low-quality vinyl flooring. It is an issue that many homeowners fail to note, especially when many shoes come with rubber soles that can threaten the aesthetics of your vinyl floor! That said, homeowners who want to enjoy the advantages of vinyl flooring without sweating over this can breathe easy with ETEC vinyl flooring. With its waterproof features, ETEC vinyl flooring is less susceptible to stains and discolouration and homeowners do not have to trade off its easy-to-maintain benefit.

For more information on The Flooring Gallery’s wide range of vinyl flooring and its advantages, feel free to get in touch with our vinyl flooring experts HERE.

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Building up a party-friendly home or hosting a big party at home? Here, we have some tips on the best types of flooring for parties, how you can prepare your floors for a house party, and some house party cleaning tips.

If you’re a homeowner considering flooring options for your new party-friendly house, The Floor Gallery (TFG) highly recommends vinyl flooring for parties. Vinyl flooring is a top choice amongst party-hosting homeowners due to its low maintenance features. Break little to no sweat when there’s a food or drink accident. Vinyl flooring will only need basic wiping with an ordinary damp cloth – hello easy party cleanup and goodbye sticky floors!

Credits: floorstoyourhome.com

While we never really know what our guests bring to the dance floor, vinyl flooring is a great option when it comes to protecting your house floors. Not only does it have scratch-resistant features, vinyl flooring is water-resistant – making it immune to glaring coffee stains – and has a wide array of high slip resistance textures as well. This reduces the likelihood of slips and nasty falls. If you find that vinyl flooring is suitable for your house, check out the wide range of eco friendly vinyl flooring that we offer here.

Alternatively, if you are looking to introduce a breath of fresh air to the party by means of an outdoor space, be it a garden or balcony, you could consider wood decking as well. TFG’s eco-friendly wood decking options are slip-resistant, ensuring a greater and safer time on the floor. If a downpour occurs before your party (and hopefully not during), there is no need to tip toe cautiously on semi wet floors just to avoid slipping. Being heat-resistant as well, you will not have to worry about the dance floor literally heating up!

For those who already have hardwood flooring installed in your home, here is something to note for your big party preparation. The biggest no-no is waxing your wooden floor before the party. We understand that you may want to impress your guests with a glossy, pristine floor. That being said, guest safety is still very important, and you want to prevent a slippery and dangerous dance floor at all cost.

Do you have questions about installing vinyl flooring in your home? Feel free to get in touch with our vinyl flooring experts HERE. In the meantime, happy party planning!

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Since vinyl flooring took off in the last several years, it has seen rapid adoption in both the residential and commercial spaces. Durable, easy to install, and safe for the elderly and children, vinyl flooring is quickly finding itself being installed in spaces all over the world. On top of that, vinyl flooring is available in a wide variety of designs and colours. No wonder vinyl flooring installation is gaining popularity!

What makes vinyl flooring so unique? The secret lies in the technologies that go into the vinyl flooring. Let us have a look at them, layer by layer.

1) Top Layer Technology: Tuff-Shield™

The top layer of the vinyl flooring is a crucial part as it needs to take the everyday abuses and abrasions. From footsteps to household accidents, such as the dropping of keys, the top layer acts as a protective shield for the flooring. It helps to maintain the beauty of the floor for years to come. Not all wear layers are the same. Superior wear layers are critical for performance as well as letting the design come to life.

Tuff-Shield™, the Tuffest coating ever, originates from the United States. It features a double-coating method that adds extra strength to the underlying urethane protectant coating of your vinyl flooring installation. Tuff Shield™ provides the vinyl floor with additional resistance to everyday wear, allowing it to be used in various applications in the home or office. Tuff-Shield™ technology is found in The Floor Gallery’s Eco Resilient Flooring (ERF), as well as EcoTech Extreme Core (ETEC) range of flooring products.

2) Middle Layer Technology: Ecotecture™

The middle layer is the part that provides for the dimensional stability for the vinyl flooring installation. Dimensional stability is the ability for the material to retain its original shape, especially when subjected to changes in its surroundings such as temperature and humidity.

Ecotecture™ Tech is created by bonding several high performance core layers. Every layer is designed to perform and bond together for exceptional dimensional stability and extra sound absorption.

(Eco Protect Resilient Flooring)

Each layer of the Ecotecture™ performs a specific function in the vinyl flooring installation. While the bottom most layers prevent curling and add stability to the vinyl tile or plank, the middle layer provides for sound absorption. The top two layers provide protection to the flooring’s design, as well as against the elements and even bacteria, ensuring that the vinyl flooring remains durable in most environments. Ecotecture™ is featured in The Floor Gallery’s Eco Protect Resilient Flooring (EPRF).

3) Locking Mechanism Technology

The locking mechanism provides for tight joints between vinyl planks and ensures that the flooring does not open up. Tight joints will also prevent any water from seeping in from the flooring’s surface.

Undoubtedly, modern technologies allow for so many exciting possibilities in the modern homeowners’ and offices’ flooring needs. Connect with one of our flooring specialists to discuss about a vinyl flooring installation that suits your needs HERE!

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Hardwearing floor and yet highly affordable. A hybrid of the traditional vinyl with innovative core technology,

The Advantages Of Vinyl Flooring

Among the many new inventions in the interior design industry, vinyl flooring must surely be one of the more popular flooring innovations. Fashionable, sturdy, and easy to maintain – what is there not to like? These are but some of the vinyl flooring advantages that have homeowners, shop owners and even company owners drawn to its installation. Indeed, versus laminate flooring, vinyl flooring has become a new favourite among people who are planning for their renovations.

Vinyl flooring, as a material, is not new. Its origins date back to 1872, when chemist Eugen Baumann polymerised vinyl chloride gas and developed what is now known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, this solid material remained a chemical without any industrial application up until 1933, when the first semblance of vinyl flooring was displayed at a Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, USA. With technological and scientific advances, industry experts improved upon this modern flooring material, and vinyl flooring has since evolved into what it is today.

As people started putting more attention into their surroundings and decided that their environment had to not only be functional, but also aesthetically-pleasing, the wide variety of vinyl flooring colours and styles took off. Today, vinyl flooring counts as one of the more popular choices for residential and commercial flooring.

Here are three advantages of having vinyl flooring installed in your property:

1. Vinyl Flooring Is Durable

Credits: Homedesignland.com

Vinyl flooring is made with coloured PVC chips and formed into solid sheets, before being cut into either plank or tile form. As such, vinyl flooring is extremely durable. In particular, the Eco-Protect Resilient Flooring (EPRF) range, which originates from Korea, features the Distinguished NOX Ecotecture™ Tech. This provides the advantage of dimensional stability, allowing the vinyl tiles or planks to retain their shapes when subjected to changes in temperature or humidity.

Similarly, the EcoTech Extreme Core (ETEC) range sports the innovative Tuff Shield® Coating technology, which prevents scratches and bends and allows the vinyl tiles and planks to last a very long time.

2. Vinyl Flooring Is Waterproof

Credits: Pinterest

The waterproof properties of most of our vinyl flooring products make our vinyl tiles and planks extremely easy to maintain.
As a bonus benefit, vinyl flooring is not only comfortable to walk on, compared to traditional wooden flooring, but also safer for children and the elderly who may have infirm grip.

3. Vinyl Flooring Looks Really Good

Last, but not least, vinyl flooring makes your home look amazing. Being engineered, vinyl flooring can take on a variety of colours and patterns.
Apart from perennially classic wood-like styles like Cocoa Ash and Seawashed Oak, more contemporary designs, such as Washed Concrete, are sought-after as well.

With these three very desirable advantages, it is no wonder vinyl flooring is such an attractive flooring option in today’s homes, shops, and offices.

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Have questions on vinyl flooring and its installation? Contact us today, and let our vinyl flooring consultants assist you with your flooring needs!

The post Why Vinyl Flooring Is Catching On: <BR> 3 Advantages To Know appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

#1 Highly Water Resistant

The number one thing a working kitchen needs to have is a flooring that is highly water resistant. This will hence, make the flooring easy to wash and clean.

#2 Slip Resistant

While washing or cleaning your kitchen flooring with soapy water, one thing to caution about is potentially slipping accidents. This is especially so when it comes to ceramic tiles. Eco resilient flooring is tested to be highly slip resistant, hence after the washing, you will still feel assured that slipping is minimised. This is therefore recommended for families with elderly parents who always do the cooking or laundry.

#3 Impact Resistant

Touch wood, though there is no wood. Even if an unlikely scenario of slipping accident, the cushion effect of eco resilient flooring greatly reduce the impact of the fall. Therefore, it enhances safety at home.

#4 Stain Resistant

Stubborn oil stains that gives you the headache of cleaning it away. No worries about it when you have eco resilient flooring.

#5 Heat Resistance

Intense cooking cause one to feel very hot in the room. If the flooring is not a good insulator of heat like ceramic tiles, sometimes you may feel your feet being uncomfortable. As for eco resilient flooring which is highly heat resistant, you have no worries about uncomfortable feet.

#6 Fire Resistance

Eco resilient flooring (ERF) has been tested to have high quality standards in terms of fire resistance such as the credible CE rating and other European (EN) standard test. Hence, such feature enhances safety at home. In the event of fire incident (touch many wood, please), fire spread will be greatly reduced with eco resilient flooring compared with non-quality vinyl or resilient flooring.

#7 Certified Eco Friendly

One reason to choose eco resilient flooring for your kitchen is because it is certified eco-friendly such that it has credible accreditation such as the Singapore Green Label. Certified eco-flooring products are tested based on stringent standards such as indoor air quality, composite of safety materials used to manufacture the product, VOC emission and formaldehyde emission rate. By installing certified eco friendly flooring products, one will therefore feel extra safe at home.

Hope you have a clear understanding of eco resilient flooring (ERF) and why is it different from most types of clickable resilient flooring in the market.

The post 7 Reasons Why Eco Resilient Flooring is Recommended for Your Home Kitchen! appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Homeowners sometimes got confused by the range of vinyl flooring products, hence let’s delve into the topic on the types of vinyl flooring available for home owners in Singapore today.

Clickable Resilient Flooring

Resilient flooring is part of the family of vinyl flooring. However, it is very different to traditional vinyl flooring due to features like 5mm thickness, 0.5 mm wear layer, made from pure virgin vinyl pulp and you do not need a flat subfloor to install the resilient flooring. Many flooring contractors sometimes will confuse the consumer by telling consumers that their resilient flooring is high end, premium and luxury. Basically, these flooring are considered as clickable resilient flooring which is categorised under the big family of vinyl flooring.

Vinyl Sheet, Plank or Tiles (or Traditional Vinyl Flooring)

These types of vinyl flooring are usually installed in clean room, clinics, hospitals and science labs. This is because medical vinyl sheets and tiles have anti-static and anti-bacterial properties which make it suitable for the above-mentioned areas. One thing to know that vinyl sheet and tiles usually has low thickness and wear layer compared to clickable resilient flooring, that is why, it is not recommended for homes.

Medical Clickable Resilient Flooring

From the terms, you will be able to guess this type of flooring has both features of a clickable resilient flooring and also medical vinyl sheet or tiles. Usually, they are in plank types and is highly recommended for homes with kids and elderly due to its eco friendly, anti-bacterial and durable features.

Eco Resilient Flooring (ERF)

This type of vinyl flooring has similar features to clickable resilient flooring, only that its focus is more on being certified eco friendly and eco healthy. Typical features of eco resilient flooring that makes it different to traditional clickable resilient flooring are its safe composite of material used to manufacture the flooring, better contribution to indoor air quality and also certified eco friendly. Other than that, it has all the features of clickable resilient flooring (whether it is name premium resilient, high end resilient, luxury resilient and so on), such as high slip resistant, waterproof, high impact resistant, high stain resistant, better dimensional stability, termite proof and more.

Now, you have a better understanding of vinyl flooring and the current types of vinyl flooring options available today for our home owners. Hence, do make wise decision when shopping for flooring. Do not be misled by marketing terms of clickable resilient flooring such as high end resilient, luxury resilient, premium resilient and more!

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Durability

Ceramic flooring is quite durable, if you know how to take good care of it. It can last for about 50 years or more. However, a drop of heavy object on the tiles, may break the tiles..

On the other hand, eco resilient flooring has high in durability due to its extreme dimensional stability, thick protective wear layer and reasonable thickness. With these features, it is no wonder eco resilient flooring manufacturers are able to provide lifetime warranty for the product.

Installation

Installation of ceramic tiles will take a lot of time, At the end of the day, there will be a lot of mess after the installation too. It may also take longer time for the installation complete. This is partly because ceramic tiles requires the use of wet cement for installation.

Eco Resilient Flooring, on the other hand, can be completed faster compared to ceramic tiles. A typical four room BTO flat may take a few hours of installation. It is much fuss free and so much easier. Not to forget, it is pretty mess free too!

Replacement

You can easily walk into a tile shop to get a replacement of the broken tile and replace it yourself. However, if your tiles are installed long time back, you might have problems finding a replacement. You can consider it a new fashion or trend if you have a sudden patch of different tiles out of nowhere on your floor.

Eco Resilient Flooring, as mentioned previously, is covered under warranty for lifetime on residential properties. If there is any faulty parts on the flooring, you can always call up the flooring contractors again and they will be there to solve your problem with a replacement plank. Hence, no need to worry about having a out of place patch on the floor!

Maintenance

Both type of flooring are relatively easy to maintain. However, for the ceramic tiles, there is the grout area that you need to scrub. Grout is the part where the tiles are joined. It is normally the dirtiest part of the floor on ceramic tiles flooring. A lot of manual work is required, but not very often. Otherwise, to maintain both flooring, you will only need to sweep and mop the floor to maintain the cleanliness. For Eco Resilient Flooring (ERF), cleaning is so easy and completely fuss free.

Now that we have gone through the differences between the 2 types of flooring, we hope you have a clearer and better understanding of the two.

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Retail Space

Retail space require a type of flooring which has high impact resistance, high slip resistant and something that is cost efficient. Two types of vinyl flooring to consider for your retail spaces are clickable resilient flooring and also eco resilient flooring.

Restaurant and Cafes

Vinyl flooring best suit these properties as it is waterproof thus making the flooring easy to clean, mop and maintain.

Office Space

Carpet is usually the default flooring for offices due to its low cost. However, when it comes to cleaning, it can be highly troublesome and costly. Consider spending a little bit more on vinyl flooring, as it is easy to clean and wash due to its waterproof feature. Think in long term, you actually save more with vinyl flooring than with carpet.

Clinics, Hospital and Labs

For these commercial properties, you have to look for a flooring which is both anti-static and anti-bacterial. Two types of vinyl flooring to consider are Medical vinyl flooring and medical clickable resilient flooring.

Gym

Imagine the sweat stench on the gym’s carpet if it is left un-maintained for a long period of time. As good quality vinyl flooring is highly waterproof and easy to clean. You can quickly wash away the sweat stench!

Schools and Institution

Classrooms today are usually in enclosed air-conditioned areas. Hence, one vinyl flooring to consider is eco resilient flooring due to its eco health and eco friendly features.

So, there you have the different type of vinyl flooring use for different types of commercial spaces and properties.

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