Vinyl Flooring Glossary

Homogeneous vinyl

Single-layer sheet where colour and pattern run through the full thickness. Scratches don't show; 25+ year life. The healthcare and education standard.

Heterogeneous vinyl

Multi-layer sheet with a printed décor layer under a clear wear layer. Photorealistic wood/stone designs; 10–15 year life. The commercial aesthetic choice.

ESD flooring

Electrostatic-discharge-control flooring. Conductive 10⁴–10⁶ Ω, dissipative 10⁶–10⁹ Ω per EN 1081. Needs conductive adhesive + copper grid + earth.

Wear layer

The transparent top layer that takes abrasion. Typically 0.3 / 0.5 / 0.7 mm (12 / 20 / 28 mil). Thicker = longer service life.

PUR / UV surface

Factory-applied polyurethane or UV-cured treatment. Easy-clean, no-wax, low lifecycle cost. The premium maintenance story.

Cove former

U-shaped profile (22 / 28 / 35 / 38 mm) that curves the floor up the wall for a seamless, hygienic seal. Mandatory in healthcare/cleanrooms.

Welding rod

PVC rod heat-welded into seams (100 m rolls, colour-matched). Seals joints waterproof and bacteria-tight.

Wall base / skirting

Vinyl or rubber strip at the floor-wall junction. Int'l heights 2.5" / 4" / 6" (≈64 / 102 / 153 mm) per ASTM F-1861.

Phthalate-free

Formulated without ortho-phthalate plasticisers. The entry ticket for EU/North-American distribution.

FloorScore

Indoor-air-quality certification (low VOC emissions). Expected by specifiers for healthcare/education projects.

Bfl-s1

European fire classification (EN 13501-1) for flooring — limited flame spread, low smoke. Commercial baseline.

EN 1081

Standard for measuring electrical resistance of conductive/dissipative floors (R1/R2 electrodes).

SPC (rigid core)

Stone-plastic-composite plank: 100% waterproof, click-lock floating install, IXPE backing. Per EN 16511.

IXPE backing

Cross-linked foam underlay built into SPC planks — sound absorption and underfoot comfort.

Antistatic (EN 1815)

Considered acceptable when body voltage ≤ 2 kV. A broader, less strict category than ESD.

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Report-backed values are third-party tested (Intertek, SGS) and published on our Test Reports page. Other classifications are product-performance data supported by in-house laboratory testing and are available on request.

Four details get you a quoted price

Specification — product line, thickness, roll or plank size, colour reference
Quantity — total square metres, and whether it ships in one lot or in phases
Destination — port or city, so we can quote FOB or CIF
Delivery window — the date the material has to be on site

Send these four by email or WhatsApp and we reply with a technical data sheet and a firm price. With fewer details we can only quote a range.