The Best Vinyl Sheet Flooring Options for Your Kitchen
When it comes to choosing new flooring for your kitchen, vinyl sheet flooring is one of the most popular options for homeowners. Vinyl sheet flooring offers an affordable, durable, and stylish solution for kitchen floors that can handle spills, stains, and heavy foot traffic with ease.
But with so many brands, textures, and colors of vinyl sheet flooring on the market, how do you determine what the best vinyl sheet flooring is for your kitchen?
How to Choose the Best Vinyl Sheet Flooring for Kitchens
Vinyl sheet flooring comes in a range of styles and options to suit any kitchen decor. When evaluating the best vinyl sheet flooring products for your kitchen, here are some of the most important considerations:
- Durability: The wear layer is the top vinyl coating that protects the flooring. Look for commercial-grade vinyl sheet flooring with a wear layer of 20 mils or higher for kitchens.
- Water resistance: All vinyl sheet flooring is waterproof to some degree, but opt for floors with welded seams for maximum moisture protection.
- Design: Browse vinyl sheet flooring collections to find solid colors, stone and wood looks, abstract patterns and more to match your style.
Key Durability Factors
For a high-traffic space like the kitchen that sees spills, dropped items, table and chair scrapes, pets and foot traffic daily you need an exceptionally durable floor. Vinyl sheet flooring's durability comes down to a few key components:
- The wear layer thickness protects the floor's finish and images from wear over time.
- The vinyl thickness and layers make floors rigid, resistant to indentation and noise absorbing.
- Backing materials like fiberglass offer stability and prevent the floor from expanding/contracting.
Waterproof Benefits
Another major perk of vinyl sheet flooring in kitchens prone to spills and messes is that vinyl flooring is waterproof when properly installed with full-spread adhesives. Reasons vinyl sheet flooring excels for kitchens include:
- Seams can be welded together for water-tight protection .
- Water cannot penetrate the protective wear layer to damage the floor below.
- Vinyl won't warp, swell or discolor when exposed to water.
The Best Vinyl Sheet Flooring Brands for Kitchens
Trusting your new kitchen flooring to a leading vinyl sheet flooring manufacturer ensures you receive a high-quality, durable product designed to last for years. Some of the top vinyl sheet flooring brands on the market include:
Armstrong Vinyl Sheet Flooring
With over 150 years of flooring expertise, Armstrong vinyl sheet flooring offers enhanced realism in stone looks and wood grains that mimic natural materials almost identically while providing scratch, stain and scuff protection not found in real hardwood or stone. Many Armstrong sheet vinyl collections feature commercial-grade 0.7 mm wear layers and lifetime warranties.
Mannington Vinyl Sheet Flooring
Mannington vinyl sheet flooring includes award-winning collections like Restoration sheet vinyl made with virgin vinyl rather than reclaimed content for unmatched performance and durability. Many Mannington sheet vinyl options also offer antimicrobial product protection from bacteria, mold and mildew growth.
Tarkett Vinyl Sheet Flooring
With FiberFloor options featuring fiberglass reinforcement for superior dimensional stability, Tarkett vinyl sheet flooring also utilizes proprietary Surface Armor urethane technology for abrasion, scratch and stain resistance performance exceeding commercial standards.
What to Look for When Buying Vinyl Sheet Flooring
While all vinyl sheet flooring options provide affordable waterproof flooring designed for kitchens, you get what you pay for with vinyl plank flooring. To ensure many years of satisfaction from your vinyl sheet kitchen floors, look for models that offer:
- Commercial wear layers: 20-30 mil wear layers stand up better to heavy foot traffic.
- Thicker vinyl layers: 2.0-2.5mm thicknesses prevent indentations.
- Attached underlayment: Saves labor costs with underlayment pre-attached to the vinyl sheet flooring.
Vinyl Sheet Flooring Cost Comparisons
On average, expect to pay:
- $1 - $3 per square foot - Basic vinyl sheet flooring
- $3 - $5 per square foot - Mid-range vinyl sheet flooring
- $5 - $10+ per square foot - Premium vinyl sheet flooring
Factors that increase costs include thicker wear layers, proprietary technologies, attached underlayment, commercial-grade constructions and popular looks like wood and stone.
Vinyl Sheet Flooring Maintenance Tips
One advantage of vinyl sheet flooring is that it's easy to clean and care for. With just regular maintenance you can keep your kitchen's vinyl sheet flooring looking like new for decades. Key vinyl floor cleaning tips include:
- Sweep, dust mop or vacuum daily to remove loose dirt and debris that can scratch floors.
- Damp mop floors with clean warm water as needed to remove stuck-on messes and spills.
- For deeper cleaning, use vinyl floor cleaner and a soft bristle brush.
- Consider applying floor wax 1-2 times per year for added protection.
Repairing Vinyl Sheet Floor Scratches
Like any floor material vinyl sheet flooring can become scratched over time. Small scratches can be buffed out carefully with fine steel wool. For deeper gouges, seam repair kits allow you to melt new vinyl into the damaged area for seamless repairs.
Vinyl Sheet Flooring vs. Other Kitchen Flooring Options
How does vinyl sheet flooring compare to popular kitchen flooring rivals? Let's evaluate the pros and cons:
Vinyl Sheet vs. Vinyl Tile
Vinyl tile installs in a modular format, often with grout lines in between each tile. This provides more installation options for creative designs. Vinyl sheet flooring offers seamless installations and better moisture resistance thanks to heat welded seams.
Vinyl Sheet vs. Laminate
Laminate flooring costs less upfront but is not waterproof. Spills that seep between boards can cause laminate floors to swell, warp and fail. Vinyl sheet flooring's waterproof design prevents moisture damage and limits bacteria growth.
Vinyl Sheet vs. Luxury Vinyl Plank
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) offers authentic visuals with textured surfaces and beveled edges. LVP attaches via click-locking mechanisms. Sheet vinyl provides seamless installations and better performance backing materials like fiberglass reinforcement.
Beautiful Vinyl Sheet Kitchen Floor Ideas
An exciting element of vinyl sheet flooring is the immense range of colors, textures, patterns and visuals available. There are looks to complement any design aesthetic or kitchen style.
For contemporary kitchens, solid color vinyl sheet flooring makes a sleek statement. Gloss finishes reflect light and enhance the feeling of spaciousness. Matte textures add traction and sophisticated style.