Page 1 - 2018-12-CFR Volume 123 - Indentations in Resilient Hard Surface Flooring - December 2018

We apologize for the delay in the publication of the December 2018 issue however; we are welcoming back
Anita Drennon who’s many talents include the layout of the Commercial Flooring Report. She has been out
for surgery and recuperating over the holiday season. Thank you for your patience.

Resilient hard surface flooring in a variety of formats, be it tile, plank or sheet goods or types such as vi-
nyl and rubber is an extraordinary product. In this issue we’re going to focus on the types of vinyl and
rubber flooring used in commercial applications primarily since these products are the most prolific in the
market today. The modular, or tile and plank materials – Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Plank
(LVP), are used in almost every commercial market segment regardless of the type of space. Sheet
goods, those products that come on rolls, are specific to use in hospitals and facilities where modular, or
products with seams or open edges, would trap biological substances that would be common in a
healthcare setting. Modular resilient flooring could and is used in these healthcare facilities but in spac-
es where biological contamination doesn’t occur.

The issue of indentations from furniture, rolling loads and even foot wear, particularly spiked high heels,
has been plaguing the industry and this complaint seems to be increasing. Apartment complexes, espe-
cially those springing up in urban areas, almost exclusively use Luxury Vinyl Planks. The conditions af-
fecting these materials, relative to tenants of these spaces, are indentations caused by the weight of in
place furniture sitting stationary or moved about, on the flooring. In place means the furniture, be it a so-
fa, chair, dresser or bed, sits in one place on the floor until the tenant moves out. The spot where the
furniture sat becomes permanently affected by the impression – indentation – of the furniture. The next
tenant moves in with different furniture and placement and is confronted with the obvious indentations
left by the previous occupant of the apartment. If the space has floor to ceiling windows, as many of
these high rise complexes do, the light shining on the flooring exacerbates or magnifies the indentations.
By contrast, if carpet was in these apartments and got indented or crushed by furniture sitting on it, it
would most likely relax out with time or the indentations could be steamed out, eliminating the unsightly
indentation. With vinyl flooring the compressive load of the furniture on the vinyl not only indents the ma-
terial but will distend or stretch it, never to recover, becoming perma-
nent in the floor. Matters become worse if the flooring is installed over
an underlayment that itself is not firm or supportive enough allowing
for greater indentation. Add the heat of the sun to the mix, if in fact it
shines directly onto the flooring at any time of the day when it is most
intense, and the “softened” vinyl can indent even further. None of this
constitutes a defect in the material. It is the nature of vinyl flooring to INDENTATIONS IN LVP FROM
react this way and this must be understood. The word resilient, which FURNITURE IN FRONT OF WINDOW
means resistant, pliable, elastic or flexible, as the flooring may be to a
certain extent, but it does not mean the flooring will recover or “pop
back” to its original shape.

1 Commercial Flooring Report December 2018