The sign of a good all round flooring company is their ability to supply and fit all kinds of flooring.  As you are probably aware different kinds of flooring are needed to cope with different kinds of use. One of the most sold flooring is safety vinyl from companies such as Altro or Polyflor. They supply non-slip vinyl for heavy traffic areas like hospitals, doctors and dentals surgeries. Of course if you are a member of a sports club or go to a leisure centre you will probably have safety vinly in the shower and changing rooms.

The beauty of these modern non slip vinyl’s is that they are impervious to water making them ideal for use in wet areas such as toilets and shower rooms. You will notice that where the vinyl meets the wall it is curved up the wall for about ten centimetres and acts like a skirting board. This enables the floor to contain water and guide it to the drain.

In order to make a ‘wet room’ the fitter would first ply the floor with a minimum of 6mm plywood if the sub floor is wood and if the sub floor is concrete then a latex free screed would be laid giving a smooth finish. This would be so installed so that the out edges of the room are slightly higher than the centre. This enables the water to be channelled to the drain thus avoiding puddle areas.

When the screed is fully dried the perimeter of the room will be fitted with a cove former which gives the vinyl the rounded appearance. The vinyl would be dry cut to size and an acrylic adhesive would be applied, to which the vinyl is bonded. The edges of the vinyl would be heat welded with matching colour weld rod. This gives a strong and water tight seam. Depending on the wall covering the top edge of the vinyl would be capped with a capping or tile seal.

This process is called capped and coved vinyl flooring and if you have a look you will find the method of installation in many areas.

The modern vinyl’s come in a variety of colours and in tile and wood plank effect so that they don’t look too commercial and can indeed be fitted in your own bathroom should you require a flat floor due to access issues.

We at World Wide Carpets have installed this kind of flooring in many schools, care homes, small business premises and in army barracks to name just a few.

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