Flooring – PVC & EPDM

PVC is a material commonly used in flooring products, whether it be laminate, resilient flooring or as tiles (called LVT, Luxury Vinyl Tiles or CVT, Composite Vinyl Tiles).

Vinyl and linoleum are resilient flooring materials that share a number of characteristics. In fact many flooring dealers use the terms interchangeably, because of the similarities between the two finished products. However there are a number of vital differences that are both inherent to the production of the materials, and conspicuous in their long terms use. 

Vinyl:  
Based on plastisised PVC. Usually consisting of a foamed underlayer, a printed decor layer and an abrasion resistant toplayer. Although PVC is inherently self extinguishing, the plastiser in the plastisol sometimes makes it necessary to use Flame Retardant additives. 
Preferred Flame Retardant here is ATH because ATH is: 
         – non toxic 
         – low smoke 
         – white/neutral colour 
         – easy dispersable 

Linoleum:

A material that is comprised largely of linseed oil, a naturally occurring substance that is extracted from flax seeds. This is mixed with other natural and renewable materials such as cork dust, wood flour, and rosin. Flame retardant additives are necessary to reach certain fire-certifications. Here again ATH could be the better choice. Since some of the ingedients of linoleum are quite coarse,