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Mirage cushioned vinyl range; Prestige cushioned vinyl range; RhinoFloor 2004 collection; Woodmark texture range; Stonemark flooring; Super Comfort flooring; Sensa Natura flooring; BeauFlor cushioned vinyl; Promo Vera collection; Verano collection; Texline vinyl; Super Luxury cushioned vinyl; Cushionflor vinyl; Honiston Slate flooring; Temple Cedar flooring; Aqua flooring; Atlantic Slate flooring; Maxis flooring
Vinyl flooring is becoming much more tactile, with embossing techniques adding realistic stone and grain effects to match the trends in carpets and laminates, reports Geoff Covey
It is a phenomenon often called the Amtico effect - although, nowadays, Karndean is often the manufacturer referred to in such exalted terms. But whatever it's called, vinyl flooring has changed beyond recognition in recent years. It needed to. Spanish tiles and garish patterns are thankfully no longer de rigueur, giving way to a plethora of plain woods, ceramics, stones and design floors.
And the latest development is the addition of embossed textures, particularly through the registered mechanical embossing technique. This is where huge steel drums with design patterns are rolled against the surface during manufacture to make the product more tactile.
Laminate producers have gone down this route in the last year or so, and with texture being the buzzword in carpets and rugs as well, vinyl producers were bound to follow. Indeed, Kronospan works with some vinyl makers to cross-reference its laminate decors to allow exact colour matching. For example, its Prestige Maple matches FZ902- 89 Prestige Maple vinyl from Clouting and Pippy Oak is 3211001-050 vinyl from Renolit.
David Clouting, md, says: 'The pattern and finish on these products takes them to a new level. With the emergence of matt and pearlescent finishes, customers are already expecting vinyls to imitate real wood more accurately than in the past.'
Textures have been applied to vinyl for years, of course, but the grout lines produced through the old chemical method did not always feel very authentic.
Floorwise has recently doubled its cushioned vinyl offering, with the Mirage and top-end Prestige ranges added to the Essentials and New Concepts launched in 2002. The wholesaler now supplies vinyl to 1,000 independents. Richard Bailey, marketing director, says: 'Laminates are not suitable for bathrooms or kitchens, as I know myself, and some of the vinyl coming through now is...