Does vinyl warp in strong sunlight?
Since my house will have a pronounced southern exposure, as well as floor to ceiling windows. Vinyl was not recommended because it is "not approved" for this purpose. The manufacturer does not warrant it for this location.
Will the vinyl really go in waves? Has anyone had permanent damage?
I really like the look of the vinyl, and I wouldn't want to trade it in for a more expensive hardwood floor because it looks silly in the color I want.
Answers
For the design of floors in PVC, dyes, pigments, fillers, etc. are added. These thin sheets are glued onto a wood substrate – the same as wood for parquet. The layers of this sandwich of plastic, glue and wood substrate naturally react differently to heat and sunlight. The darker the material, the more tension the plastic and the carrier have.
All plastics are more durable now than they were in the 1970s, but if the manufacturer advises against installing the material in places with strong sunlight, they will know what their material is capable of, what its life span is and when the warranty expires. Plastics are considered nearly indestructible in terms of debris, but they usually lose their desirable useful properties after 10 to 20 years.
Vinyl is also used in cars. You have the same temperatures there. But since it is a soft and flexible plastic, not much happens other than the plasticizers evaporate and the material becomes brittle at some point.
It is possible that another manufacturer has also laminated the vinyl to something and that can cause delamination, etc. If it's just boards, they can withstand the sun's rays, and yes, they get pretty warm.
Vinyl or designer flooring reacts to heat by expanding, so watch out for warp seams, and direct strong sunlight (floor-to-ceiling windows) can also cause discoloration or fading.
Manufacturers always provide appropriate information in the installation instructions.
We only have vinyl installed on the first floor. Two rooms have balcony doors facing south. When it's sunny, we lower the shutters to keep the temperature in the rooms at a reasonable level. So we don't have any problems with that.
During the renovation, we noticed that the sun has power. The laminate flooring has turned green over the years.
Depending on the type of vinyl flooring, it will curl up even without exposure to the sun. For example, my friend's living room, after a couple of years, looks like cheap laminate that is bulging out a bit around the edges. Money spent on good hardwood flooring will definitely not be wasted.
The problem is VOCs, volatile organic compounds that evaporate from all organic materials (i.e. everything but metal, stone, ceramics, glass). Either immediately or during the aging process as a result of the decomposition processes of the individual components. Adhesives are particularly susceptible to decomposition processes, but so are plasticizers. For example, formaldehyde was once a big problem for chipboard.
The higher its proportion in the room air, the more harmful it is to your health. The smaller and closer to the floor the occupants are, the more of these substances are absorbed and accumulated in the body. And new buildings emit not just one new element, but hundreds. From cable sheathing to paints, upholstery, sealants, plaster and insulation materials, to new furniture and doors.
No manufacturer tests the harmlessness of the aging processes of their materials. If a material becomes brittle, breaks, swells quickly, changes color, it means it has reached the end of its useful life and can no longer perform its function, but these processes take several years.
