Vinyl Flooring History

Vinyl flooring hasn’t always been as popular as it is now. There was a time when it was considered unfashionable to have vinyl flooring.

It’s easy to dismiss vinyl flooring but it has been revolutionary in the flooring industry.

In 1894, Philadelphia architect Frank Furness patented a system for rubber floor tiles. These tiles were durable, sound-deadening, easy to clean and easy to install. Thus, the vinyl flooring tile was born.

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In 1926, Waldo Semon, working in the United States, invented plasticized polyvinyl chloride, or more commonly known as PVC. PVC based floor coverings are known as vinyl flooring which made its big splash when one of these vinyl floorings was displayed at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. Because of how rare vinyl became during the war years, vinyl flooring was not widely marketed until the late 1940s. Eventually, it became the most popular choice for flooring in just about any hard-surface application.

Vinyl is considerably easier to clean than carpet so a take a look at all of the Luxury Vinyl Tiles we have to offer in our storerooms, or give us a call for a quote. I’m sure we can find a tile that suits your home down to the ground.