Vinyl flooring is highly desirable due to its low cost, versatility, ease of cleaning, durability, and the wide range of colors, styles, and patterns. Manufacturers create many different vinyl flooring looks by building the material in multiple layers. A defect during the printing process is always possible and can ruin otherwise fine vinyl flooring material.
How Vinyl Flooring is Made
Vinyl flooring is made of different layers, primarily a versatile plastic.
The bottom layer, also known as the backing layer, is strong and durable. This layer helps support the flooring and adds stability. Manufacturers attach a vinyl layer above the backing layer to provide resiliency and flexibility.
Manufacturers print a decorative design on the next layer. This printed layer creates the appearance of wood, stone, tile, or other patterns. The top layer is a protective vinyl wear layer. It takes most of the daily wear and tear and helps protect the layers underneath.
Common Printing Defect
A vinyl printing defect is a distinct manufacturing error that happens during the process of putting ink onto the printed layer.
Sometimes manufacturers blend the ink color differently from one application to the next, which causes mismatched colors. In other cases, the printing shifts slightly, causing the lines, patterns, or colors to misalign. This problem is similar to a newspaper press printing slightly out of alignment, which makes the photos appear blurry instead of sharp and clear.
Manufacturers cannot correct this type of defect, so they must discard the vinyl flooring material. There are many ways that printing defects are introduced, and manufacturers do what they can to catch them before they are shipped out to the customer. Customers who find a defect, mistakes, or mismatches in the vinyl flooring should request replacement vinyl before installation.
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