Vinyl Floor Vs Laminate which Should we Use
Trade show Flooring refers to the applied specialized floor covering for Trade show Booths and Trade show Spaces with the intention to give an increase in visual appeal and convenience to visitors in walking with a better performance of the trade show and/or booth. Sometimes conceptualized designs are used for attention attraction in the booth. They are available in various material bases such as carpet, vinyl, interlocking foam, and hardwood tiles, to name but a few, each offering a different benefit of the kind such as easiness in installation, durability, and aesthetic appeal. The proper flooring is capable of enormously impacting the bottom line of the entire presentation of the trade show booth, setting the booth design apart as well as making a congruent look with the company brand image.
Besides aesthetics, the flooring of the trade fair that subjects the booth to visual beauty will come up with a multiple of practical purposes; the flooring also makes people inside the booth comfortable and less fatigued, bearing in mind the many hours the booth owners along with potential customers stand. Moreover, this can demarcate the space of each booth, guide the traffic of visitors, and provide resistance for slippery surfaces to make the place much safer. Some other good reasons for a trade show booth floor include easy transportation and installation; for instance, the trade show floors are mostly modular, with quick installations and break downs, which is just a great choice for every exhibitor. Transforms Versatility and efficiency of an trade show flooring, another factor in flooring selection. In the following analysis, we would analyze the following two kinds of floorings – the Vinyl and Laminate in detail.
What Is Laminate Flooring?
Laminate flooring is a multi-layer flooring product that simulates wood, stone, or other natural materials. This form of laminate keeps the form of wood but minus the cost, and it, of course, lacks the property of wood form. This set of flooring has more than one layer, in most cases the highest and the top, an appearance and the second and lowest, that lacks the wood appearance color, and two inner layers to enable the retention of elasticity and rigidity of the flooring. The top layer hosts the wear layer, which is the transparent protective coating meant to resist scratching, staining, and moisture, and provide longevity as well as ease of maintenance to the laminate. At the heart of the wear layer is an image layer, featuring a wood, stone, or tile visual. The major part of the core layer is made of high-density fiberboard (HDF) for greater rigidity, such a substrate possessing high strength and good stability features at the same time, and the back layer is made to provide stabilization and moisture protection.
One of the major benefits of laminate parquet is that it is relatively cheap compared to a wooden or stone floor. It will look like a wooden floor, but without the significant cost involved. That certainly makes this material very interesting for commercial displays or even private homes. Laminate parquet is relatively easy to install and often has a click-lock system that easily allows one to float it without the use of glue or nails. Durable, easy to maintain, and available in a wide variety of designs, laminate flooring is ideal for use in residential or commercial areas; however, it is not as water-resistant as some other flooring products and is not recommended for areas of high humidity.
What Exactly Is Vinyl Flooring?
Vinyl flooring is a novel synthetic floor type mainly made from polyvinyl chloride resin with the addition of various quantities of fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, and pigments. Mimicking the look or structure of natural materials such as wood, stone, or a tile, this kind of flooring also has many features regarding both quality and comfort at low cost. Vinyl flooring comes in the forms of sheet, tile, and plank, in that every design one would have would have them as versatile.
Great strength and pliancy are some of the good things about the vinyl floor. It has an amazing resistance to moisture, stain, abrasion, which makes it quite ideal for use in spill-prone extrinsic, including the kitchen, bathroom, and basement. The wear layer safeguards a vinyl floor from scratches and scuffs while ensuring it remains looking new. In addition, the vinyl flooring is easy to maintain. Cleaning of the floor through sweeping and other minor measures taken periodically are largely sufficient for hygiene and to keep up the vibrancy. If you are a business that plans to participate in trade shows, the article “cost of a trade show” can be helpful.
Not only that, but vinyl flooring is apparent in another huge advantage: it is incredibly easy to install. Compared to products like tile or hardwood, vinyl flooring is definitely softer on the feet, which makes it much more comfortable to stand on for extended periods. These days, many modern-made vinyl products come already equipped with their own installation systems to make the process easier for do-it-yourselfers, saving them both time and money. It can be installed on any surface, provided the surface is smooth and clean, hence making the process easier. Besides, the vinyl floor has excellent ability to reduce noise and is available in different styles, colors, and patterns, all of which can provide a free rein for designers to have creative designs for the trade show stand.
What are the disadvantages of the vinyl flooring in a trade show?
Of all the elements that place vinyl flooring as a top choice for many, ease of installation and design flexibility rank right at the top. This is in addition to a few cons of vinyl flooring for consideration in selection and effectiveness in the trade show environment:.
1-Vinyl flooring is not as durable Another of the major disadvantages of using vinyl flooring in trade shows is that it does not maintain its durability with heavy usage. Heavy traffic, heavy equipment movement, frequent insulation, and breakdown at trade shows easily wear out the attractiveness and integrity of vinyl flooring. It can easily be attached by sharp objects and punctured by heavy odd structures of a display unit, and the constant shifting that may be complemented by tearing of its pliable surface, thus further affecting the appearance of the booth.
Unlike more durable materials, for instance, carpet tiles or rubber flooring, vinyl just doesn’t have what it takes to stand up to the rigors of this kind of event and a busy trade show environment.
- Installation and removal difficulties Vinyl is relatively easy to put down, but the adhesive property used for flooring makes it difficult to pick up at a trade show. The glue-attached floor, essentially, dictates that there has to be a smooth clean surface beneath it. With regards to pulling and removing off, it is quite a challenge as the glue will that remains will have to stay on the floor of the trade fair. This will therefore push for more cleaning versus other types of flooring ad is potentially damaging to the surface below.We want to remove the adhesives from the trade show floor, but even if we do, it leaves marks or damage—maybe, if not removed carefully, the exhibit floor will get damaged, and most likely, you will get a fine as an exhibitor. It causes extra fees and time for a cleanup after the event and reduces comfort in using vinyl flooring.
3- Aesthetic constraints Although vinyl flooring comes in a variety of designs and is thus made to imitate more expensive flooring, it very frequently loses the real appearance of wood or stone, natural-like materials. In such a commercial trade show environment, the first impression is really important and basic. In addition, vinyl flooring totally reflects the fact that it is much cheaper and more artificial, so if one tries setting up a luxury or, at best, attractive booth at the fair, vinyl flooring does not reflect that at all. On the contrary, it might convey simplicity and intimacy.
For those brands who wish to create a luxurious, outstanding ambience in such stands, even costlier rates of stone or wood floors are used, which unfortunately have a high price. Business planning to do trade shows will benefit from the article “Trade Show Flooring types“.
4- Environmental and health issues The environmental and health implications of vinyl flooring do not go very well with the beliefs some of the exhibitors and their visitors hold. Vinyl does not decompose naturally and leads to pollution during the existence of its environmental pieces. Additionally, inhaling VOCs triggered from certain vinyl flooring releases can impact indoor air quality; this can subsequently lead to health problems for allergic or sensitive individuals. In a busy trade show, for instance, this emission of greenhouse gases may be more obvious and a hazard to employees or guests. However, in general, these types of floorings, too, emanate a certain smell in any space, so you may not want to use this flooring indoors if you are sensitive to such smells.
5- Comfort and acoustic features
For trade shows where long hours of standing are the norm, such as would be the case of many demonstrations by IT companies, vinyl flooring is not as forgiving underfoot as carpet or foam alternative floorings. Such trade shows take days running, and vinyl doesn’t cushion the feet, so fatigue is common among the participants. Also, vinyl shows very poor acoustics, and footsteps, and other movements can be quite audible, contributing to noise. It becomes so distracting that it interferes with what could be good experiences for both the exhibitors and the attendees at the show.
6-Limited reusability
When compared to other types of flooring, reusability falls in the case of vinyl flooring. Wear and tear explains the relaying time and time again—decreases their lifespan. Conventionally, this is expensive to replace for exhibitors who must change their floor often if they appear regularly at trade shows.
What are the disadvantages of Laminate trade show flooring?
Generally embraced as the cheap, easily installed finish of choice for trade show flooring, laminate parquet enjoys resounding popularity. However, several of its disadvantages must be noted:
1.Laminate flooring also have a short life span Features such as non-dependability and a lower level of resilience are also shared with vinyl where laminated surfaces are concerned. One of the main reasons promising success of laminate parquet was not present in its compatibility to trade fairs, and that is weakness-immunity towards damages in use. The character lathered within terms trade fairs emanates issues of high traffic, moving heavy equipment, installation, frequent breakdowns and, in all these fronts laminate floorings typify them to be highly voluble.
It is quite easy for either the sharps or heavy screen weighting to easily scratch up and dent laminate through frequent movements, and this can easily impair its appearance and durability. Unlike the more flexible resilient materials like commercial carpet, rubber floors, or wood and stone that one can exploit in any trade show environment flexibly, laminate may not manage the harsh elements of a busy trade show environment and probably may fail easily.
2.Laminated booth flooring is sensitive to moisture Laminate parquet is influenced by moisture. Whatever it is – spilling, leak, wash – all need an exit so that humidity is not formed. In trade fairs, where you frequently face spilled drinks, wet and snowy weather, wet and dirty shoes, there are potential hazards for the laminate in booth-floor pavilions.
Damage from moist could mar the flooring and add in safety risks due to the uneven surface and destructible parts inching holes, and tearing off parts of it.
3.Aesthetic and comfort deficiency The catch is that whereas laminate flooring is able to mimic the above-mentioned cover as a design product, it, in most cases, lacks the feeling and premium look of the natural material. The most important properties of wood it does not have—it is only imitating the appearance. On the other hand, in the trade show environment, where first impressions count for so much, laminate may be just slightly short of being ideal for sending that polished image some exhibitors are after. Laminate flooring can also cause stiffness and stiffness underfoot, offering no comfort to employees and visitors standing for long periods of time. This lack of cushioning provided may lead to fatigued and tired feet for attendees, affecting negatively the overall trade show experience.
4.Installation and De-installation While laminate flooring may be relatively easy to install like vinyl, it is very cumbersome to carry and needs very careful installation in a bid to prevent cracking and misalignment. Similarly, the removal of the floor from the showroom can be traumatising in case the laminate had adhesive used in it since this can affect the subfloor or the laminate itself, hence more costs in repairing or replacing it.
Furthermore, the laminate flooring material is more yielding than others, so it is a bit of a headache to fit around the irregular booth layout or structure.
5.Health and Environmental Concerns The laminate itself is virtually composed of formaldehyde and other chemicals used in making the actual laminate that reportedly leaches volatile organic compounds in time. These greenhouse gases can damage the air quality within the trade show or booth and can create allergic or sensitivity-associated symptoms in humans. In a busy trade show, the release of these gases can be more obvious, not creating a good feeling for both employees and visitors.
As well, laminate flooring is not biodegradable, which would certainly be a concern for any green-oriented exhibitor.
6. The floor of the laminate reduces properties of Acoustic Laminated floors lack necessary acoustic properties and raise the noise since the proceedings below are highly perceptible compared to carpeted. It may be very distracting and will take away from the experience as an overall for the exhibitor or attendee.
