Call it luxury tile. Call it linoleum, vinyl, sometimes rubber. These and other forms are all part of a family of floors called resilient, because that’s their nature; they tend to give a bit when walked on and “recover” to their original state.
You may be thinking of resilient as in linoleum or vinyl, perhaps the kind you remember from your mother’s home or even your grandmother’s. But chances are good that neither Mom nor Grandma were as well traveled and savvy as this generation is with fashions from the far corners of the world, and so, they would never expect what’s available to them these days in resilient flooring.
(Chances are also exceedingly good that the new technologies, finishes and performance characteristics resilient flooring offers today would be a huge surprise to them, too!)
In the end about fashion, isn’t it?
Fortunately for resilient flooring in general, the fashion trend toward multiculturalism, that is, the influence on fashion tastes from all kinds of world cultures is having a big impact on this flooring fashion as the great looks from distant places are being interpreted more and more often and as manufacturers experiment with the boundaries of design. One thing they’re doing is offering lower gloss levels in keeping with design trends.
We are at a point where technology has met fashion. For you, the discovery could start with the ability to capture custom and handmade look of ceramic as well as limestone, sandstone, travertine and rare stone which appear as if they were hand-quarried Italian marble. And there are new looks coming all the time, like stained concrete which gives you the unusual, rugged and almost stone like qualities of concrete, but the cushion and performance of resilient.
Then there’s wood. Certainly, the look of wood in resilient flooring has come on strong in recent years, but so too have the international looks of worn, rustic, reclaimed, exotic, color-washed and rare hardwoods. Now, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t put the look of custom wood in the kitchen -- and still get all the modern performances of resilient.
One of the enduring qualities of resilient flooring has been its durability and serviceability. That’s one reason resilient flooring is found in extreme-duty areas like schools, hospitals, commercial and industrial settings and government buildings.
In recent years, resilient flooring for the home has adopted many of the newest wear-resistant technologies which defend against scratches and scuffs and minimize hazing and dulling over time, thus keeping maintenance costs low. (There’s also a trend to bring some interesting commercial designs to the home and home fashions to commercial-quality resilients. Is yours a busy lifestyle? Check out some of the commercial lines for your home.)
When it comes to the environment, there’s a lot going on in resilient flooring. Linoleum, for example, is made from renewable raw materials, such as linseed oil, cork and wood power, limestone, organic pigments and jute. And just about every resilient form contributes to an overall healthy environment since as a hard surface, resilient is non-allergenic and easy to keep dust, mold, mildew and other nasty particles down.
All in all, fashion and performance have collided in a very positive way so that resilient can be used design-wise from the front door to the back.
