What Makes Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet Such a Standout?

Armstrong Flooring vinyl flooring is a perfect alternative for your home or business if you want the look of stone, tile, or hardwood without the extensive upkeep of the real materials. As a resilient floor, Armstrong Flooring gives you the look of natural elements while still staying robust.

Armstrong vinyl sheet comes with a single solid surface, giving you maximum protection right through the top layer. Their vinyl flooring is also known for its quick and easy installation and low-emission standards.

Vinyl sheet flooring gives you proven waterproof qualities plus guaranteed durability. Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet is also one of the most resilient floors thanks to a patented system Armstrong invented: Diamond 10 Technology.

Its multi-layer construction makes Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet stay strong. Armstrong offers three key collections that give you varying degrees of durability:

• Duality Premium

• CushionStep Better

• CushionStep Good

Plus, their vinyl flooring comes in three specific looks to enhance any particular room:

• Wood

• Stone

• Alternative

Armstrong Vinyl Sheet Flooring Pros and Cons

To see if Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet is the right flooring material for your space, take a look at its pros and cons:

Pros

• Scratch and stain-resistant through the use of Diamond 10 Technology. While wear resistance varies based on the collection you choose, vinyl sheet still has a high degree of protection, even with CushionStep Good, even in areas with high traffic.

• More realistic natural vinyl flooring designs than ever before. Enjoy the look of hardwood, stone, and tile through enhanced printing technology. Images available today are far more advanced than what was available a decade ago.

Nowadays, most experts can’t tell the visual difference between vinyl sheet and real hardwood or stone floors.

• Has a unique installation method using one continuous roll. This feature allows you to cut each piece to size for quick and easy installation and customization.

To install your vinyl flooring, you can use either a modified loose lay method or full adhesive. If you choose a looser adhesive, you can release it later when you’ve decided on a permanent adhesive process.

• Armstrong Flooring uses real diamond technology for its Diamond 10 Technology. Along with Armstrong’s vinyl sheet single solid surface and layered construction, real diamonds are the secret to the durability factor, something no other floor manufacturer uses. It gives a new definition of what a premium floor is.

• Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet lasts for years. With regular cleaning and other maintenance, expect it to last for 25 years or more, even in high-moisture areas. This is on par with other resilient floorings like linoleum, except more stylish in appearance. Plus, vinyl sheet is more affordable than many other options.

Cons

• If you prefer the glue-down method, you may need to hire a professional installer to install your vinyl sheet. Working with adhesives to properly install your vinyl flooring is best left to professionals. Mistakes made with adhesives can cost you more to fix than hiring a professional.

Pre-Purchase Q&A

What Type of Adhesive Is Used on Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet?

The adhesive for Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet is used on either fiberglass or stone-backed products. A full-spread adhesive is also used on felt-backed versions of the vinyl flooring.

Floor City offers Armstrong adhesives suited for Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet. One thing you can count on with Armstrong Flooring adhesives is they have low VOCs and are manufactured responsibly and guaranteed to meet low emission standards.

Most Armstrong sheet vinyl collections use the S-288 adhesive. This particular adhesive type is moisture and alkali-resistant.

How Do You Clean Armstrong Vinyl Floor?

Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet is known for its easy maintenance. Thus, caring for your vinyl sheet floor is simple.

Sweep and vacuum weekly your vinyl flooring to keep dirt from accumulating. One thing to know is vacuums with beater bars are rough on vinyl sheet floors, so avoid using one while cleaning.

You can also do mopping on your vinyl flooring, albeit not immediately after installation. It requires five days for the adhesive to cure before using water.

For tougher stains, Floor City also offers Armstrong Flooring cleaner and polisher. During normal weekly cleaning, simply use a self-made cleaning agent, like a mild dishwater detergent, on your vinyl flooring.

Where Do You Purchase Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet Floors?

Floor City offers a wide selection of Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet and other flooring options. We offer very competitive prices and offer bulk discounts and price matching, depending on the quote you got from another dealer, on all the brands we carry.

If you have any questions about any of our Armstrong Flooring products, contact one of our flooring specialists to help you get started. We also offer samples to see if the vinyl sheet you’ve chosen complements your taste and space before committing to your choice.

Which Vinyl Sheet Floor Is More Green: Armstrong Flooring or Mannington?

Both Armstrong Flooring and Mannington vinyl flooring are equal in providing green floor manufacturing principles. They both offer low VOCs and create floors that clean up spills with aplomb. Both are FloorScore® certified, so they meet or exceed low emission standards and keep the indoor air quality in your space high.

Either brand offers its advantages and disadvantages. It ultimately comes down to the flooring style differences in what you need for a particular room.

What Is the Best Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet Option?

What’s considered "best" in Armstrong Flooring is always subjective. Their different vinyl sheet collections are made for specific types of homes based on floor traffic rates.

Armstrong Flooring touts their Duality Premium and CushionStep Better vinyl flooring as the best two collections for the ultimate protection. This doesn’t mean the CushionStep Good vinyl sheet still doesn’t live up to its name.

To truly determine what the best vinyl sheet floor is for you, take some time to measure how much foot traffic your home gets every day. Observe how much wear and tear your floor gets daily from family, kids, pets, guests, and so on. Some options may be more suited for low-traffic areas than others.

The layers in Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet are fairly standard from what you see in their other luxury vinyl flooring. How many layers you get is based on the Armstrong Flooring collection you buy. Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet has a single solid surface and layered construction, perfect for high-moisture areas like bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms.

For the first layer, Armstrong Flooring Diamond 10 Technology continues to be the norm on the best vinyl sheet collections. This top layer is a coating utilizing real diamond properties. As a result, you get one of the most powerful scratch-, scuff-, and stain-resistant vinyl flooring in the entire industry. Your vinyl sheet’s first layer also helps retain the appearance of the printed image on the surface.

The second layer of Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet is the rigid wear layer that determines the floor’s thickness level. Armstrong Flooring uses proprietary texturing methods here, so your flooring appears realistic. Durability is also enhanced with this layer, including added abrasion resistance.

The third layer of this vinyl flooring is the printed film image. Did you know Armstrong Flooring is a leader in high-fidelity printing techniques? They also have 30 copyrights on their printed images currently available.

The fourth layer of the vinyl sheet is the foundation layer, which adds further durability and comfort.

The last layer is the underlayment where vinyl sheet comfort level comes from. Armstrong Flooring lets you buy this separately if needed. It offers superior noise reduction and added moisture protection. For overly loud or busy environments, placing an underlayment is a good option, if not always necessary for all rooms.

Why Buy Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet for Your Floors?

To sum everything up, consider Armstrong Vinyl Sheet Flooring for the following:

• Extremely durable thanks to Diamond 10 Technology

• Lasts up to 25 years or more

• Has a lifetime warranty for the residential version

• Realistic printed designs

• Easy to clean and maintain

• Waterproof

• Manufactured in the USA

Testimonials

To make a smarter buying decision, take a look at what the customers say about Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet. A great thing about Armstrong Flooring is that they’re very transparent about the product reviews on their site. They let all reviews (positive and negative) stand as they are to help give you an idea of what customers think.

The site additionally offers Q&A sections below the reviews to help answer pertinent questions about where vinyl sheet is typically used. Take a look at some positive customer reviews to help give you an idea of where you can use Armstrong Flooring vinyl in your home.

One notable review in the Duality Premium line for the Amalfi Vinyl Sheet (Black) product noted the floor’s extra durability:

“We had this floor installed about a year and a half ago and I love the durability of it. It looks and feels great. I thought the feet of my metal wine rack would leave impressions, but the surface is hard so it didn’t.”

Another review above this one praised the overall look of the Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet. They noted:

“The new floor was installed Oct. 2019. The new floor was placed over an existing sheet vinyl floor at the recommendation of the installer. The structure of the floor is concrete slab on grade. The floor is one piece (no seams). We are very satisfied with the new floor. It feels good underfoot and is easy to keep clean.”

Reviews for Armstrong Flooring alternative StrataMax Better line are just as positive. One lengthier review praised the look of the texture and color of the Ancient Slate vinyl sheet:

"I self-installed this StrataMax ‘Better’ floor (and did a truly professional job using ALL Armstrong products and guidelines) in ’Ancient White’ color in my Kitchen (about 205 SF total).

“It came out absolutely amazing, I am thrilled with everything about the installation, the quality of this floor, and most of all the stunning beauty of this pattern/color. Not just me either, so far everyone who saw my new floor loves the pattern/color.

“Once completed, It looks a hundred times nicer than the small sample did. BEAUTIFUL ‘whitish’ floor, with a *very slight* light grey overtone (I did not want ‘super’ white). The pattern is 9"x9" sculptured tiles with slightly varying thickness of the grout lines. Best of all throughout the floor there a *hints* of very, very slight color hues, but not so much as removes the overall white tone of floor. I wish anyone contemplating this floor could come to my house and see it, because it would be a deal-maker!

“It lays super-flat, is soft and very comfortable on your feet. And, a breeze to clean!! For the price range the quality seems to be outstanding. I highly, highly recommend!

“Please note: I was NOT going to upload any pictures because I am horrible at lighting adjustment & picture taking. Then I thought of how much I myself like to see picture’s in people’s reviews. So, I am uploading 2 pictures, but, *please be aware* these pictures do NOT do this beautiful floor any justice. The lighting and shading and colors are NOT truly represented...But they will give you an overall idea of how it looks. To see this floor in real-life puts these pictures to shame, the floor is much, much nicer/prettier/elegant.”

Yet another review for Armstrong Flooring Distant Valley vinyl sheet (in the CushionStep Better line) praised this floor for its convenient use in their kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry area:

“This floor rocks! Installed in kitchen and laundry areas, also (2) bathrooms. Fit in with bathroom correctly. Overall appears to be stone. Brightens up room and the appearance is excellent.”

Armstrong Flooring also provides Q&As on their products. A prospective customer on the Distant Valley vinyl sheet product page asked:

“What is the thickness of this vinyl sheet?”

Armstrong replied:

“Dear Valued Customer,

“The thickness of the product in this collection is 100mils or 2.45mm.”

Another question asked on the Distressed Hickory Vinyl Sheet (in the StrataMax Best line) asked about the safety issues surrounding vinyl:

“We installed this flooring in our entire house in 2010. I’m just wondering if it is phthalate-free or not?”

Armstrong gave a thoroughly educated answer for everyone’s peace of mind:

“Dear Valued Customer,

“There is a lot of buzz concerning the term phthalate. While the use of plasticizers is essential to produce any flexible vinyl product. There are different types and not all are considered to be health hazards. Phthalates can be divided into two categories ortho-phthalates and terra-phthalates. Ortho-phthalates which have been found to contain harmful chemicals are not used in our products. We do employ the use of terra-phthalates which as the prefix would suggest come from the earth and have not been know for the same sort of health hazards presented by ortho-plalates.”

Why Does Diamond 10 Technology Matter in Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet?

You’ve seen how Diamond 10 Technology is utilized in Armstrong’s vinyl flooring. Does it really matter to add more protection to your home’s floor?

It does if you expect to have extensive activity at home. Even the low-traffiic areas of your home will experience wear and tear throughout the years. You’ll want to know a little more about Diamond 10 Technology and its origins.

Armstrong Flooring developed this technology in 2015 by repurposing real diamonds as a new floor coating. Over the last several years, Armstrong Flooring has expanded Diamond 10 Technology into not only many of their residential vinyl flooring but their also commercial brands.

Armstrong Flooring chose diamonds since they, with the combination of heat and pressure from diamond properties, create one of the hardest surfaces in the manufacturing world. Adding it as a top coating on Armstrong’s vinyl flooring brings the extra durability that makes this flooring company so famous.

As Armstrong Flooring notes in a demonstration video of Diamond 10 Technology, the process brings a high score on the Mohs hardness scale. This makes the technology unmatched in durability level for use in anything needing to stand up to human or natural wear.

Through comparative lab tests, Armstrong Flooring continues to prove the worth of utilizing diamonds in their vinyl sheet floors. Their patent on the concept is still pending, yet that makes Armstrong Flooring stand out as they frequently have in flooring innovations.

Get Diamond 10 Technology in various Armstrong vinyl sheet flooring products. It’s only available in the higher-end collections, as it is intended for the busiest of flooring spaces, whether at home or work.

An In-Depth Look at Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet Collections

Let’s look at the six Armstrong Flooring vinyl flooring collections available to see which fits your home best. Each one has various degrees of similar features, styles, and price levels.

CushionStep Better

Choosing CusionStep vinyl flooring means a choice of Better or Good. Either works well depending on your environment. CushionStep Better does offer slightly better comfort and wear resistance.

In scratch and stain resistance, this vinyl sheet flooring is on par with the superior Duality Premium edition. The comfort level, though, is at a five-star level and stands apart, even from the premium floor.

CushionStep Better vinyl flooring offers a soft and warm touch made for rooms you’ll be walking on day and night, like your kitchen, bathroom, and even bedroom. Any floor requiring you to stand in place for long periods can benefit from using vinyl sheet flooring.

Also, think about how often you might have to get up in the middle of the night, perhaps barefoot. Vinyl sheet floors provide a warm feel so you won’t scream out loud from how cold it is during the early hours of the day. While a floor of this type maybe isn’t typical in a bedroom, it offers far less maintenance than installing a carpet.

CusionStep Better uses Diamond 10 Technology to ensure it lasts for decades. It’s designed to last as long as 25 years, usually longer, with proper care.

CushionStep Good

Armstrong Flooring CushionStep Good may be a little cheaper, but it still has similar features to that of premium brands. Each attribute offers good to average protection and durability.

CushionStep vinyl flooring is durable, comfortable, scratch and stain resistant, and withstands wear and tear. Meant as a budget option, it’s made for low-traffic areas.

Get this vinyl flooring for residential rooms that only get moderate to occasional visitations, where foot traffic is light, like a den or a guest room. Use CushionStep vinyl sheet flooring on any room if you live alone.

Save money by buying CushionStep Good vinyl flooring while continuing to enjoy the superior visuals vinyl sheet provides. Give it a chance based on your foot traffic analysis. Get a sample from Floor City to see whether it really works for your home.

Duality Premium

For those who want the best of the best in Armstrong Flooring, you’ll find it with their Duality Premium vinyl flooring. It offers five stars across the board in features, other than (arguably) not being quite as comfortable as CushionStep Better. You’ll still love walking on this vinyl flooring, and it’s only one of two collections offering a lifetime residential warranty.

As with the other superior Armstrong Flooring brands, Diamond 10 Technology is utilized for the most durable floor on the planet. With premium quality comes a premium price, yet it’s worth it if your home floor has an intense workout in the coming years.

If you intend to have a big family in the future (plus plenty of other pets), investing in Duality Premium now is a smart move. This brand is truly made for a floor well-lived on for life.

StrataMax Best

The next three Armstrong Flooring collections are in the StrataMax line. StrataMax Best vinyl flooring offers fewer products that still provide many of the same features. It’s considered an optional type of vinyl flooring with a few different materials.

What makes Armstrong Flooring StrataMax stand out is it utilizes 70% limestone, providing further durability in a slightly different way. This time, it’s through the elements of real stone. Having this robust quality protects this vinyl flooring against ripping, tearing, and even gouging. If you have heavy or sharp furniture on your floor, StrataMax Best is the perfect vinyl flooring for your space.

The wear layer is made of urethane, the main element for protection against scratches, stains, and scuffing. StrataMax vinyl flooring provides quick and easy installation thanks to a modified loose-lay method. Many people who rent property use this type of Armstrong flooring since it’s affordable and can be put in place within one day.

StrataMax Better

Next in the Armstrong Flooring StrataMax line is Better vinyl flooring, which gives you a limestone-encapsulated felt structure. Urethane Plus is still available on the vinyl flooring surface layer to provide excellent resistance against scratches.

There isn’t much difference between the Best and Better lines, other than a slightly lesser warranty time. Otherwise, this is designed for homes with only moderately heavy foot traffic and is even better for commercial spaces with low-traffic areas.

Thanks to the loose-lay installation method on the StrataMax vinyl flooring, you can remove it easier when doing a replacement. Armstrong Flooring also reminds us their StrataMax vinyl flooring is 50% stronger than any flooring product made with fiberglass. This vinyl sheet product can hold up to 80 pounds without sustaining damage.

StrataMax Good

Here you have the more basic version of Armstrong Flooring StrataMax. This vinyl flooring works similarly to CushionStep Good where you get a more affordable option for low-traffic areas in your home. Wear layer here is slightly less than more premium editions, yet still offers 65 mils.

One of the standout features of the StrataMax vinyl flooring line is its layered construction helps prevent buckling. If you live in extreme climates, this is an important aspect of your flooring during specific seasons.

Armstrong Sheet Vinyl Installation Methods

How to install vinyl flooring from Armstrong Flooring might be a worry if you have little time to get a new floor into your home. You’ll want to learn what’s involved to help you decide whether to install it yourself or hire a professional.

Since all of Armstrong’s vinyl flooring requires aspects of using adhesives, consider getting a professional installer. The reason is adhesives can easily cause messes and create installation errors if you have no prior experience.

Even with this in mind, another quick and easy installation method is the modified loose-lay method, wherein you can make your vinyl flooring either releasable or permanent. Note that most Armstrong Flooring felt-backed products only require a full adhesive, so keep this in mind based on what you buy.

As long as your subfloor is flat and level, you can install Armstrong’s vinyl flooring just about anywhere indoors. Stairs are off-limits due to the complexity of cutting the vinyl sheet to fit. Nevertheless, all rooms, from bathrooms to bedrooms, can handle this type of vinyl flooring.

To start your installation, check your substrate to ensure it’s compatible with your chosen vinyl flooring. Most are, but the ones Armstrong Flooring recommends are concrete, approved suspended wood, polymeric-poured seamless floors, existing resilient floors, and ceramic floors.

You can also install the vinyl floor over aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, lead, stainless steel, and regular steel substrates.

Acclimation must occur before installation, so ensure the room temperature doesn’t dip below 65 degrees or go over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, room temperature should never go below 55 degrees during the life of the floor, as the temp dip could affect the materials and adhesive quality.

Remove all furniture from the room and prepare your work tools, which should include a cutting knife and a roller, for starters.

You have three methods for cutting your vinyl sheets: through freehand knifing, direct or straight scribing, or pattern scribing. With freehand knifing, you’re cutting each piece freely while you have the floor in place. Only those with real experience should do this since it requires exact cuts around the room.

With direct or straight scribing, you’re installing based on the idea you’re installing another piece of material nearby. Dividers are used here as well as a scribing bar.

Pattern scribing is where you fit your vinyl flooring into smaller areas. Use scribing felt or a piece of paper to create a pattern of your room on the felt paper. Seams in your sheet vinyl flooring will need to be cut.

The type of adhesive you’ll use for this type of vinyl flooring is Armstrong’s S-288. Keep in mind, if you choose the loose-lay option, it uses an acrylic double-faced tape so you can rip it up easier should you need replacing.

Information on Armstrong Sheet Vinyl Warranties

How long do Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet warranties last? It all depends on the type of collection you buy. Armstrong Flooring is one of the rare few flooring companies in the world to offer a lifetime warranty on their most premium brands. One of two products that offer a lifetime warranty is the residential version of Duality Premium vinyl flooring. For the commercial version, it’s only 10 years, going on the assumption a commercial location gets considerably more use.

Considering it’s one of the strongest floors available anywhere, it’s a great warranty deal. Other warranties Armstrong Flooring offer last longer than many competitors.

For instance, CushionStep Better vinyl flooring offers a 25-year residential warranty. CushionStep Good vinyl flooring has 10 years, based on the idea it won’t get a lot of wear and tear over time.

In the StrataMax vinyl flooring line, the residential warranties are nearly identical to CushionStep. StrataMax Best for residential use also has a lifetime warranty. The only difference is the commercial version of this vinyl flooring collection is five years.

StrataMax Better has a 25-year limited warranty, and StrataMax Good has a 20-year warranty.

Note that any damage has to be natural defects in the manufacturing of your vinyl flooring before the warranty is honored. Damage caused by nature or through personal abuse voids any claim.

On the lifetime warranty, you have up to 26 years to have material and labor paid for by Armstrong Flooring for a replacement. After the 26th year, they’ll only pay for the materials but not the labor costs.

All other warranties heed specific time windows indicated when Armstrong Flooring covers replacements. For commercial warranties, it’s much the same, including replacement of materials and paying for labor if turning in the warranty within two years.

Always remember to keep the receipt from the retailer where you bought the vinyl flooring. Having your receipt is a requirement to make your claim and prove when and where flooring was purchased.

An In-Depth Look at Armstrong Flooring Vinyl Sheet Construction

The layers of Armstrong Flooring vinyl sheet only tell part of the story of the floor’s construction.

While you already know Diamond 10 Technology comes from diamonds, other layers in each vinyl flooring collection help bring further durability, protection, and aesthetic quality.

One aspect of this in the StrataMax vinyl flooring collection is the use of the Urethane Plus layer. Urethane is one of the strongest materials available in the manufacturing world.

With urethane, you get abrasion, impact, environmental, and chemical resistance and superior sound control. All these make up the bulk of the resiliency you see in resilient vinyl floors from Armstrong Flooring.

Something else to note is the colors and pattern details in Armstrong Flooring products are dispersed through the thickness of the floor. All color pigments are insoluble when in water. They’re also resistant to cleaning products, including when exposed to light.

And what about the digital printing techniques on your vinyl flooring used to create the convincing look of hardwood, stone, and tile? The history of digital printing doesn’t go back very far, only less than a decade.

Armstrong Flooring eventually became a leader in the technique while evolving the technology over time. In 2017, Armstrong Flooring even worked with Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania to find new design talent to work with them to evolve digital floor