Water resistance - Once properly sealed, vinyl is completely impervious to water which is why this product is still so widely accepted in kitchens today.

Fire resistance - Vinyl burns at a much higher temperature than most flooring materials and will not spread flame. Typically vinyl will stop burning when the fire source is removed.

Maintenance - Easily maintained with regular sweeping, and mopping

Construction/Installation

For do it yourselfers vinyl can also be a fantastic choice. This product is made available in sheets, tiles, and self-stick tiles.

Vinyl Sheet - Sheet vinyl is available in 6' or 12' widths which can be cut to measure and or rolled. Depending on the size of your kitchen, vinyl rolls can get very heavy and can be very tricky to install on your own. It is recommended to have professionals help with the installation of sheet vinyl. Installed properly, sheet vinyl is impervious to water.

Vinyl Tiles - Vinyl tiles just might be the hottest new product for floors including kitchen floors. Generally these tiles are available in 12" or 18" squares however new trends are making tiles available in more unusual sizes. Some vinyl tiles today are designed to measure 3" by 36" to better resemble such surfaces as hardwood! These tiles can also be available in thicknesses of 1/16" to 1/8" the latter of course the better choice for a kitchen floor surface.

Vinyl Self-Stick Tiles - Just peel off the backing and stick it on! Pretty simple, but does require and extremely clean and smooth surface and excellent planning. These tiles are more risky in the kitchen as they will get loose much easier than any other vinyl surface and because each tile will have four edges, better the chance dirt and moisture have at getting locked in the adhesive making it harder to clean if not impossible!  It has been noticed that the individual tiles shrink a little after about a month or two exposing the joints.  Although the tiles may not come up, the line created is dark brown and is noticeable on a lighter tile.

Backing

Beware that how your vinyl is backed may also determine your installation process!  When installing new vinyl it is always recommend that a new approved sub-floor be installed and prepared before installation.  This will minimize any chances for problems.  It is common to install vinyl over an existing vinyl floor using an embossing feature.  See your store for details.

Felt-Backed Vinyl - This type of vinyl requires the installer to apply glue over the entire floor space. Once the floor is down it will not budge what so ever. This is an excellent feature, however when wanting to upgrade, this product is painstakingly difficult to remove although a new floor could be laid over top.  It is recommended that an approved sub-floor be installed prior to installation of Felt-Backed Vinyl.

Vinyl-Backed - This product requires that glue only be applied to the edges and therefore much easier to remove. Keep in mind that if you regularly move heavier objects in your space that there is a good chance of a shift in your vinyl floor!

Vinyl-Backed / Pressure Sensitive -  This product requires that glue be applied to the entire floor using a paint roller.  Once the glue is applied the glue needs to flash or dry to touch.  The vinyl is then put down and rolled to apply pressure between the vinyl and the floor.  This type of flooring can be taken out in the future with little effort and the sub-floor remains in good enough shape to install new pressure sensitive vinyl again without replacing the sub-floor.