History of Vintage Vinyl Floorcloths
Mark Spicher talks about how Vintage Vinyl Floorcloths came to be.
“I can't tell you how many times I've looked at a project and wished that I could reasonably source that old linoleum like our grand parents used to have in their kitchens. You know what I'm talking about? It had those deep burgundy reds, layer after layer of floor wax and an amazing luster and patina that just isn't seen anymore. It's shocking when I think about how they were all convinced to remove those beautiful floors for "no wax" vinyl. Anyway that's what made me think we should produce something that gives the same feel to today's modern kitchens, something that would nicely compliment period homes that have chosen a more recent floor solution.
When developing Vintage Vinyl we did incredible amounts of testing to evaluate durability, flexibility and the adhesion of the colors. It's amazing the materials we went through and what we achieved in the end. I still can't believe how usable our final product is.
The tactile surface is designed to look distressed but also serves the same purpose as the treads on a tire, it allows water to dispel quickly and leaves high points for good traction when the floor is wet. Try it, the floor performs the same when damp as it does when it's completely dry.
The top surface of the material has almost no adhesion, you can test this easily, just try to apply any permanent label. It won't stick!!! Why is this important? What is the easiest thing to clean? It's a non stick surface. Think about your Teflon pans versus cast iron. Which is easier to clean? We achieved this easy clean surface even while having a textured surface.
One of the greatest features is the ability of our Vintage Vinyl to lay flat. It doesn't matter how irregular the floor is the corners always move tight to the floor. The back surface of the floor cloths is a softer material which grips nicely to the floor.
Our colors are timeless and the designs are enhanced with varying degrees of aging. Think of stone washed jeans. We have designs that are Gothic, Victorian, European and even designs that are inspired by the Middle East.
The colors that we use are UV resistant for 3 years. That means you probably can't see any fade from normal UV exposure across 3 years. The adhesion of our colors is also incredible. Want to test this? Fold one of your smaller floor cloths in half and crease it by stepping on the fold. When you unfold it the inks are all intact. The surface is scuff resistant. It will hold up to normal scuffing from foot traffic. Keep in mind nothing is bullet proof and anything this flexible can be cut or torn so treat it well for years of enjoyment.
We offer thousands of options when you combine the patterns, their different color ways, and all of the size options.”