Darko Drev

The Impact of Water on PVC Floor Coverings

PVC floor coverings are more or less resistant to water. Plasticised PVC typically has relatively loosely bound molecules of plasticizers and secondary plasticizers (DOP, BBP, etc.). In gelled PVC layers the durability is mostly the result of physical binding of plasticiser molecules in between PVC chains. PVC plastisol ingredients are by design not particularly solidly bound to the structure, which makes them susceptible to leaching or migration of water molecules into the structure of PVC floor coverings. The plasticiser molecules and other PVC paste compounding ingredients leach into the water (pigments, fillings, stabilisers, foaming agents, inhibitors, etc.). The resistance to water is significantly improved with an upper polyurethane (PU) layer. In the PVC paste production, the PVC types using the emulsion process are highly suitable. The PVC types so produced contain a significant proportion of emulsifier residue. Emulsifiers have a strong water-binding ability, which is reflected in the opacity of the PVC layer. Micro-suspension-type PVCs are much more stable concerning the impact of moisture, but such PVC pastes are usually less stable.