BobVila.com

Vinyl Flooring Plant

Bob Visits the Congoleum Corporation plant in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania to see how vinyl flooring is made. They start with a felt backing made of wood pulp, polyester and latex on a tremendously large roll. The first step after unrolling is adding a layer of vinyl coating gel, then drying and re-rolling at this step the roll weighs eight to ten thousand pounds. The roll is then unwound and passed through a rotary engraving press. The one at this plant is one of the largest in the world. They can use up to six stations on their press to get a full pattern with multiple colors. The last step is adding a wear layer, which is a clear vinyl that is then dried and cured. In some instances a urethane layer is added to prevent scuffs. More information