Fiberglass or felt

According to Mary Katherine Dyczko-Riglin, product manager, residential sheet vinyl with Mannington Mills, this shift is largely due to the fact that fiberglass products are easier to install than their felt-backed counterparts. 

“When people are making the switch from felt-backed to fiberglass products, it’s almost always about the install,” she said. “Retailers don’t have the installers, or their installers aren’t as reliable, and there aren’t as many felt installers. It’s just easier, in many cases, to install fiberglass.” Fiberglass-backed sheet vinyl can be glued down using a pressure sensitive releasable adhesive method or loose laid; felt-backed products can be perimeter installed or by using a full-spread adhesive. 

Jay Jacobs, national sales manager for builder/multifamily with Congoleum, disputed the idea that fiberglass products are easier to install than felt-backed products, saying that the reason fiberglass products have gained share is because fiberglass manufacturers offered better-looking sheet vinyl products than felt manufacturers when they first entered the U.S. market. “The product was just prettier,” he said.

The right fit
For most customers,

Armstrong Flooring also offers both felt and fiberglass products. “While we do forecast the shift from felt to fiberglass to continue, Armstrong continues to bring industry leading designs to our felt structures because we know there are still segments of the market and consumers that want a felt product. When a felt back product is installed correctly, it is a durable vinyl sheet flooring solution,” said Bill Furman, channel marketing manager.

Felt products’ durability, in fact, is a big selling point. While this can mean sacrificing comfort underfoot, because the product is denser, that makes it more resistant to ripping, tearing or gouging. 

However, a fiberglass product is easy to repair, pointed out Amie Foster, senior product director for sheet vinyl with IVC. “Let’s say you’re moving a refrigerator, and that creates a rip in the floor. The fiberglass allows for you to cut out and repair a small section — you don’t have to do a full replacement,” she shared.

Fiberglass products also tend to be more dimensionally stable, Furman pointed out. “Fiberglass vinyl won’t shrink, warp or change size after exposure to wetness, or crack after repeated handling,” he said. 

However, as a result of that dimensional stability, a fiberglass product won’t shift with a house. “Because fiberglass doesn’t move, you need to make sure when the fiberglass is installed it doesn’t have pinch points,” Dyczko-Riglin explained. For example, if a fiberglass product is being installed in a kitchen with an island and cabinets, the installer needs to wait until those other appliances or fixtures are installed, then cut the sheet around those products and make sure there is breathing room. 

A felt product, on the other hand, is able to move with the house. “Keep in mind, these are tiny movements you wouldn’t even notice, until you saw your floor was pinched against the wall,” Dyczko-Riglin pointed out. “But felt will give with the way the house moves.” In that same kitchen install, the installer can roll out the felt-backed product and install items like cabinets or islands on top of the floor. “You’re paying for flooring that you’re covering up, but the installation might be faster,” she said.

Not all sheet vinyl is the same. Traditionally, sheet vinyl has been a felt-backed product, but within the past decade, fiberglass-backed products have come on the scene in the U.S., taking the majority of sheet vinyl ’s market share over felt-backed products.According to Mary Katherine Dyczko-Riglin, product manager, residential sheet vinyl with Mannington Mills, this shift is largely due to the fact that fiberglass products are easier to install than their felt-backed counterparts.“When people are making the switch from felt-backed to fiberglass products, it’s almost always about the install,” she said. “Retailers don’t have the installers, or their installers aren’t as reliable, and there aren’t as many felt installers. It’s just easier, in many cases, to install fiberglass.” Fiberglass-backed sheet vinyl can be glued down using a pressure sensitive releasable adhesive method or loose laid; felt-backed products can be perimeter installed or by using a full-spread adhesive.Jay Jacobs, national sales manager for builder/multifamily with Congoleum, disputed the idea that fiberglass products are easier to install than felt-backed products, saying that the reason fiberglass products have gained share is because fiberglass manufacturers offered better-looking sheet vinyl products than felt manufacturers when they first entered the U.S. market. “The product was just prettier,” he said.For most customers, the choice between a fiberglass product versus a felt product comes down to personal preference and perception. Mannington manufactures both fiberglass and felt-backed products to fit all needs and price points, Dyczko-Riglin pointed out. “For example, in our Revive Collection , we provide all of our unique designs in luxury vinyl sheet, which is fiberglass, and our three grades of felt lines. Some people like one, some like another, and it provides a variety of price points,” she said.Armstrong Flooring also offers both felt and fiberglass products. “While we do forecast the shift from felt to fiberglass to continue, Armstrong continues to bring industry leading designs to our felt structures because we know there are still segments of the market and consumers that want a felt product. When a felt back product is installed correctly, it is a durable vinyl sheet flooring solution,” said Bill Furman, channel marketing manager.Felt products’ durability, in fact, is a big selling point. While this can mean sacrificing comfort underfoot, because the product is denser, that makes it more resistant to ripping, tearing or gouging.However, a fiberglass product is easy to repair, pointed out Amie Foster, senior product director for sheet vinyl with IVC. “Let’s say you’re moving a refrigerator, and that creates a rip in the floor. The fiberglass allows for you to cut out and repair a small section — you don’t have to do a full replacement,” she shared.Fiberglass products also tend to be more dimensionally stable, Furman pointed out. “Fiberglass vinyl won’t shrink, warp or change size after exposure to wetness, or crack after repeated handling,” he said.However, as a result of that dimensional stability, a fiberglass product won’t shift with a house. “Because fiberglass doesn’t move, you need to make sure when the fiberglass is installed it doesn’t have pinch points,” Dyczko-Riglin explained. For example, if a fiberglass product is being installed in a kitchen with an island and cabinets, the installer needs to wait until those other appliances or fixtures are installed, then cut the sheet around those products and make sure there is breathing room.A felt product, on the other hand, is able to move with the house. “Keep in mind, these are tiny movements you wouldn’t even notice, until you saw your floor was pinched against the wall,” Dyczko-Riglin pointed out. “But felt will give with the way the house moves.” In that same kitchen install, the installer can roll out the felt-backed product and install items like cabinets or islands on top of the floor. “You’re paying for flooring that you’re covering up, but the installation might be faster,” she said.