When purchasing vinyl flooring the wear layer will determine the durability of the flooring.
Vinyl flooring wear layer thickness.
In the photo below the top sample carries the trafficmaster allure branding and is 3 8mm thick with a 4mil wear layer.
Vinyl floor wear layer.
If you have a space that will need a high resistance to scratches and wear a higher wear layer such as a 12 mil or 20 mil would be best for your application.
But if you have an uneven subfloor in a space that s going to go through a lot of high traffic the best range to get would be between 12 mil and 20 mil.
It s slightly thicker at 4mm with an 8mil wear layer while the bottom sample is shaw matrix at 3 2mm thick with a 6mil wear layer.
If you plan to have your new floor installed on a solid level smooth and dry concrete pad then you won t need the thickest wear layer of vinyl that s available.
In short the thicker the wear layer the more durable the floor.
Building professionals tend to stick with a minimum of 12 mil for residential and 28 mil for commercial.
A thicker layer is more resistant to scratching and denting.