VCT: cheap to install. Not cheap to own.

Vinyl composition tile, commonly known as VCT, has been a staple of commercial flooring for generations. One of the industry's most recognized products is Armstrong Flooring Standard Excelon VCT, which has been specified in commercial facilities for decades.

VCT is manufactured from vinyl and other materials formed into a durable commercial tile. It runs approximately 1/8 inch thick and is available in a wide range of colors and visual patterns, including the traditional marbleized appearance most people associate with VCT.

Understanding VCT maintenance

One of the most important considerations when specifying VCT is its ongoing maintenance requirement.

Unlike many newer resilient products, traditional VCT requires a floor-finish maintenance program. After installation, the tile is cleaned and protected with multiple coats of commercial floor finish. Over its service life the floor will need periodic scrubbing, recoating, stripping and refinishing, depending on traffic and facility standards.

This matters when comparing VCT against other systems. VCT carries a low initial material cost, but building owners and facility managers should weigh that against the labor and materials required to maintain it over twenty or thirty years.

Decades of commercial VCT experience

Trade Mark Floors has installed more than 500,000 square feet of VCT throughout Louisville, Kentucky, and the surrounding region.

Our VCT experience includes schools and institutional facilities such as Assumption High School and St. Rita Catholic School in Louisville, St. Aloysius in Pewee Valley and Cedar Lake Lodge in La Grange.

Our installation staff brings more than 100 years of combined flooring experience, including extensive work with commercial VCT systems.

VCT in older buildings

Many of the schools and institutional buildings we work in have had flooring in place for decades. When existing floor coverings are involved, the right approach depends on the building, the specification and the owner's testing and consultants.

Trade Mark Floors works with the facility and its specified consultants to determine the appropriate scope, including installing new flooring over existing floors where the specification allows it. We coordinate our work around whatever the project requires.

VCT vs. luxury vinyl flooring

In recent years, luxury vinyl plank and tile have become popular alternatives to traditional VCT. Many newer commercial products carry protective wear layers and factory-applied finishes that reduce or eliminate the stripping and waxing cycle. See our LVT and LVP page for a full comparison.

VCT still holds its place. It remains practical for schools, institutional buildings, healthcare facilities and retail — particularly where initial cost matters and where the ability to lift and replace a single damaged tile, decades after installation, is worth more than a maintenance-free surface.