A recent story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press detailed a new type of vinyl flooring currently in production.

From the Times Free Press: “This special type of vinyl is so popular that IVC US sold $100 million of the material last year, capturing double-digit percentages of the North American market, according to Xavier Steyaert, CEO of the Belgium-based company that set up shop here in 2011.

"You will not see this technology anywhere else," Steyaert told a group of visiting diplomats. "This is not off-the-shelf, this is very unique."

The optical illusion of flexible wood owes its appearance to heat, pressure and a convincing paint job, Steyaert explained. That, and a very expensive chemistry set.

Globs of liquid PVC are spread evenly onto a sheet of flexible fiberglass, which then is painted, heated, re-coated and cooled into 1,000 rolls per day.

IVC's plant has the capacity to produce 5,000 miles of vinyl flooring per year in its 250,000-square-foot plant, and store 25,000 rolls in its 270,000-square-foot distribution center.”

Check out the complete story in the Chattanooga Time Free Press here.