The floor presents an often overlooked but essential design space in a building. Most design efforts focus on the walls and ceiling, but the floor is also a critical surface for aesthetic expression beyond its functional qualities. Luxury vinyl flooring serves to meet both qualities. Whether you’re renovating your space or constructing a new one, LVT flooring is the best choice you can make.
What is LVT flooring?
LVT (luxury vinyl flooring) is a beautiful yet durable flooring solution. It is designed to mimic real wood or stone but is thin and flexible. The rigorous and technical process of making LVT tiles infuses multiple layers of different materials through heat treatment. PVC vinyl is the primary raw material.
These materials go into groups that form three main layers before fusing.
- The first layer is the backing, which combines several layers of durable and resilient substances. This layer serves as the base for the tile.
- The second layer, the print layer, forms the aesthetic surface of the tile. The chosen materials bear a vibrant and striking resemblance to stone, wood, or any other desired finish. Vibrancy and colour accuracy is at par with high-resolution images.
- The third layer is the protective coating on the tile. It’s a clear layer that can withstand all manner of abuse without exposing the beautiful layer underneath.
Key application areas
LVT’s qualities make it suitable for virtually any type of floor. Commercial spaces rely on LVT flooring because it is easy to clean, thus needing little maintenance. Its resilience ensures it can withstand heavy traffic while keeping its beauty intact.
LVT flooring is also suitable for residential spaces because its heat and moisture resistant. Therefore, you can install this flooring in the kitchen, bathroom, basement, and corridor.
What are the benefits of LVT Flooring?
1. Easy to install
LVT flooring allows for either loose lay or glue-down installation. Loose lay installation entails laying luxury vinyl tiles with a rubber base on a flat floor without any adhesive. The tiles remain in place due to friction. The floor surface doesn’t need a lot of preparation, making this style fast and affordable. In addition, the tiles can be easily transferred or changed whenever necessary.
Glue down installation involves using an adhesive to hold the tiles in place. The adhesive can be spread on the floor before placing the tiles, which is the hard set option of glue down installation. Alternatively, the adhesive could be spread on the tile’s base, where it sets in once the tile is in position.
2. Comfortable
Luxury vinyl tiles are softer than other flooring choices. In addition, it is sound absorbent. These two qualities make it a more pleasant surface to walk on than natural stone or wood.
3. Affordable
LVT flooring mimics natural elements in its design. Natural stone and wood flooring offer stunning vibrancy and texture, but converting those materials into tiles is expensive. Therefore, LVT flooring offers an affordable alternative with the same beauty and feel of natural materials.
4. Environmentally friendly
Using wood, stone, and other natural resources to make tiles leads to degradation of the environment. Industries have a poor track record in environmental preservation and responsible harvesting of resources. PVC is the main ingredient in making luxury vinyl tiles, which requires comparatively minimal resources and doesn’t involve cutting down trees or demolishing rock faces.
5. Resilient
Luxury vinyl tiles maintain their structural integrity well for 10 to 20 years and can even last up to 25 years with proper care. PVC, the main ingredient in LVT flooring, is a tough synthetic material. The wear layer adds to this resilience, and as usual, the thicker the coat, the better the tile’s lifespan. The thickness of this layer is indicated in mils and ranges from 6 to 26. LVT flooring with 20 to 26 mil wear layers is most suitable for machine and high-foot traffic places, whereas areas with minimal traffic could use the thinner 6 to 12 mil wear layer.
6. Easy to maintain
The wear layer on luxury vinyl tiles is resistant to moisture, stains, scratches, bumps, and other physical and chemical forces. Therefore, you only need water, soap, and a mop for regular cleaning. If you have minimal traffic and activity in the space, a broom will do. For deep cleaning, in hospitals and other high traffic areas, the wear layer will take abuse from tough cleaning solutions without breaking down.
How to care for your LVT flooring
Although LVT flooring can withstand abuse better than other flooring options, avoid damaging the floor or neglecting to clean it. Simple cleaning and maintenance for floors will increase its lifespan further than similar treatment on other tile choices.
- Regularly clean LVT flooring, as you would other flooring solutions.
- Get rid of stains by wiping them off with a damp soapy cloth. For stubborn stains, use more powerful stain removers. The sooner you remove the stains, the lesser the damage.
- During installation, ensure the tiles fit perfectly on the floor. Gaps or overlaps give room for physical damage.
- Avoid using a steam cleaner. The heat from the steam could separate the LVT layers.
- Avoid using abrasive cleaning equipment. Such abrasive force could damage the transparent wear layer on luxury vinyl tiles. LVT flooring is moisture-proof, thus disqualifying the need to use much energy to remove dirt and stains.
Luxury vinyl flooring is an excellent choice for many spaces. There is a wide range of durable yet stylish options for hospitals, industrial areas, homes, schools, and other premises. With proper installation and a simple maintenance routine, your flooring will last for more than ten years. Such qualities make LVT flooring an economically sound and aesthetically sensible choice.
When you need the best flooring solutions, we are there to meet your every demand. With over 20 years of expert flooring experience, we know how to solve your flooring dilemma, be it a fresh installation, renovation, repairs, or consultation services. Get in touch with us today, and let us take care of your floors.
