Unlike standard vinyl, luxury vinyl flooring looks very close to other materials such as wood or stone, giving homeowners the option to create a highly desirable look at a fraction of the price of the real thing.
Luxury vinyl flooring is available in both tile and plank form, and consists of the following layers.:
- Aluminum oxide: The topmost layer of luxury vinyl flooring is made from aluminum oxide. This is designed to prevent shoe scuffs and light scratching.
- Clear film: The next layer down is designed to protect against more serious rips and tears.
- Design layer: As you might imagine, this is where photorealistic images of wood or stone is found.
- Backing layer: Providing structure and solidity, this layer comprises nearly all (90%) of the tile thickness.
In addition to the cost benefit, there are other reasons why luxury vinyl flooring may be a good option for your home. Following are just 7 of them.:
1. Durability
Luxury vinyl tiles are designed to stand up to heavy traffic, such as that found in commercial applications. They’re also resistant to flame and are 100% waterproof.
2. Versatility
Not only are LVT waterproof they’re also slip resistant, making them the perfect choice for wet environments such as the bathroom, kitchen, basements and/or mudrooms.
3. Warmth
Tile and wood floors can be cold, however the layers from luxury vinyl tiles can make the floors warmer and softer underfoot. These tiles also work well for homes with underfloor heating, as it doesn’t interfere with the transfer of the heat into the home.
4. Sound insulation
LVT average 2mm thick, making them more quiet than tiles, laminate or wood flooring. Obviously, the thicker the vinyl flooring, the quieter it will be to walk on, so choose the thickest LVT possible when installing in high traffic areas.
5. Easy installation
Installation of LVT is much easier than wood, stone or ceramic tile flooring.
A luxury vinyl floor can either be floated on top of your current flooring or installed directly to the subfloor. The most important thing to remember with vinyl flooring is that any imperfections in the subfloor will show themselves in the topmost layer.
That’s why it’s important to lay down a subfloor to provide a smooth, glass-like surface for the tiles to adhere to.
LVT comes with self-stick backing or a click system and its low profile makes it very easy to work around doorways, fireplace bricks, etc.
