The Ultimate Luxury Vinyl Flooring Buying Guide

When it comes to choosing the right flooring for your home, it is very important to go for the best. Be it a renovating project or a new home, it is very important to consider the amount of traffic each room is going to receive so that you can choose the right flooring for each room.

Once you consider this, you can then sit back to consider using a trending flooring material such as the luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring, which is known to come with so much flooring advantage. Some of such advantages include high durability, easy installation, high aesthetic value as well as a better feel to the foot.

This article is coming as a complete guide about luxury vinyl tile flooring, what it is made of as well as its difference between other conventional vinyl materials. This article shall also open your eyes to the various applications of LVT, LVT flooring cost, as well as some drawbacks you have to be conscious of. At the end of this article, you are expected to have a better understanding of what type of flooring material to use in your home and offices.

What is Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring?

LVT tiles are flooring materials made and designed to take the form and feel of different flooring materials such as stone, ceramic and wood. As a matter of fact, if you need a high-end flooring material, you are most likely to go for a LVT

LVT usually has many layers, and the real vinyl tile is usually laid at the bottom layer which is known as the lacking. The backing is usually made of 100% vinyl or in some cases, a mixture of ceramic and vinyl. On the top layer is a thick layer of aluminium oxide which helps to prevent the backing from scratches and UV rays.

The next layer before the real vinyl layer helps to create the true feeling of either wood, ceramic or natural stone, which it is intended to mimic. However, you must note that different manufacturers can add a few tweaks in creating their own unique brand of LVT with different compositions and structures.

Vinyl Flooring Buying Guide

When it comes to the basic composition of most LVT, there is usually a little or no difference. Well, some manufacturers may choose to have a mix of other materials into the backing layer. But generally, what you are most likely to come across is backing with vinyl on its own or vinyl with a slight addition of limestone.

In order to have a clear cut of what the various design or category of LVT is, you may have to choose a LVT that is designed to take the form of ceramic, wood, natural stone or slate. With this, you have a lot of varieties to choose from.

Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring Cost

When it comes to LVT flooring cost, they are one of the cheapest flooring materials you can lay your hands on. With just a dollar, you can purchase a square foot of the vinyl sheet. This, however, made vinyl very popular until laminate flooring came on board. When it comes to a luxury vinyl tile, you are likely to have a square foot for about $3.

However, don't be surprised to have other dealers sell it at $7 per square foot. So, when making plans for what a lvt flooring cost will be for your project, you may have to research with various dealers in relation to your contractor to have the best price.

Guide to Installing LVT

One unique feature of LVT, which serves as an advantage of using it is in the installation process. Unlike other flooring materials, you only need a few hours to install LVT in your home or office due to its relatively quick and easy installation.

Well, before going out to buy any vinyl tile, you may have to consult your contractor to know which one will suit your contractor's installation matter. Basically, there are 2 major types of LVT based on the method of installation;

1.Glue-Down LVT – requires adhesive to help it stick to the subfloor

2.Floating luxury vinyl plank flooring - do not require any adhesive to hold them together.

Based on whether a LVT plank flooring requires adhesive for installation or not, here are some specific types of LVT.

a.Interlocking LVT

Here, individual vinyl tiles have tongues and grooves for easy interlocking, and removal is very easy to carry out

b.Loose lay LVT

Here, there are not adhesive nor interlocking grooves, but high friction based strongly grips the tile to the subfloor.

c.Self-adhesive LVT

This type of vinyl tile has an inherent adhesive glue that becomes active once you peel off the covering film. With this, they are easy to fix and remove.

d.Glue-down LVT

These vinyl tiles require a special glue to fix them to the floor. However, this type of tiles is a bit difficult to remove in case there is a need for removal.

Basic Facts About Luxury Vinyl Flooring

In case you've been wondering why LVT has taken over the floor of many homes and offices, here are some amazing facts about these high-end flooring materials.

1.Quick installation

Generally speaking, LVT is very easy to install. This is most particular for the floating tiles, and even those that require an adhesive are also relatively easy to install.

2.Easy Replacement

Except for the glued-down tiles, other types of vinyl tiles are very easy to remove when there is a need to remove or change them.

3.Resilient

One good feature of vinyl tiles is their high resilient and hardwearing nature. Even on the floor with high traffic flow, vinyl tiles have been confirmed to be of high resilience and maintaining its integrity for a long time.

4.Versatility

Depending on your preference and budget, there are different varieties of vinyl tiles to choose from. Some varieties include; ceramic, wood, or natural stone.

5.Durable

When you have the need for a flooring material that will be installed (even in a very high traffic environment) and you care less about it, vinyl tiles will be the best option. This is due to their high durability and integrity retaining ability over a long period of time.

Downsides of LVT Flooring

There are few downsides to the use of LVT flooring, although the advantages of this high-quality flooring materials outweigh the few downside. Here are a few things you may have to look closely into when choosing LVT.

1.A Bit Pricey

For most LVT that cost up to about $7 per square foot, this comes as a major shocker for many homeowners and contractors. However, the fact remains that no matter the price tag on any vinyl material you pay for, the value is always worth the price in the long run.

2.Lack of a Differentiating Feature

When it comes to LVT flooring, you already know that there are various types and designs (wood, ceramic and stone). However, one concern, which many homeowners have is the fact that these various designs have different grade which can't be easily differentiated one from the other. This, however, can turn out to be a hard nut to crack, especially when it comes to buying LVT at a different time for a particular project.

Wrap Up On Luxury Vinyl Tile Review

When it comes to choosing a flooring material, gone are the days when homeowners have only one option to settle for. Today, there are lots of options and the luxury vinyl tile flooring material even comes with a wide range of options to choose from.

So, irrespective of what your budget for a good flooring material may be, it a sure bet that you'll definitely get a LVT that will match and worth every single $ you paid for it.

In case, you've always been skeptic of what to expect when it comes to the best LVT flooring material, obviously, this article is a major eye-opener to you when it comes to choosing and using LVT flooring in your home or office space.