Luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) is a popular flooring choice for both domestic and commercial properties. The many benefits of LVT make it a versatile flooring choice for most interior spaces. If you’re thinking of opting for LVT, we’ve picked out some things to consider for both domestic and commercial flooring.
Style and design
The first thing to consider is the style and design. Luxury vinyl tiles are renowned for capturing the stylish natural designs of wood flooring but also replicate stone and ceramic tiles. As such, they offer a range of options for choosing a style and design that will match your interior needs.
Not only do natural flooring designs look stylish, but they also provide some positive psychological effects. For example, exposure to natural designs and patterns can help reduce stress and boost productivity making it an ideal choice for office flooring.
Ambience and Karndean luxury vinyl tiles offer a variety of stylish and high-quality natural designs, ranging from wood designs to stone and granite.
At E&M Services, we supply the entire range of Ambiance and Karndean LVT and can also provide high-quality installation. Our expert flooring knowledge and expertise also means we can provide you with advice and guidance in choosing the best flooring design for your space.
Room environment
Flooring plays a significant role in a room’s ambience, so it’s important to make sure your choice matches the room environment. Environmental factors, such as noise levels, temperature, and moisture levels will also affect your choice.
Luxury vinyl tiles fare much better in spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms compared to carpet or engineered wood. While LVT is renowned for its water-resistant properties, it’s still best to opt for thicker and more durable tiles.
When choosing luxury vinyl tiles, be sure to check the tile properties. For example, whether the tiles offer some form of soundproofing. This will help reduce interior noise, creating a more relaxing home environment or productive commercial space.
Underfloor heating
Underfloor heating is another factor to consider when choosing domestic and commercial luxury vinyl tiles. With 7.7% of the UK’s heating industry now accounting for underfloor heating it shows just how popular this method of heating is becoming.
While underfloor heating may be more widespread in domestic homes than commercial properties, it is fast becoming a popular choice for businesses too.
It’s worth noting that not every flooring is compatible with underfloor heating, so you should check this before purchasing Your choice of LVT should be fine though provided the temperature doesn’t exceed 27 degrees and a suitable adhesive is used for installation.
Price
Another important consideration for domestic and commercial luxury vinyl tiles is price. Both domestic and commercial buyers will have budgets that they want to stick to when buying a new floor.
Depending on the quality and brand, you can expect to pay between £15 and £50 per square meter. Factors that affect the price include core layer thickness, wear layer, installation, and underlay.
By understanding the factors that affect price and quality, you can identify the most suitable LVT flooring for your budget.
If you are working with a tight budget, we can help. We have a long-standing reputation at E&M Services for reliability, customer service, and achieving installations on time and within budget. We also provide free quotes, samples, and advice.
Installation time
Installation time is something else you should consider. Installing a new floor can cause inevitable disruptions to your home and business so you’ll want a quality installation in the shortest time (without cutting corners!).
Luxury vinyl tiles come with different installation methods, each of which will affect the installation time:
- Glue down or adhesive – this method uses an adhesive to stick the tiles to the subfloor. As the subfloor needs to be dry and flat, this method can take the longest installation time but delivers the best quality and durability.
- Click-lock – this method uses a locking system that allows each of the tiles to click together. Each tile locks to one another on top of the subfloor without the use of adhesive. This method does require an underlay (if not already on the tiles) but takes less time to install.
- Loose lay – this method has a special grip backing that makes it possible to install LVT as a floating floor. No underlay or adhesive is required meaning this method is the quickest to install but offers slightly less quality and durability.
Our expert team of installers at E&M Services have experience installing all kinds of flooring, including LVT. We can work around the clock to achieve your expectations and minimise disruption to your business.
Underlay
Underlay affects the longevity of a flooring solution and adds a cushioning effect. As such, choosing an LVT with underlay is another important consideration. Some options of LVT already come with an underlay backing.
When deciding on the right LVT for you, consider picking an option that comes with an underlay backing. While it may cost more, you will benefit from better quality from your flooring, especially those opting for a rigid or SPC core. Opting for an underlay allows you to also benefit from:
- Improved comfort
- Sound insulation
- Subfloor levelling
If your subfloor experiences any problems, we also provide subfloor solutions for commercial and retail premises. With our decades of product knowledge and experience, we can overcome your subfloor problems to achieve a high-quality flooring installation.
Wear layer and thickness
The wear layer and thickness of luxury vinyl tiles are another consideration. Your choice of thickness will depend on whether you are installing for domestic or commercial properties. The thicker the flooring, the better for durability and high-foot traffic.
It is recommended to choose a flooring based on the type of room and level of activity/usage. Ideally, this will range from:
- Low-traffic areas, such as bathrooms
- Heavy traffic areas, such as kitchens and living rooms
- Commercial areas, such as retail flooring, cafes, restaurants, etc.
LVT with a thickness of 2-4mm is ideal for use in low-traffic areas. Heavy traffic areas are suited to 4-6mm thickness. Commercial areas should opt for thicker luxury vinyl tiles between 6-8mm. However, areas with high moisture may fare better with a slightly higher thickness.
Cleaning and maintenance
Another factor you should consider when choosing domestic and commercial luxury vinyl tiles is the long-term maintenance involved. Compared to other floors, LVT is much easier to clean and maintain. This is especially important for commercial premises where hygiene is vital.
If you want to keep your floor in the best condition possible, you need to factor in the long-term maintenance effort and cost. All that is needed to look after your LVT flooring is regular, vacuuming and cleaning with a damp mop. Standard floor cleaning practices are also advised to prevent damage.
Compared to other floors, this can be a significant reduction in maintenance costs. For example, carpets require regular deep cleaning, and engineered wood needs waxing. No abrasive, oily, or acidic cleaning products should also be used further helping to cut down the long-term maintenance cost.
Warranty
Another top consideration for domestic and commercial luxury vinyl tiles in Coventry is the warranty. Your brand choice can impact the duration and conditions of the warranty. For example, Ambiance LVT offers a 30-year warranty on residential settings.
It’s important that you carefully review the warranty for each flooring first to make sure you are aware of its duration and requirements. Being aware of this before purchasing will ensure you have a fallback in the event something goes wrong.
Choosing a new flooring is not easy with many different options to contend with. By considering the factors above, you’ll be in a much better position to choose LVT flooring that works best for your home or business environment. With our extensive expertise and experience as a top Coventry flooring contractor, we can help you achieve the best possible flooring to transform your interiors.
Get in touch with our Coventry flooring team today and discover how we can help you.