Luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are a popular flooring choice for homes and businesses. Offering many great benefits, LVT is not a flooring option to dismiss. But finding the right floor for your needs can be difficult. To help, we’ve answered all your popular questions about luxury vinyl tiles.
About LVT
What is LVT flooring?
Luxury vinyl tile (or LVT) is a type of flooring made from several layers of PVC and a resin compound. Each thin layer, such as the rigid core layer, adds to the durability and versatility of LVT. Depending on the manufacturer there may be layers added, such as additional wear layers.
What are the pros and cons of luxury vinyl flooring?
Luxury vinyl tiles offer several pros (and a couple of cons) to consider when deciding on a suitable flooring option:
Pros:
- Durable due to its many layers.
- Waterproof, making it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms.
- Luxurious and elegant designs.
- Versatile design choices.
- Requires minimal cleaning and maintenance.
- More affordable than natural flooring alternatives.
Cons:
- Excessive direct sunlight can cause fading.
- Glue-down tiles can be difficult to remove.
- Quality can suffer for cheaper and thinner LVT.
Why should I choose the LVT flooring?
There are several reasons why you should consider choosing LVT as a flooring option, including:
- Design flexibility and versatility.
- Durability as manufactured from robust materials.
- Comfort and warmth underfoot.
- Cleaning and maintenance are easy.
- The average lifespan can last between 25-30 years.
- Helps to insulate sound and minimise noise in a room.
- Can easily replace damaged or affected tiles.
LVT flooring perfectly imitates the designs of natural-looking flooring, making it a suitable and cheaper alternative. Design choices can range from wood, stone, and granite. While a popular home flooring option, it’s also becoming a widely popular retail flooring option.
Do luxury vinyl tiles add value to your home?
Luxury vinyl tiles are a luxurious flooring that adds prestige and quality to your rooms. Investing in high-quality LVT flooring can improve the appeal and value of a property. A good quality flooring can enhance the value of a home by up to 10%.
Choosing LVT
How to choose luxury vinyl flooring?
There are some considerations to look out for when choosing luxury vinyl flooring:
- The style and design.
- The core type.
- The fitting method.
- The tile thickness.
- With or without an underlay layer.
Which brand of luxury vinyl flooring is the best?
The best choice of luxury vinyl flooring is subjective and will be based on your tastes, preferences, and décor. However, some of the most popular manufacturers of LVT include Ambiance, Karndean, and Amtico.
Is luxury vinyl tile durable?
Luxury vinyl tiles are made using several layers. The combination of layers helps to make luxury vinyl tiles a durable flooring option while offering amazing, natural-looking designs. Typically, LVT will consist of a top protective layer, a print layer, a rigid core layer, and an underlay layer.
Is luxury vinyl flooring suitable for all rooms in the house?
Luxury vinyl flooring can be used in all rooms throughout the house. Its high-quality natural designs provide a range of stylish choices for kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and living spaces. With LVT, you can transform your home space and create a space to cherish.
Is luxury vinyl tile a good choice for a basement floor?
Yes, you can use LVT for a basement floor. The durability and waterproofing properties make it a flooring option to consider. However, this will depend on basement usage. For example, dragging and storing heavy items on LVT can cause scratching and denting.
Is luxury vinyl or carpet better for a bedroom?
Both luxury vinyl tiles and carpets are ideal flooring options for a bedroom. The choice of flooring will be dependent on your taste and décor. LVT offers soundproofing qualities and is soft underfoot. Carpet fibres may also be unsuitable for those with an allergy or asthma.
Design
Image source: Ambiance
Does LVT flooring look cheap?
The LVT design quality will be reflective of the cost and manufacturing. While some cheaper makes of LVT may appear cheap, investing in a high-quality brand offers a high-quality design. Such designs often perfectly imitate the look of natural flooring options, such as wood and stone.
What’s the best luxury vinyl that looks like wood?
Both Karndean and Ambiance LVT offer many wood effect designs. Ambiance provides a Herringbone range, which includes many wood effects with the popular herringbone design. Karndean also offers a range of wood effect ranges, such as Karndean looselay, with a selection of traditional oak designs.
LVT and Other Flooring
What’s the difference between vinyl and luxury vinyl tile?
While vinyl flooring has been around much longer than luxury vinyl tiles, there are several key differences between the two flooring types:
- Thickness – LVT is thicker than vinyl, with LVT reaching up to 8mm while vinyl ranges between 2-6mm.
- Durability – vinyl floors are more prone to scratching and scraping than LVT, with LVT having a much longer lifespan than vinyl.
- Waterproof – both flooring types are waterproof. However, LVT feels softer and warmer underfoot for rooms where you’re likely to walk barefoot.
- Soundproofing – luxury vinyl provides better soundproofing properties than vinyl due to the thicker tile size.
- Cleaning – both flooring types are easy to clean and maintain.
- Cost – vinyl is a cheaper flooring option compared to LVT due to the more complex manufacturing and materials used in LVT.
Are luxury vinyl tiles better than hardwood flooring?
Luxury vinyl tiles and hardwood flooring are both flooring options to consider. However, luxury vinyl tiles have several features and benefits that make it a better choice than hardwood flooring:
- LVT offers much more flexibility and design aesthetics than hardwood floors can. Hardwood floor designs are restricted to the wood type.
- Natural wood, used in hardwood flooring, is porous and more susceptible to damage.
- Luxury vinyl tiles are much more affordable, providing natural flooring designs.
Are luxury vinyl tiles cheaper than ceramic tiles?
Choosing luxury vinyl tiles for your flooring is much cheaper than ceramic tiles. The cost of ceramic tile flooring averages around £40 – £60 per square meter. In comparison, LVT flooring averages around £15 – £40 per square meter.
Can you put luxury vinyl flooring over tile?
Yes, you can install luxury vinyl flooring over an existing tile flooring. However, this can reduce the lifespan of LVT if the tile flooring is uneven. Any subfloor problems will also reflect on the floating LVT flooring.
Can luxury vinyl tiles be used with underfloor heating?
Yes, luxury vinyl tiles can be used with underfloor heating. However, this is different for each brand and make of LVT. It is also recommended to check first whether a certain LVT is suitable for underfloor heating and is radiant-approved.
Can LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) be installed over linoleum?
Yes, it is possible to install luxury vinyl tiles over linoleum. However, you should be aware of the quality of the linoleum and subfloor. If either is uneven, this can damage the LVT floating floor.
Installation and Maintenance
How do you install luxury vinyl tile flooring?
There are several methods for installing luxury vinyl tiles, including:
- Glue down – an adhesive is used to stick the tiles down.
- Click – tiles are interlocked without the use of adhesive.
- Looselay – using a combination of weight and grip to keep the tiles in place.
Is luxury vinyl flooring permanent?
Yes, depending on the installation type and quality, LVT has a typical lifespan of up to 30 years. The better the installation and quality of the subfloor, the longer the LVT will last. Installation methods, such as glue down, also increase the durability and lifespan.
How do I clean luxury vinyl tile flooring?
One of the best-selling features of LVT is its ease of cleaning and maintenance. All that is required is vacuuming once or twice a week to remove debris and dirt. Be careful when dragging the vacuum over the floor to avoid scratching, and use a hardwood floor brush.
Use a damp, microfibre cloth with appropriate floor cleaner to clean the floor. Avoid using abrasive cleaning pads, as these will scratch the tiles. Check your flooring cleaner is suitable for LVT and non-slippery. Also, avoid soaking the tiles with excessive amounts of water.
Bathrooms and Kitchens
Image source: Ambiance
Are luxury vinyl tiles waterproof?
Yes, luxury vinyl tiles are waterproof. The multiple layers, including the top wear layers, are designed to prevent moisture from soaking into the core layers, which can cause damage. Also, the installation ensures that water doesn’t seep between the tiles, causing the material to expand or stain.
Is LVT flooring suitable for bathrooms?
Yes, luxury vinyl tile is an excellent choice for bathrooms. Luxury vinyl adds a touch of elegance to a bathroom and is also a suitable choice for several other reasons. LVT is waterproof, durable, and easy to clean. It also comes in a range of natural designs to match your style.
Which way should luxury vinyl tile flooring run in a bathroom?
The best way for luxury vinyl tile flooring to run in a bathroom is to have the tiles pointing in the same direction as the leading natural light source (such as a window). Alternatively, you can position the tiles to run in the same direction as the doorway.
Are luxury vinyl floors best for a high-traffic kitchen?
Yes, luxury vinyl floors are ideal for high-traffic kitchens. LVT is durable and waterproof, making it suitable for kitchens. The manufacturing with several layers makes LVT a durable flooring to withstand high traffic. It’s also waterproof in the event of any spillages or leaks.
Did we answer all your questions about luxury vinyl tiles? With many great features and benefits, opting for a high-quality LVT can help transform your home or business space. The right flooring can make all the difference in creating a home to cherish or a favourable business impression.
Check out these answers to FAQs on luxury vinyl tiles in homes