Our Guide To LVT
Luxury vinyl tiles or planks, more commonly referred to as LVT or LVP, replicate timber and stone looks by using advanced technologies. Now your home can have the timeless look of wood or stone at a fraction of the cost. Here are some characteristics of LVT flooring to help you decide if it is the right choice for you.
The Basics
Luxury Vinyl Tiles/Planks (LVT/LVP) are made up of multiple layers starting with a base of PVC, topped with a fill layer for thickness and dimensional stability. On top of this, a photographic image is placed to replicate the latest trends in wood, ceramic and stone designs. On top of this image, a clear vinyl wear layer is applied to protect the tile or plank for durability. Depending on the variety of LVT that you are looking at, there may be slight differences in the layers making up the flooring. Some manufacturers use more or fewer layers or have different protective layers on the top surface to further enhance wear resistance and other features. These vary across the different ranges and can make some LVT superior to others.
Price & Quality
The quality of the top coat wear layer should not be underestimated as this is what makes LVT durable, hardwearing and scratch-resistant. Scratches from debris, furniture moving and human interaction can be avoided by selecting a quality LVT that has a better wear layer. It is always good practice to lift furniture instead of dragging when moving it across your floor and using felt pads on the feet of furniture.
There is a wide variety of qualities of LVT. Some ranges have the texture of wood or stone with grooves and embossing, truly replicating the look and feel of the raw material.
Installation
One of the most appealing features of LVT is the ability to install it in homes without having to remove skirting boards or kickboards from kitchen cabinetry. The subfloor must be finished well with no dust, dirt, high levels or protruding stones in the concrete. This is so the planks or tiles lay completely flat and don’t have any irregularities show through. It is always a good idea to order slightly more flooring than you need and to store this away somewhere safe. When you come to making any alterations to your home and need to ‘patch’ your floor or you seriously damage a plank, you can remove this and replace it for a seamless repair.
As LVT is glued directly to the subfloor without the use of an underlay, there may not be the desired or required sound absorption levels that can be achieved with other flooring types. This is especially important to note for multilevel homes or apartments where noise travels between floors. The exception to this is in the case of a loose-lay LVT which is thicker and has additional layers that enhance the acoustic properties beyond the standard LVT.
Installation is relatively quick as well so there may be savings in laying LVT over other hard flooring types.
Maintenance
LVT is an easy care, low maintenance flooring option. It doesn’t need waxing, polishing, sanding or refinishing. Instead, regular mopping and sweeping will maintain its appearance.
