Buyer’s guide to luxury vinyl tile flooring
LVT flooring is a popular choice for homeowners as it offers the look of natural materials but the practicality of vinyl.
Image: Lifestyle Floors
Designed to look like real wood, stone and other naturally occuring materials, LVT flooring not only looks like the real thing but feels like it too, with the grain of wood and the worn surface of stone nearly replicated. If you’re looking for the convenience of vinyl flooring with a little more luxury, LVT flooring is the perfect choice. It’s waterproof, versatile and highly durable.
We spoke to the experts at Lifestyle Floors who has offered a comprehensive guide on what to expect and how to best care for LVT flooring.
Two types of LVT
There are two types of LVT flooring. One has a click mechanism which means the tiles and planks can be clicked together on installation. The other type is called a dry back or stick-down floor, which means the planks and tiles are glued to a sub floor on installation. They both have their merits and it’s important to understand the features and benefits of both so you can choose the best floor for you.
Stick down LVT flooring means the flooring performs well in all areas of the home, including high temperature areas such as conservatories and rooms where there are a lot of windows and will shrink and contract with the extreme temperature variations.
Click LVT’s main benefit is that it is much quicker to install than stick-down and it can be laid on several different types of sub-floor as long as it is even.
A room guide
Image: Tile Mountain
LVT is ideal for any room where you would consider natural wood, stone or ceramic flooring: in other words, any room in the house. It’s ideal for kitchens, where spills can easily be wiped away; bathrooms, where its waterproof properties come into their own; and conservatories and hallways, where the outdoors comes inside.
The fitting process
LVT flooring should be fitted by a professional flooring installer as it requires specialist treatment for the best results. It can be fitted over most sub-floor and used in conjunction with underfloor heating, although the sub-floor may need pre-treatment to ensure a perfect fit.
How to maintain
Image: Carpetright
One of the main benefits of LVT is that it is very easy to keep clean and in good condition. It can be swept with a broom and cleaned with a mop using cleaning products designed for use on this type of flooring. Washing up liquid or bleach-based products should not be used.
If you have any heavy furniture, use wheel castors or cups to spread the weight and avoid indentations on the flooring and damage to the sub-floor. Do not slide or drag furniture across the floor as it will mark the surface.
Are you a fan of LVT? Let us know how you get on by tweeting us @goodhomesmag or posting a comment on our Facebook page.