What's Luxury Vinyl Flooring?

Vinyl flooring has always been a great way to change the look of a room or protect an older floor from the wear and tear of foot traffic. With the arrival of luxury vinyl plank and tile vinyl flooring, there is now more to choose from.

There are easier ways to put up individual tiles and planks, like "click-lock" or interlocking boards and groutable tiles. The designs look like natural stone, hardwood, and clay tiles, and they are solid enough to feel like "the real thing" with some extra padding to soften your steps. 

Luxury vinyl planks or tiles can be put over a cement slab floor or tile, or they can be placed on a wall instead of being painted for a unique accent. Lifeproof rigid core luxury vinyl flooring is a popular choice for DIY home improvement projects because it is easy to install, has a soft and long-lasting surface, and is easy to clean.

Not all Luxury Vinyl Flooring is the same.

There are many different kinds of vinyl flooring, each with its own color, size, shape, and feel. With so many choices, it's important to find the right flooring to do a DIY job that you can finish in a weekend that will look great for years to come.

Luxury Vinyl Plank - Known as LVP, is a strong, flexible, water-resistant, or even waterproof choice. It comes in a number of high-definition designs, such as vinyl planks that look like wood or stone. Some have a cork layer for extra padding and warmth, and there are different ways to put them together. LVP flooring can be glued to an existing floor, click together, or peel and stick, which makes it easy to install.

Engineered Vinyl Plank - Known as EVP, looks like wooden floors because it is long and thin and comes in different widths. You can mix and match lengths, widths, colors, and designs to make a floor that looks like real hardwood but easier to clean, durable, and resistant to water.

Engineered Vinyl Tile - Known as EVT, has square edges and is made to look like stone, marble, wood, or ceramic tile. It can be put down edge to edge for a smooth look or with grout to look and feel like tile.

Sheet vinyl - The most common type of vinyl. Good for covering big areas of floor without having to worry about putting down individual pieces or patterns that repeat. This type of flooring has a pattern that is ready to go, even if there are corners or walls. It is very sensitive to how the floor underneath the sheeting is, so it works best on smooth, level floors.

Vinyl Flooring has a lot of Benefits.

Luxury vinyl flooring can be used in any room of the house to make a lasting or temporary design change. Pieces that fit together don't have to be glued. They can float across the floor and stay locked in place until they are taken apart or broken. Luxury vinyl planks can be installed on a new floor, a floor pad that has been cleared, or on top of wood, tile, or stone floors that are clean and solid. Some LVP can even be used as wallcovering to make accent walls that are both durable and pretty.

Luxury vinyl planks, or LVP, are made in layers like hardwood laminate flooring planks. They have a protective finish over multiple layers of pressed vinyl, which are sealed into a hardboard core and backed with a subfloor. Cork or felt backing gives each step cushioning and helps keep the floor at a more constant temperature than cold tile. These vinyl tiles and planks are quieter and better at absorbing sound. They help cut down on echo and noise in the home.

EVT and EVP come in water-resistant planks that can withstand spills, dirty pets, and shoe traffic. Some brands are fully waterproof and good for places with ighh humidity, while others are only made for dry places. Check the specifications before you buy to make sure it will work for your family's lifestyle. 

Appearance and Style of Vinyl Flooring

The look of the planks and tiles is probably the most obvious benefit of luxury vinyl. Because they are stacked and have different textures, it's easy to find a style that fits your taste. Luxury vinyl boards look more expensive and are resistant to water and scratches. With textured luxury vinyl tile of better quality, you can get the look you want without the wear and tear that comes from everyday use. 

Look for these styles:

Wood, Stone, Marble, Cement, Ceramic, or Porcelain

What to Know Before Buying Luxury Vinyl Flooring

A strong vinyl floor can last for 10 to 20 years in a home. That's about the same as the life expectancy of other flooring options and you can cost less in general. Even though the floor is one of the most important parts of your home's design and activities, there are a few other things to think about when looking for the right flooring. 

Cost

Luxury vinyl tile and wood can cost anywhere from $1 to just under $5 per square foot before installation costs. It is one of the least expensive ways to cover a floor. If you choose to install vinyl planks yourself, the only costs you'll have are for the materials and your time. This can save you a lot of money.

Selection

There are a lot of flooring choices that look and function similarly to EVP and LVP but have different pros, cons, and costs. 

Solid wooden floors are the most popular because they add value to a home. However, they are soft and easy to scratch, and they are also very expensive. 

Engineered hardwood is second in property value because it is made of hardwood veneers. It works and installs the same as engineered vinyl, but it is not as immune to water as engineered vinyl.

Even though cost is similar, luxury vinyl flooring is more durable and immune to water than laminate flooring. Fiberboard is stacked under a decorative plastic layer on laminate, and if that plastic layer gets faded or scratched, the laminate will need to be changed.

Quality

With the variety of vinyl flooring available today, there are a few key things to look for to find the best product for your home. 

Finish - Urethane and no-wax finishes work well in dry, low-traffic places and are easy to clean. Enhanced urethane finish gives the surface a high-gloss look and makes it the hardest and least likely to scratch. 

Textured surface -  The textured surface of vinyl planks and tiles helps protect their sturdiness and make the floor less likely to slip.

Waterproof -  Look for the most water-resistant choice for places like basements, kitchens, entryways, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. Vinyl planks or tiles are a good way to make the floor in the kitchen or bathroom match the colors and patterns of the rest of the house. They can also withstand humidity in the whole house.

Wear layer -  Luxury vinyl tile and planks are made of different layers that work together to make them stronger. The wear layer should be the thickest because it covers the core vinyl layer and the print layer, which give the vinyl tile or plank its stability and style. With modest traffic, a wear layer of 5 mm or more can hold up well. The general quality is better if the wear layer is thicker, so choose the wear layer thickness that works best for your space.

Luxury Vinyl Installation

It's important to know what your project needs ahead of time in order to communicate easily about any possible problems before delaying the installation.

Start by asking yourself some simple questions about the floor you're going to replace. 

What is the surface condition? 

Will the new floor be put down on top of a tile or wood floor that is already there? 

Is the floor level or does it slope? 

Some vinyl flooring can be put down on subfloors or on top of existing floors, while others need a backer layer to protect the old floor and provide padding for the new floor. Make sure you don't have to do any extra work or modifications before you can put down the new flooring. 

Planks or tiles made of luxury vinyl should be put down on a flat, level area whenever possible. Bumps, cracks, and uneven edges can make it hard to place the vinyl and can also cause it to break over time. On sloped floors, you shouldn't use wider planks because they can't always handle the slope.

Before you buy any flooring, you should take full measures, using a bubble level. When it comes to flooring, the old saying, "Measure twice, cut once," is very true. Walls and stairs can change the shape of the square area, somake sure to measure twice and cut once. Flooring is offered by the square foot, and it's a good idea to keep a box of extra planks or tiles in case you need to make repairs in the future.

Luxury Vinyl and Moisture Concerns

If you are working with a concrete pad, check how wet the room is. If there is too much wetness under the vinyl flooring, mold could grow there. Before vinyl tiles or planks can be put on the floor, it may need to be waterproofed. Under click-lock vinyl plank flooring, it's a good idea to put an air barrier.

Taping a piece of vinyl to the floor is an easy way to make sure a luxury vinyl floor will work with the temperature and humidity in the room. Put duct tape around all the edges and let it sit for a few days. It should stay where it is and not cup. If the floor has too much moisture, the tape won't stick to it, and you should talk to a contractor to figure out what will work best in your area.

Help with Installation

If you want to install something yourself, you should always look at the directions from the manufacturer for tips and ideas that are specific to your flooring. Here are a few more professional tips to get you started:

Let the flooring acclimate to your home by leaving the boxes in the room for at least 48 hours before you install it. This will reduce the chance that the vinyl will get bigger or smaller and complicate installation.

Lay out the planks ahead of time to make a pattern or mix and match them from different boxes. This will make sure that the patterns on the planks don't repeat and that, when fitted, they look like natural wood or stone patterns. It's also a good way to make sure the colors you choose go well with the flooring in other adjacent rooms.

Cut the boards ahead of time based on the size of the room and the style you want to use.

Leave enough space between the planks by using spacers and shims to allow the floor to settle and the planks to expand. This will prevent the need to fix holes in the luxury vinyl flooring later.



Do not bang planks or tiles into place. If you miss, you could damage the grooves. 

Follow the directions for how to use the glue. Let glue-down floors dry for at least 48 hours before you walk on them or replace furniture.

Interlocking and loose lay flooring can be walked on as soon as the floor is done, as long as no glue or tape was used to attach it to the base.

Luxury Vinyl Maintenance Tips

Protecting your floor from scratches and scuffs starts with keeping it clean. Dust and dirt can diminish the shine of any type of flooring, even vinyl planks and tiles. But the rules for how to take care of them are different from those for other types. 

Luxury vinyl tile or board flooring is different in a big way: it does not need wax sealants, sanding, or refinishing. Surfaces will get damaged by harsh chemicals. If cleaning leaves too much water between the floorboards, it can lead to mold problems. 

Here are some more helpful tips for keeping your luxury vinyl flooring clean and safe.

Wait at least 24 hours after putting down a floor before cleaning it, so that the wetness doesn't disturb the glue.

Use doormats and rugs to keep the floor clean and keep shoes from scratching the finish layer. 



Use furniture coasters to keep heavy desk and cabinet legs from leaving marks on your floor. The furniture coaster should be bigger than the furniture so that the weight is dispersed evenly.

For everyday light cleaning, a broom with soft bristles should do the job.

Vacuums can be used on vinyl floors, but the beater bar needs to be turned off before use to keep the surface from getting scratched.

To clean luxury vinyl tile or plank, only use wet mopping tools or dust mops to get rid of dirt and footprints that have settled.

Always clean up spills right away to avoid long-term damage you can't see.

Use a small amount of Apple Cider Vinegar or plain vinegar to clean up messes. Either one will help clean up the mess and will disappear without leaving anything behind.

Do not try to get rid of tough stains by using harsh chemicals, floor strippers, or soaps.