Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) – PVC Flooring – What You Need To Know
It’s no secret that luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to their durability and range of styles and colours. But what exactly are luxury vinyl tiles, and why are they becoming so popular?
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at this type of flooring and see why it’s such a popular choice for both homeowners and businesses. We’ll also highlight some of the key benefits that come with choosing luxury vinyl tiles, so you can be sure you’re making the right decision for your needs.
What are Luxury Vinyl Tiles?
Luxury Vinyl Tiles, or LVT for short, are a type of resilient floor covering. It’s known as LVT in the UK market, but also referred to as PVC Floors in some European regions, and Luxury Vinyl Plank/Tile LVP/LVT in the USA.
These floors are made from multiple layers of PVC that are fused together using heat and pressure. The polyurethane top layer is a wear layer that helps protect the tile from scratches, stains, and fading.
Luxury vinyl tiles are a low maintenance option that can withstand a lot of wear and tear. Luxury vinyl tiles are also easy to clean and do not require sealing or waxing, although maintenance products are available to help preserve or restore a pristine appearance.
As an excellent alternative to ceramic tiles, stone or wood flooring, luxury vinyl tiles offer the realistic look of these materials, but are softer and warmer to the touch. These floors feature different surface embossing, from simple textures to fully registered embossing that is perfectly aligned to the printed layer and replicates the imitated material.
Luxury vinyl tiles can be installed in both residential and commercial applications, and are glued down, loose laid, or installed using the floating method. When these floors are installed fully adhered to the subfloor they are known as dryback products, when they are installed loose laid they are known as loose lay products, and when they are installed via the floating method they are often referred to as click-lock, rigid core, WPC, or SPC products.
Why Choose Luxury Vinyl Tiles?
With luxury vinyl tiles, you have a lot of different options to choose from. Here are just a few of the key benefits that come with choosing this type of flooring:
1. LVT is durable and are easy to clean and maintain.
2. LVT is scratch and water resistant, making it ideal for wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, or areas where spills are likely to occur.
3. There is a wide range of colours and styles available, so you can find the perfect look for your space.
4. LVT can be custom cut and laid in many ways, allowing for custom layouts, designs, and motifs.
5. With some preparation, LVT can be installed on top of some existing floors such as stone and ceramics, and can also be installed on top underfloor heating.
6. These floors can be used in both residential and commercial applications, and some manufacturers even offer a 25 year guarantee.
These are just a few of the reasons why luxury vinyl tiles are such a popular choice of flooring. If you’re looking for a durable, easy-to-maintain, and stylish flooring option, LVT is definitely worth considering.
What Types of Designs or Layouts can be achieved with LVT?
Dryback luxury vinyl tiles are so versatile that the possibilities for designs and layouts are virtually endless! Because dryback Luxury vinyl tiles are bonded directlyto the subfloor without relying on a locking mechanism, they can be cut to any shape with special tools, or by using a manufacturer’s design cutting service. This allows for some amazing layouts such as double herringbone, basket weave, pinwheel and many more.
As well as the installation of borders, custom motifs, and feature strips, transitions between multiple different styles and colours can also be achieved. Dryback luxury vinyl tiles do not require an expansion gap around the perimeter of the areas being installed.
Click-lock, and rigid core products are sometimes available in chevron and herringbone layouts, but the installation of borders and feature strips are currently unavailable. An expansion gap is required around the perimeter of the areas being installed, which is usually covered with baseboard, or scotia.
One benefit of many click-lock products is they can be installed directly over existing stable substrates such as concrete, ceramic tiles, resilient floorcoverings, and more. This preserves any existing flooring underneath without causing any damage to it.
What are Rigid Core SPC and WPC?
You may have heard of some luxury vinyl flooring referred to as SPC, meaning “stone plastic composite” or “solid plastic composite” because of the limestone and PVC polymer content within its solid core. Similarly, WPC, “meaning wood plastic composite” because of a small quantity of wood fibre is blended into its limestone and PVC polymer expanded foam core. SPC and WPC are both referred to as “rigid core”.
WPC is softer than SPC, making it more comfortable underfoot. WPC offers great acoustic and thermal benefits. SPC is harder and more dense, but is more dimensionally stable, and extremely temperature tolerant, making it ideal for areas such as sun rooms or conservatories. The hardness of SPC doesn’t allow for such deep embossing on the surface like the other softer types of luxury vinyl flooring.
Both SPC and WPC luxury vinyl flooring can be installed using the floating method, so they can easily be installed over an existing floor with no adhesives, and in most cases, levelling of the subfloor.
Can Luxury Vinyl Tiles be installed Outside?
It is not recommended to install luxury vinyl tiles outside. Although luxury vinyl tiles are not affected by moisture, rain water can penetrate in-between the seams which might affect the bond depending on the adhesive used and the subfloor underneath. Another reason is that UV rays from exposure to sunlight may cause fading over time. The top layer on luxury vinyl tiles contains a UV inhibitor to help minimise these effects.
To reduce fading, shades, blinds or UV window protection are used to minimise the floor’s exposure to direct sunlight.
There are special adhesives available that are designed for installing luxury vinyl tiles in wet areas, on top of underfloor heating, and areas of high solar gain, where extreme temperature fluctuations may occur.
How do I clean Luxury Vinyl Tiles?
All you need is a mopping with a gentle detergent and regular sweeping. You should not steam-clean the flooring since this may force water down in-between the seams. There are special maintenance products available, such as detergents, rejuvenating kits, and protective sealers.
Conclusion
Luxury vinyl tiles are a superb choice for anyone looking for a durable, stylish, and extremely versatile flooring option. With so many styles and colours to choose from, you are sure to find something that’s a perfect fit for your space.
Mighty Carpets & Flooring are specialists in luxury vinyl tiles and flooring. See our full range of products here!
