70% of all home projects are DIY projects. The boom of home renovation shows website tutorials and the power of social media has made many homeowners feel confident enough to tackle their home projects.
One of the most popular home renovations is updating the home’s flooring. Many people are choosing luxury vinyl tiles flooring over traditional flooring methods.
But what is luxury vinyl tile? Read on to find out. We’ll also cover the many features and benefits of luxury vinyl and look at the differences between it and regular vinyl.
What Is Luxury Vinyl Tile?
Luxury vinyl tiles flooring (LVF) is a new type of vinyl flooring that mimics wood, stone or ceramic tile. Yet luxury vinyl tile is much more durable and affordable than these other natural options.
Luxury vinyl tile is different than traditional vinyl tile because it looks similar to natural wood, stone, and ceramic materials.
The surface layer of LVF does an incredible job of mimicking more expensive flooring materials because it combines textures and photo images of the real materials.
Vinyl flooring is made from various thin layers which makes this type of flooring flexible.
Features of LVF Flooring
Luxury vinyl flooring is thicker than traditional vinyl flooring tiles. The image is realistic and includes deeper embossing for increased texture and a closer imitation of the natural materials.
LVF flooring can look like slate, marble, maple, teak, oak, walnut or various other types of stones and wood.
Whereas traditional vinyl flooring tiles are typically square, luxury vinyl tiles usually come in planks. This is just like laminate flooring.
Luxury vinyl can either be 100% vinyl or a mixture of limestone and vinyl. The composition depends on the look you are going for.
If you want a natural wood finish, those luxury vinyl floors are made from 100% vinyl. Flooring that looks like natural stone often has minerals like limestone to give it the right effect. Even when a luxury vinyl floor is made from a mixture, the top layer is all vinyl.
Benefits of Luxury Vinyl Tile
There are many benefits to having luxury vinyl tile which is why this flooring is growing in popularity.
First of all, LVF resists wear and tear better than stone and wood floors. This is due to a scratch-resistant top layer as well as the floor’s built-in stain guard.
With luxury vinyl tile, you won’t need to worry about scratching or denting your floor in whatever room you install it.
Another key benefit is that vinyl tile is waterproof. You can use this flooring in areas you might never have installed wood such as kitchens and bathrooms and utility rooms.
Luxury vinyl tile is very forgiving. It can withstand humidity and moisture well. Wood on the other hand often spreads or warps. You could easily install luxury vinyl in a garden room without any problems.
Check out all the ways that you can do a kitchen reno on a tight budget.
Luxury Vinyl Tile Lets You Be Creative
Luxury vinyl tiles flooring gives you the freedom to design your space the way you want it. You can easily create visually appealing patterns in your room when you install the floor.
If you bought luxury vinyl tiles you can set them in unique patterns to mimic real stone or ceramic floors. You can also use other colors to create a bigger visual impact or to create a border.
With the luxury vinyl planks, you can lay them down in a chevron pattern or also use contrasting planks to create a striped look. Some people choose to use different colors to create a border around the perimeter of a room.
Really, there are limitless options when you choose luxury vinyl flooring for your home. Learn more about the designs you can make with your luxury vinyl flooring.
How Is Luxury Vinyl Tile Made?
Luxury vinyl tile is manufactured in the same way as vinyl tile, with just some differences.
Though each brand may have their own design process, these general steps are all the same.
Multiple layers of vinyl are compressed together to form luxury vinyl flooring. Typically, luxury vinyl is made of up 5, thin, flexible layers.
The top layer is the protective coat that resists scratches and stains. Next comes the HD photo that gives the appearance of natural stone or wood.
The third layer from the top is another image of either wood or stone. The lower layers make up the core of the flooring. These include a fiberglass layer and a moisture-resistant layer. that resists impact.
During the manufacturing process, an interlocking click system is notched into the flooring to make installation easy.
Installing Luxury Vinyl Flooring
LVF flooring is easier to install than either laminate or hardwood or natural stone.
You can choose to glue the individual planks down on the subfloor. This is called a dry back method.
Or you may choose to let the vinyl floor float and simply click the pieces into place. The end result is a gap-free, seamless flooring that looks stunning.
Differences Between Vinyl and Luxury Vinyl
The main difference between vinyl and luxury vinyl is the appearance. Vinyl tile comes in various colors and styles but none approach the appearance of luxury vinyl which mirrors hardwood and stone. Many people can’t tell the difference between luxury vinyl and hardwood floors.
There is no difference in the number of layers in vinyl and luxury vinyl. The difference is only in the thickness of the final product.
Regular vinyl can be up to 10 times as thin as luxury vinyl. The cheapest vinyl is a mere 1.2 mm thick.
Luxury vinyl is anywhere from 10-12 mm thick. This means that luxury vinyl is more durable compared to regular vinyl floors.
All of these differences lead to the difference in price. A vinyl floor can start at just 50 cents per square foot. On the other hand, luxury tile starts at $2/sq. foot.
The top of the range can even go as high as $10 per square foot.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading! We hope we’ve answered all your questions about what is luxury vinyl tile.
If you are looking for a durable, easy-to-care-for floor solution for your home, luxury vinyl flooring is a great option.
Next, check out the upcoming 2019 home design trends.