What is LVT? Everything you need to know about Luxury Vinyl Tiles!
Quick Facts about Luxury Vinyl Tiles
Whether it’s an issue with your space or your budget, Luxury Vinyl Tiles (or LVT) is the answer to your flooring need.
LVT is composed of PVC vinyl layers, a realistic 3D photo layer, and an extremely durable protective top layer. It’s made to look like wood, stone or even carpets so there are diverse range of options to choose from. Unlike Vinyl sheeting, Luxury Vinyl Tiles comes in tile or plank shape that are easy to install and replace. LVT might also be referred to as Luxury Vinyl Plank, or LVP, especially if the LVT mimics the look of wood or in shape of long planks.
Luxury Vinyl Tiles are available in both glue-down, loose lay and click-together options. Glue-down versions are thin, light weighted, and very flexible while the loose lay and click-together versions are thicker and range from flexible to rigid planks.
Here is a quick look at how LVT is made:
- The Base Layer : The first layer of your LVT plank or tile is the core, which creates the base for all your other layers and sits directly upon your prepped subfloor. Traditional LVT has a core made of semi rigid and flexible PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC). LVT with a wood plastic composite core is called WPC, and LVT with a stone plastic composite core is called SPC.
- Photographic Print Layer : This is where the fun part starts! The photographic print layer can mimic any pattern designs in wood, stone, or carpet that is imaginable (though wood-looking varieties are most popular). With LVT, you’ll find endless variety of options to match almost any design style.
- Transparent Protective Wear Layer : One of the most important parts of LVT is the protective wear layer! It seals the rest of the layers together and makes your floors resistant to scuffs, scratches, dents, and water damage.
Wide Range of Photographic Design Patterns for Print Layer Appearance
Luxury Vinyl Tiles LVT Characteristics
LVT floorings has nearly everything you want and need in a floor. Between the waterproof materials and protective layers, here’s what you can expect from all types of LVT flooring, including SPC and WPC options:
- Waterproof: All resilient luxury vinyl tiles are 100% waterproof. This property making it a great floor covering product for any space in the house, even kitchens and bathrooms where moisture tends to accumulate.
- Low Maintenance: Forget special cleaning methods, sanding or refinishing on worn out floorings. With LVT only general sweeping and mopping is required to keep the flooring looking beautiful!
- Durability: Luxury Vinyl Tiles are designed with a protective wear layer on top to prevent scratches, dents, and scuffs that come from daily use and tear. For this reason, LVT is one of the best flooring for households with dogs and other kind of pets.
- Versatile Style: Thanks to the high definition photographic print layer, LVT can have almost endless of design pattern options to select from. Therefore any flooring distributors are able to find something ideal that meets the style they are looking for.
- Long Lasting: With proper care and maintenance, LVT floor tiles can last up to 20 years!
Why Consumers Love Luxury Vinyl Tiles?
Consumers choose Luxury vinyl tiles over other type of floors for a reason. There are just simply many benefits that LVT can offer while other flooring options does not. Below we summarized some of the reasons why consumers choose over Luxury vinyl tiles from DIY perspective:
An Easy Solution to Uneven Surfaces
A click-together LVT floor produces a floating surface that is more forgiving than its glue-down counterpart which is more prone to reveal imperfections in the sub-surface.
Hardwood Appearance without the Hardwood Cons
Many consumers want hardwood in their basement, bathrooms, or laundry room. But because of moistures, it’s not recommended to install real hardwoods in these spaces. Both glue-down and click-together LVT options are great alternatives that look like wood and can be installed in any indoor space.
DIY-Friendly Installation
Installation is much easier with LVT compared to hardwood and tile. You don’t have to deal with nail guns, leveling, spacers, or grout. It’s a great product for the novice DIYer and can save time and money.
Cost Effective & Inexpensive
When comparing the cost of LVT to hardwood, LVT is much more economical. It depends on the type and finish, but it can reduce your costs by as much as $3-5 per square foot. The cost is comparable to tiles, but after factoring in tools and materials needed for installation, LVT are still considerably more affordable.
Conclusion
So, if you are looking for a floor covering product that offers wider flexibility in aesthetic designs and is easy on the budget, LVT is an excellent option. Check out our selection of Resilient Vinyl Flooring Products Here!
If you are a flooring business considering about importing luxury vinyl tiles directly from China, then Sreelance would be your one of best choice to go for.
Sreelance Material Technology is a specialized sourcing partner supporting importers to better sourcing floorings from China.
