It’s time! You’ve decided to finally stop putting off that home improvement project you’ve been thinking about for months and redo your flooring. Congrats! But then you remember your budget and wince. Well, wince no more because we’re here to let you know about another beautiful option, as an alternative to hardwood, which won’t break the bank and will give you the flooring of your dreams!
We’re going to give you the low down on luxury vinyl flooring and why you should consider it when renovating your home. Ready to explore with us?
What Is Luxury Vinyl Flooring?
Let’s talk about the world of luxury vinyl flooring. Luxury vinyl flooring is a premier option to imitate hardwood when it’s out of your wallet’s reach, and luckily, it comes as planks, just like hardwood does.
Vinyl flooring planks are a mixture of solid polyvinyl chloride chips. Those solid planks are exceptionally durable and work well in high traffic areas of the home. Whether that means small children running around on sugar highs or pets romping around excitedly, vinyl flooring can withstand it all. That’s because of a urethane protective layer that stops abrasions and scratches before they can score your floors.
That urethane layer is at the top of the multiple layers that sandwich together to make your flooring. Aluminum oxide infused with a sealing coat is the first layer. Its polyurethane coating gives that extra durability and lends a shine to the product. Underneath that is extra thick clear vinyl, which also helps your floors stand up to life’s wear and tear. The clear vinyl, one more layer down, is also thick, which resists the damage of everyday wear, even in the busiest of lifestyles. While those coats are clear, the next layer down is the vinyl pattern you picked out originally. You know, the original reason you chose the flooring in the first place?
It’s easy to find vinyl reproductions of just about every species of hardwood, and companies have perfected the art of color variations to match trees in real life. Under that layer is a high-impact reinforced PVC core, which adds to the stability and water resistance of your floor.
Additionally, there are two other types of vinyl flooring that you can take into consideration when shopping around: WPC and SPC. WPC is a new variation on your traditional luxury vinyl flooring. It has a combination of wood and plastic to function as the core, as opposed to PVC backing. That backing combines recycled wood pulp and plastic, which makes a strong and stable backing. WPC gives you a cushier, bouncier feel than normal vinyl flooring.
In addition, there are a couple of layers under the vinyl pattern you can see, which also contribute to the water resistance and stability. The core is extremely high density and won’t expand. Finally, a cork underlayment finishes everything off by providing some sound insulation, gets rid of the need for a separate underlayment, and also resists mold and mildew for those humid climates. Plus, WPC beefs up its top layer for even more protection.
Even newer than WPC is SPC or stone polymer composite. If you can believe it, it’s even more durable than normal vinyl or WPC and adds fire resistance on top of all its other benefits. It’s so strong that some people think it should be used as coating for stone monuments! The backing is made of limestone powder and other stabilizers, which makes it so dense that each plank is actually the thinnest of all types of vinyl flooring.
SPC is easier for companies to produce, which means that it’s cheaper than many other vinyl options. Well, it will be. At the moment, it is such a new technology that it’s hard to find on the market at the moment, but it’s rapidly catching on and will certainly be more available as time goes on.
Water Resistant
Did you know that luxury vinyl flooring is 100% water resistant? This is a huge plus for places with higher moisture levels like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements within your home. So, the good news is that whether you choose traditional vinyl, SPC, or WPC, these will all stand up pretty well to the moisture or humidity within your home.
Besides being able to handle a little water (or a lot of water), these vinyl floorings come in a variety of colors and patterns to mimic solid hardwood. However, they also come in shades of gray, which are usually difficult to find in real hardwood and expensive when you do. There are also unique farmhouse and distressed looks which just can’t be replicated easily in real hardwood that can add a lot of charm and pizazz to your home. This flooring option can be a perfect addition to your dream house.
Easy To Install
Not only is the installation cheaper and less labor-intensive, but the actual planks are much less expensive than solid hardwood while still giving you their beautiful look. Luxury vinyl flooring can be installed directly onto your subfloor so, assuming it’s in good condition, the installation process can be quick and easy.
Do you already have tile floors and want to put in luxury vinyl? No problem! You can literally lay it down right over the tile to save money and the time of ripping out the tile beforehand. That might be the difference between a project you can do yourself or needing to hire a professional contractor.
When it comes to luxury vinyl flooring, it’s recommended to use the glue-down method, which uses an adhesive to glue down the vinyl to your subfloor. The glue gives the floor stability without constraining any of its natural characteristics. This method involves two types of adhesives:
• Hard set: Similar to carpet adhesive, this adhesive spreads along the subfloor to firmly hold the vinyl flooring in place. It also allows the floor to absorb pressure and decreases the likelihood that moving heavy furniture will leave marks or indentations.
• Pressure-sensitive: This type of adhesive makes the installation easy while still allowing for removal if you decide to replace it later on.
Ready for some good news? Unlike wood floors, you don’t have to go through the process of letting the vinyl sit and adjust to the moisture in your home, so installation is much faster. WPC and SPC are just as easy to install as traditional luxury vinyl flooring with click and lock panels. They are installed using a floating method, meaning you don’t need any glue or adhesives, and you don’t have to worry about stepping on any errant nails. Sounds perfect, right?
Click and lock connection works by giving the planks built-in interlocking systems. The planks actually click and lock when laid down. The planks click together when laid down on the subfloor and snap together, all without any glue. Floating floor installation can be done on any kind of subfloor. All of that means that even someone without extensive experience could install their own floors. Another awesome way to save money while performing your dream flooring renovation!
This means you can ditch heavy power tools and skip the mess that comes with them. No fuss, no mess, and no glue everywhere! This is a fun home improvement project that is relatively simple and won’t leave you with a mess to clean up for days. Once you’re done, you can actually sit back, relax, and revel in your accomplishment!
Low Maintenance
Besides sweeping up once in a while and spot cleaning, your floors will be impervious to most types of damage if you go with luxury vinyl flooring. It’s a long-lasting product that can easily be kept looking fresh and new. If you notice it’s losing its shine, you can refinish the planks easily to add a little more sparkle to your floors. Luxury vinyl flooring is truly a great option if you have allergies and don’t want pet fur and dander to get trapped in your floor. This can be a huge plus for some people!
If a plank of your vinyl flooring somehow manages to get damaged, the good news is that it’s easy to pull up the plank and replace it without having to redo a whole section of the floor or make a huge mess by pulling up nails and cracked tiles. Luxury vinyl flooring really can make all your flooring dreams come true!
Sources
https://theflooringgirl.com/blog/what-is-luxury-vinyl-plank-flooring-pros-cons-of-lvp-evp/
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/61/1/269/pdf
