What is Luxury Vinyl Tile?
Luxury Vinyl Tile is a luxury vinyl product that has a surface appearance of stone, ceramic tile, wood, or fabric. Luxury Vinyl Tile is often called LVT. It has natural colors and surface texture that can match its appearance. Most manufacturers of LVT are made to be installed without grout and can be easily installed without a professional (DIY).
Luxury Vinyl Tile has surface images that often include nontraditional tile, and do not reflect realism. For example, they may have marbles or fish, they may have a pattern very similar to wallpaper or a mural.
Features & Benefits of Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring
Below are some of the key features and benefits of luxury vinyl tile
|
Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring Features |
Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring Benefits |
| Incredibly realistic photo replication of natural materials (photogravure process) |
The look and feel of nature’s best materials at a lower cost are a reality of Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring manufacturing |
| 100% vinyl material | Vinyl flooring satisfies Green building standards and earns LEED points in commercial applications. |
| Made of recycled material & can be recycled | Tiles have a range from 98.5% to 53% recycled material, depending on the color. Black has the most. |
| Inherent safety features | Meets requirements of commercial flammability codes, slip-resistant requirements…and a menu of other safety codes |
| Ease of maintenance | Simple damp mopping is the recommended cleaning procedure for LVT floors |
| Excellent selection of sizes, shapes | The size options vary by manufacturer, but many styles are available in 12 x 12”, 18 x 18”, 12 x 24” sizes, and planks in standard (3 x 36” 4.5 x 36) and extra-large widths (7 or 9’ widths). |
| Naturally water resistant | LVT floors are inherently water resistant (and fairly impervious to wet spills from above). It’s important to install over flat, dry, approved substrates so that no water seepage occurs beneath the floor. |
| Scratch, stain, dent and scuff resistant | Specialized wear layers (most common are 20 mil ; some offer up to a 40 mil layer). Then the floors are coated with urethane to enhance durability |
| Cost effective | Economics factor favorably into the specification of Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring for both commercial and residential applications, giving the look and feel of rich, natural materials at a lower cost |
| Exceptional durability | Since most luxury vinyl tile flooring is also constructed to withstand commercial wear and tear, it’s ideal for residential high-traffic areas as well as other areas of the home. Warranties vary by manufacturer, but it’s not unusual to see 20-25 year warranties on brand-name luxury vinyl tile flooring. |
| More resilient than other hard surface floors | Because there are multi-layers of vinyl in luxury vinyl tile flooring as well as a resilient backing as the foundation, LVT tiles and planks have more resilience underfoot. It’s easier to stand on for long periods of time AND as an added benefit, it tends to be warmer underfoot than ceramic. |
Amazing aesthetics   |
There has been a stunning transformation in the design aesthetics of Luxury vinyl tile flooring in the last seven years. If you are linking it to “industrial” looking floors, this is where you need to throw away your misconceptions and do some research. This may be the one biggest factor that has caused interior designers to stand up and take note of the new brand of LVT. The realism of the total look, INCLUDING distressed wood finishes, stone and slate tactile surface textures, and even woven textiles embedded in the wear layers, are grabbing attention. |
