Luxury Vinyl Tiles are expensive. However, are they worth the money? In our humble opinion, the answer is yes! To back up this claim, we have pieced together 6 reasons why choosing luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) is totally worth the extra cost.
What are luxury vinyl tiles?
Luxury vinyl tiles have become an increasingly popular choice of flooring over the past few years. LVT is often chosen because it can be fitted in any room.
A lot of people see what they think is laminate in bathrooms and install laminate to their home only to find out that laminate is not suitable for bathrooms.
This is because laminate is susceptible to water damage. Luxury vinyl tiles on the other hand are not.
LVT is made up of different layers, which form sturdy, high quality flooring with authentic looks.
There are two key LVT flooring suppliers; Karndean and Amtico. Both highly-reviewed brands are renowned for their huge range of styles and designs.
Why is it worth the extra money?
Before luxury vinyl tiles, there was standard vinyl flooring – a popular choice back in the eighties. Standard vinyl flooring is essentially one whole sheet that’s installed, unlike luxury vinyl tiles, which are separate tiles.
Although standard vinyl is slightly cheaper than luxury vinyl, it doesn’t have the same quality and authenticity as LVT. Here is why spending a little bit extra on LVT is completely worth it.
1) It’s durability and longevity
Luxury vinyl tiles are renowned for durability and longevity. Being made up by multiple layers, special thanks must be given to the top and most important layer – the wear layer.
The wear layer provides LVT with thickness, which ultimately makes it tougher and longer lasting. Moreover, this layer is scratch and dent resistant.
The wear layer is measured in 1/10ths of a millimetre, and usually the thicker it is, the better protected the flooring is. The average lifespan of LVT is about 10 to 20 years.
2) Easy maintenance
Thanks to the wear layer, again, LVT is a low maintenance flooring option. Unlike other types of flooring that require waxing and polishing, LVT only requires regular sweeping or vacuuming, and mopping.
LVT is stain resistant, however when some stains are tough, all you need to do is dampen a cloth with hot water and a mild detergent and scrub it over the mark.
3) Range of designs
LVT’s huge range of realistic looking designs is one of the main reasons why it has become so popular. Designs come in a variety of appearances, sizes and textures. Appearances range from authentic types of wood to cool stone effects.
LVT vinyl can also be embossed to replicate the texture of wood, stone and other natural materials. Most of the time it’s hard to tell the difference between LVT and real hardwood or stone flooring.
4) Perfect for any room in the house
Luxury vinyl tiles are soft underfoot for bedrooms, water resistant for bathrooms, durable for hallways and suitable for every room in your home.
Living rooms
One major benefit of Karndean LVT flooring, is that it retains warmth underfoot and it always stays at a balanced temperature.
Hardwood flooring becomes cold during the winter months, but with LVT you’ll never have this problem. The recommended wear layer thickness for living rooms is 0.2mm, as there’s lighter foot traffic in this area. It’s also significantly softer to walk on.
Bathrooms and kitchens
Another great benefit of LVT flooring is its water-resistant qualities. LVT from both Karndean and Amtico are waterproof and slip-resistant, making it perfect for rooms where slips and spills are likely.
Moreover, the fact that it’s naturally hygienic and easy to clean makes it suitable for kitchens. A simple mop easily removes dust, dirt and allergens.
Hallways
Luxury vinyl tile flooring is perfect for hallways too, because it can also handle heavier foot traffic. Hallways are likely to be the area of the house where walking happens the most.
A slightly thicker wear layer is recommended for areas where there’s a heavier foot traffic. Sometimes floorboards can creak loudly in heavy foot traffic areas, fortunately, LVT flooring has noise reducing qualities.
5) Environmentally friendly
You won’t even have to worry about harming the environment if you choose luxury vinyl tiles. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful chemicals that are used to manufacture products, like some types of flooring, and once they’re released into the air they can cause health issues.
Thankfully, LVT is typically a low-VOC flooring option. Karndean and Amtico have been validated to indoor ‘Air Comfort Gold Standard’ and Amtico are also committed to offering low environmental impact products.
6) Easy installation
Unlike the installation of a lot of other types of flooring, laying luxury vinyl is a straight-forward and fast process. It can be fitted in a room within a day.
LVT is easy to replace too, incase any unlikely damage happens. It is installed by a ‘glue down’ method. Although this is an easy technique, it’s a job that should be left to experienced professionals, if you’re looking for the best results.
So is it worth it?
Again, yes, we believe so! Luxury vinyl tiles are so versatile and durable that they win over laminate every day.
Granted LVTs don’t have the grandeur of real wood, however, the come extremely close due to their embossed textures and are much more adaptable.
If you are thinking about flooring for your home, acknowledge the additional price tag associated with luxury vinyl tiles and carefully way up the many benefits you get.
At the end of the day home décor is all down to your personal preference.
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