Luxury vinyl basics
Mohawk, Shaw, Tarkett, Armstrong, Congoleum, and Mannington are a few of the companies that produce high-quality luxury vinyl tile flooring. It's often true that LVT mimics the look of stone while luxury vinyl planks (LVP) mimic the look of wood. But you can find 'hardwood' LVT too. 3D printing technology provides deep embossing that assures realistic stone and wood designs. Luxury vinyl that has a wood plastic composite (WPC) or stone plastic composite (SPC) core is waterproof. This type of flooring won't buckle, swell, or warp. The durability of a tile is dependent upon the thickness of the wear layer that covers the design layer. Look for a thickness of at least 12-mil. A wear layer with a protective topcoat is best.
Installation
Some luxury vinyl tile floors are glued to the subfloor while others are not attached. Further, some brands can be installed over an existing floor, making your flooring project more cost-effective. LVT is often installed as a floor that floats over the subfloor. Damaged tiles are easy to replace, and the floor itself can be removed easily when it is time to replace it. Floating floor methods of installation include:
- Congoleum?s SmartLoc Click - interlocking tongue and groove joints lock tiles together
- Shaw?s Versa Lock - choice of loose-lay, full spread, or perimeter glue installation
- Mohawk?s Uniclic Multifit - tiles can be installed horizontally, vertically, or at an angle
