What is LVT Flooring and why is it so popular?

11 Aug 2021

LVT flooring is one of the most popular types of flooring available today. But what exactly is it? LVT or Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring is a synthetic flooring product that is made to resemble real wood or stone floors. It is a highly durable and versatile product that can be laid to create truly original looks in your home.

What is luxury vinyl tile made of?

LVT is made from multiple layers of materials such as PVC vinyl and resin compounded with plasticisers and stabilisers.

The top layers are known as the wear layers. This gives the product its durability and can provide anti-slip properties. Depending on the brand or type of flooring the wear layers are coated with an extra protective film to increase durability and prevent wear and tear.

Underneath the wear layers will be the pattern layer. This will be a recreation of a natural wood, stone, slate, marble or concrete floor.

The final backing layers are added to give the tile or plank it’s foundation and stability, and depending on the type of LVT can help it adhere to the subfloor without the need of adhesive. The stability layers help give the flooring its strength but are also flexible enough to be cut with a knife.

Many brands of luxury vinyl flooring are relatively sustainable. Most are now made with phthalate free materials. While low exposures to phthalates are harmless, there has been recent research suggesting the potentially negative impacts a high exposure of phthalates can have on our health.

Due to the durability and lifespan of vinyl flooring being so long it doesn’t need to be replaced as often as more traditional types of flooring such as carpet.

Different formats of luxury Vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring is a highly versatile flooring product. There are a number of formats available which will suit any home or budget.

Most brands will offer the following types of vinyl flooring:

Glue down ranges

This is exactly as the name suggests, you will need to glue this down to keep it in place. Glue down ranges are generally the most common type of LVT available today. Due to its popularity glue down ranges of LVT come in a huge selection of styles so there will be something to suit any style.

Looselay ranges

Loose lay vinyl is similar to glue down in style and format but no adhesive is needed. Usually the base layer will provide the grip through friction and the weight of the tile or plank to prevent the flooring from slipping sideways or lifting up. One of the main benefits of a looselay floor is if you get any damage to the floor it is quick and simple to replace only the damaged areas. This is also good for access to any utility that may be under the floor. Loose lay ranges are also easy to install so perfect for a DIY project.

Click flooring ranges

Click ranges such as Karndean’s Korlok, Amtico’s click smart collection and Forbo’s Allura Click Pro range are similar to laminate flooring. Like the looselay ranges no adhesive is needed however, the individual planks lock together to form the floor. This makes them easy to install and there’s no mess as no adhesive is needed. Many click flooring ranges are suitable for laying over underfloor heating, they have good nose reduction qualities so are ideal for upstairs rooms and some can even be installed over existing floors such as tiles.

Why is LVT so popular?

One of the biggest benefits of LVT is the choice of style, designs and patterns available. There are almost endless possibilities of designs that can be created. You can recreate the look of a real wood or parquet floor or a marble floor or even recreate a retro Victorian style tiled floor or your own mosaic designs. There are also many design accessories available so you can create your own unique borders and even recreate a grouted tiled floor with design strips.

Most types of LVT are water resistant, so this makes it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms and families with young children or pets. Spillages and other kinds of liquids could stain or damage more traditional types of flooring, LVT will just wipe clean.

Traditional stone or hardwood floors can be cold, vinyl flooring is far warmer under foot due to the materials it is made from, this makes it ideal for bedrooms and living rooms. LVT is far more durable than real wood, stone or ceramic tiled floors, so can easily withstand the general wear and tear of daily life. It is also easy to clean and stain resistant so if you choose a high quality luxury vinyl floor for your home you will be able to enjoy it for many years.

So if you are looking for a unique, stylish and practical flooring solution for your home LVT is the flooring for you. At Mercian carpets we stock both vinyl planks and vinyl tiles as well as the full range of Karndean cleaning products. We are also an approved Karndean Dealer and carry their full range of products, so if you want a long lasting luxury floor for your home get in touch today.

LVT is already warmer underfoot than real wood or stone, but if you’re looking for extra warmth, LVT is suitable for use with underfloor heating systems. Team its practical benefits with the realistic effects and endless design capabilities and it’s easy to see why LVT is so popular in today’s flooring market.

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What our clients say...

Andy and Lesley run a good business, both the carpet fitting and the support services are done very well indeed. Andy is a very skilled workman and careful and considerate. We have been extremely impressed with Merican Carpets and would heartily recommend to anyone else. Thank you for your guidance and the benefit of your experience.

Clare and Mark

Carpets/flooring ordered, fitting date booked, then on my solicitor's side we hit delays, having to delay the fitting of the carpets etc. Lesley & Andy were so understanding at an already stressful time of purchasing a new home. New date arranged, in go Andy & his fitting team, absolutely fantastic job done, with care & pride in the fitting and a great finished result, you will not make a mistake going to Mercian Carpets.

Lisa

We used Mercian both for our carpets and Karndean in our new home. We found them helpful and friendly throughout. Very good customer service, friendly advice when needed and excellent fitters who came as agreed and worked efficiently and neatly. We're very happy with our new flooring which makes our new house more like a home. Recommended.

Mrs C

A great pleasure to sing the praises of a local Malvern Company. Mercian Carpets were recommended to us and we in turn have no hesitation in recommending them ourselves. From consultation to quote to fitting to the end result has been a "magic carpet" ride! Andy and Lesley can take pride in their ethos, service levels and the fitting team. If only there were more like you around. Thank you. David and Felicity

David and Felicity Ebsworth

Not sure if pictures are good for you but feel free to use them if they are, along with the quote below ‘Had our carpet fitted yesterday, supplied by husband and wife team, Andy and Lesley at Mercian Carpets in Malvern. It is just lovely and looks fab. Thanks to Lesley for helping the choice along! It is great quality at a great price and such professional speedy service. Mick did a perfect job of the fitting and his service was fully Covid-safe. We could not be happier ‘

Sue Angel

details: Andy helped us out at short notice when another local business had let us down. He gave us a very competitive price, the quality of workmanship was outstanding and he had plenty of bodies to complete the work on time. Finally he and his team had the expertise to suggest solutions to a couple of problems we encountered. I heartily recommend this company.

Andy Wickham

We found that Karndean Loose Lay tiles, on top of previous wood flooring, were exactly what we needed, and provided a uniform surface across several small rooms. The work was most efficiently carried out by Adam and we are very pleased with the result.

Mr and Mrs Knee

Thanks for the installation of our new office carpets, Your team were tidy, quick and on time. Great Job

Rob Woodward Abraxas Catering

The Mercian crew once again completed a great job. Our new offices in Stourport look fantastic, thanks to the help from Andy and his team. Quality carpets and flooring designed and fitted by a quality company.

Andy Baker- Eureka Financial Solutions

Can you please pass our thanks onto the guys. First class job as usual, and pleasant people to be around. The room is totally transformed and Lynne kept the actual floor as a surprise. I was stunned, not only with her choice but also the quality and excellent fitting. You appear to be Lynne's first choice for flooring and I can certainly see why. Thanks again Jimmy, Lynne and Rosie and Jim the dawgs.

Jimmy Blair

Mercian Carpets came highly recommended and I now highly recommend them myself. They were so helpful and the quality of both our kitchen floor and our carpets is superb. Both have transformed our rooms, we are absolutely delighted. Thoroughly professional and nothing was too much trouble and with a huge range to choose from and with first class service. So good to be able to support a local business as well.

Angela Green

Absolutely delighted with quality of the flooring, the professionalism of the staff and efficiency of getting what was a large area floored in a very quick time. We have no hesitation in recommending Mercian and team to others and will be getting them back soon to complete other flooring in the house Thanks again Mecian...exceptional service!

Lawrence Baker

An excellent and efficient service. There was an unanticipated hitch with the quality of the floorboards in the offices and this was resolved as quickly as possible. It meant that the job couldn’t be finished in the day but Andy arranged for the fitters to return the following day, no doubt adjusting schedules to do so, which was much appreciated. Very professional and good to deal with.

Eveson Charitable Trust

Excellent service from start to finish..Leslie, Andy and Adam were very helpful with everything. Very pleased with the finished result and would highly recommend. Many thanks Bob and Joy Yarworth

Joy and Bob Yarworth

Great service. Excellent work to a high standard by all involved. We would highly recommend.

Angela and Bill Brewer

Very pleased with the carpet and flooring. Mercian were very efficient and did everything when they said they would.

Anne and Tony Sargant

We just had almost our whole house carpeted all in one day by this team. They were very proffessional throughout the whole process from the first site survey and measuring up to help and advice on choosing the right carpet. On the day of fitting the team arrived on time and got straight to work with the new underlay. As this was such a big project for a fully furnished home organisation was going to be key we had moved much of the furniture but there was still some moving around to be done and these guys were on top of it all. When the job was complete the team left everything clean and tidy and the fit and finish of the carpet was excellent in all areas. We couldn't of been happier with the service from Mercian thanks again from Rich, Georgie and baby Rueben.

Richard

So pleased with our new flooring - Such a professional service , a really great team and a totally perfect result. My advice to anyone searching for a company is : don't look any further , you've just found the best

Tracey & Rob Walker

Great service helping us choose the right Karndean tile for our new kitchen. Lovely job on installation, really professional. Thank you Andy and Lesley. Definitely our first choice next time we need new flooring

Harvey and Pamela Wild

Many thanks to both Andy and Lesley for their invaluable help and advice with our choice of carpets after a flood disaster PLUS their great flexibility with dates . A very professional team from start to finish ensured a superb new look for our house . The team arrived and a carpet laying task was completed to a high standard . 5 stars all round ! We will definitely use them again.

Louise Gray