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Vinyl Plank Flooring
Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring became one of the top flooring solution in the past few years and for a good reason. Vinyl flooring offers exceptional durability, waterproof properties, high resistance to scratching, and stains, and easy maintenance.
It can be installed in virtually any room, so your interior decorating ideas are limitless. From dark, grainy wood planks to light, bleached and distressed styles, you can get the look you want in the any space of your home or office.
Feeling intrigued or confused? Vinyl flooring is a huge category and it is difficult to know where to start. But don’t worry, let’s explore what are basics of luxury vinyl plank flooring, why you should give your home vinyl flooring and what are its different types.
What is Vinyl Plank Flooring
When people hear about vinyl flooring often they think of vinyl sheet or old day linoleum, however this is not the same as luxury vinyl plank flooring.
Luxury Vinyl Plank, often referred to as LVP, is a competitor of laminates that take the vinyl core with other layers added to create the planks. In this way, luxury vinyl can look shockingly similar to real hardwood, ceramic and stone floors. But they still make a floor that is relatively inexpensive, waterproof, more durable and better looking than laminate and even some hardwood flooring.
Vinyl plank flooring closely mimics real planks of hardwood and is more versatile overall.
Understanding Different Types of Vinyl Plank Flooring
Vinyl plank is an engineered product, created in a few layers from core, backing layer and wear layer. Each play an important role in the construction of vinyl flooring. The wear layer is the top layer and it helps protect from everyday abrasions, moisture, and even mildew. It’s an antimicrobial film makes it difficult for bacteria and mold to form on this floor.
The core layer is the main one and is mostly a mix of stone plastic composite (SPC), wood plastic composite (WPC) and vinyl composite (LVP).
The backing layer serves as an underlayment and can come as padding or cork. Vinyl plank’s backing layer makes it softer to walk on versus a glued down flooring product.
Some luxury vinyl products come with a pad underlayment separate, not pre-attached to the plank and from our practice are just as effective.
Different Types of Vinyl Plank Flooring
Stone Plastic Composite (SPC)
The most popular and the most durable from the vinyl family has a uniquely resilient core layer. It is considered the best vinyl flooring products thanks to it’s great stability.
Shop Our Selection of Luxury Vinyl FlooringWood Plastic Composite (WPC)
Manufactured with a wood-plastic composite core instead of solid PVC. Its main benefit is the thickness which helps with soundproofing and also adds extra strength and stability. WPC is often thicker than other types of luxury vinyl planks and have the most realistic wood look and feel. Most WPC come with the cork layer underneath which make them a more premium product and slightly more expensive than the rest.
- Seam repairs for stronger holds
- Patch repairs to cover damaged spots
- Carpet re-stretching to eliminate ripples and wrinkles
- Transition strip replacement for a cleaner finish
Shop Our Selection of Luxury Vinyl FlooringLuxury Vinyl Plank (LVP or LVT)
The traditional LVP has PVC material as the main component and comes with a vinyl backing layer instead of pad or cork. It is 100% waterproof but can lack some important qualities of the other categories.
- Seam repairs for stronger holds
- Patch repairs to cover damaged spots
- Carpet re-stretching to eliminate ripples and wrinkles
- Transition strip replacement for a cleaner finish
Shop Our Selection of Luxury Vinyl Flooring
How to Care for Your Vinyl Flooring
Sometimes beauty requires more maintenance than it’s worth. That’s not the case with vinyl flooring. Help keep your new vinyl looking great by following all manufacturer recommendations. Cleaning vinyl can be simple:
- Sweep up spills, crumbs, dust, and dirt into piles. Use a vacuum without beater bars or mechanisms which could scuff your floor at least once a week.
- When mopping, avoid using harsh chemicals. A mixture of water and mild soap can work wonders on any type of vinyl. A great brand we use and recommend to all clients is Bona Traffic. They have the right cleaning product for every flooring.
- Vinyl is really versatile, but not invincible. Avoid buffing machines, steel wool, scouring powder, and steam mops. Call a professional flooring company near you if you’re ever unsure.
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