What is LVT Flooring?
LVT flooring is an acronym for Luxury Vinyl Tiles. An LVT floor can look like real wood or real stone and have any design published on it, but it also offers many practical benefits. It is produced in the shapes of tiles or boards. Luxury vinyl flooring is still a comparatively new product and one of the fastest-growing products within the parquet market. It can often be chosen over laminate flooring or tiles, specifically in areas where water is present. However, with the introduction of water-resistant laminate flooring for bathrooms, there are still a lot of good choices available. It is often mentioned as “Click Vinyl” and “luxury vinyl tiles”.
How is LVT flooring made?
Luxury vinyl tiles are generally made from multiple layers of PVC vinyl. The PVC is mixed with numerous compounds to affect the hardness. These multiple sheets of PVC vinyl are carefully compacted by a rolling process and suspended in a liquid. This is then desiccated through an application of heat and air to produce tough sheets of vinyl. The top layer can also feature an imprinted finish, with manufacturers being able to add practicality to the top layer by adding a layer of depth to help mimic the grooves found in stone or wood.
LVT floors then have a clear vinyl and urethane coating useful at the end of manufacturing to add further protection and comfort to the finished product. They are compacted together and a decorative printed vinyl layer is bonded to the surface to add improved comfort and warmth. Rigid LVT boards are often denser and will usually have a click system to make DIY installation easier.
New progresses in Green technology, are improving the manufacture of LVT flooring, by using reused plastics and even wood, in the core materials. Some manufacturers even include cork underlays in their products.
Why are LVT Floors So thin?
LVT flooring can be wherever between 2mm and 8mm thick. They often have diverse top layers too, ranging from 0.1mm up to 0.6mm. It doesn’t sound like much, mainly when compared to laminate floors which are commonly 7-12mm thick. The reason luxury vinyl tiles are so thin is due to their high thickness and strength. 4mm of compressed vinyl is much stronger than 8mm of HDF wood, so there is no need to make them any denser. They are already more than strong enough to use in heavy traffic commercial fixings and are commonly used for this. And of course, a thinner profile guarantees less disruption to exist fixtures such as skirting and shower trays, etc.
What is LVT used for?
Because they are made from PVC, this makes them perfect for areas such as bathrooms, and kitchens, or for even for commercial use such as hair salons and yoga studios. Anywhere that moisture could be a problem, LVT is an ideal substitute for wooden floors. The multiple layers also offer strength to ensure that the product lays flat on the ground without absorbing moisture or expanding due to water.
