Luxury Vinyl Tile
For years, sheet vinyl flooring was regarded as the very best choice for locations where moisture- and stain-resistance was an issue, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements, and kitchens. But standard vinyl is made from a very thin layer of vinyl printed with a design layer and covered with protective coating; it is prone to gouging and tearing, and it can feel quite hard underfoot, especially if it is installed over concrete.
In response to this, manufacturers created a new form of vinyl, known as luxury vinyl flooring, or LVF. Luxury vinyl flooring is sold in semi-rigid planks (LVP) or tiles (LVT) and is installed using the same click-lock interlocking edges that are found in laminate flooring. Although luxury vinyl was introduced in the 1970s, it was not until the 1980s that it really took off as a flooring material. Today, it is challenging laminate flooring as the best second-tier choice after hardwood and ceramic or stone tiles.
Standard vinyl flooring is sold either in flexible sheets or in square tiles. Standard vinyl consists of a thin backing layer of felt or fiberglass, to which a thin layer of solid vinyl is bonded. This vinyl layer is printed with a design, then covered with a transparent protective coating. Standard vinyl is flexible and quite thin, with a wear layer of only 10 to 15 mil (10/1000 to 15/1000 of an inch).
Luxury vinyl is a much different type of flooring, though it contains the same PVC vinyl as standard vinyl flooring. Luxury vinyl is sold in multi-ply planks or tiles with wear layers that range from 2 to 8 mm in thickness (roughly 8/100 to 3/10 of an inch thick). This makes luxury vinyl planks considerably thicker than standard vinyl, giving it a semi-rigid nature.
Luxury vinyl gets the nod over standard vinyl when it comes to real estate value.
Luxury vinyl planks or tiles do not have the cachet of solid hardwood or of ceramic or stone tile in most instances, but the latest luxury vinyl offerings are at least comparable—and perhaps better—than laminate flooring.
Because it is a thicker product, luxury vinyl feels somewhat softer underfoot and has better sound-blocking properties than standard vinyl flooring. This is especially true of luxury vinyl with cork or foam underlayment layers built into the product. Top-quality luxury vinyl is often superior to laminate flooring for comfort.