How Luxury Vinyl Tile Differs From Regular Vinyl Flooring

Cortney Lindquist

If you’re in the market for vinyl flooring, you may be wondering whether to use luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) or traditional vinyl tiles. As there are benefits and downsides to both and opinions vary a lot, we wanted to explain which one is better.

 The Material and Overall Design

First of all, both tiles are made of vinyl. You would think that they are the same, but luxury vinyl is made using better materials and innovative technologies that end up making it a better-performing floor. This is because luxury vinyl is made by compressing multiple layers of vinyl to create a strong, flexible, durable, and waterproof floor. Because of this advanced process, LVT is up to five times thicker than regular vinyl.

The first layer of LVT is a protective coating that has built-in anti-stain and anti-scratch technology. Below that coating, there are detailed layers that offer the same authentic appearance of regular vinyl. The remaining layers at the bottom of LVTs are made to stabilize the floor and offer moisture resistance.

Essentially, LVT is a redesigned vinyl tile that was made with an intent to offer a new generation of high-quality vinyl flooring.

The Appearance

Most regular vinyl floors are slightly artificial in appearance, while LVT offers an almost identical look to natural wood or stone. This is because a regular vinyl floor offers one unified color and look, while a luxury vinyl floor is made from either planks or tiles, which mixes things up and creates a more natural look in the end.

 Durability Levels

Judging from the design, you can probably already guess which one is more durable. As LVT has more layers, yes, it’s more durable than regular vinyl. What’s more, LVT was made largely because vinyl offered space for improvements when it came to durability.

On average, vinyl tiles last for about 15 years or more, while LVT lasts up to 20 years. Naturally, you still have to be careful with both and avoid making deep scratches.

The Bottom Line

In essence, LVT is an upgraded version of traditional vinyl tile and better in almost all aspects. If you are looking for the highest-quality flooring that’s both magnificent in appearance and highly durable like hardwood, you should always choose luxury vinyl.

 

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