Why Choose Luxury Vinyl Tile

Here’s What to Know When Choosing a Luxury Vinyl Tile Floor

Looking to add a Luxury Vinyl Tile floor to your home? You’re in good company! The trend towards Luxury Vinyl flooring is a growing one, with more and more people opting for its ease of maintenance, on-trend looks and variety of styles plus its cost-effectiveness.

Like any investment you make for your home, it pays to be well-informed, so here’s some helpful information to know as you shop for your new flooring:

The Advantages of Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring

Beautiful, durable, waterproof and affordable, it’s little wonder Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) flooring has become so popular! Time-pressed, active families don’t have to sacrifice on-trend styles for easy maintenance in flooring that stays looking new for decades - some with a Lifetime guarantee! Scratch, stain and wear-resistant, LVT flooring stands up to kids, pets, spills, water and high moisture conditions with ease. Advances in digital imaging has made LVT flooring available in a wide array of styles and colors, at a fraction of the cost of real wood, stone or ceramic tile. Other advantages include that LVT flooring is softer underfoot, and feels warmer than hard-surface flooring like ceramic or stone tile (not to mention more forgiving if you drop something breakable on it). And if your subfloor is a little uneven, you won’t have to worry about tiles cracking over time, not to mention the time and effort that goes into cleaning and maintaining grout lines.

Luxury Vinyl Tile vs. Vinyl Tile

You’re no doubt familiar with the traditional peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. While Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs) are constructed of several layers like vinyl tiles, including a tough wear layer, an advanced image layer (allowing for realistic wood, stone and ceramic tile design) and a resilient core and backing layer, LVTs are thicker, and more durable with more realistic design options. Many options are also 100% waterproof, so they’ll maintain their integrity and not swell or buckle when exposed to water or high moisture environments.

Luxury Vinyl Plank vs. Luxury Vinyl Tile

Both Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) are manufactured the same way, constructed with multiple layers. The main differences between the two categories of flooring are the shapes they come in - LVPs come in plank shape, offering the look of real hardwood as well as hardwood texture, thanks to embossing. LVTs are available in traditional square tiles, featuring more stone, concrete and ceramic looks with textured surfaces that replicate the real thing. An outstanding feature of LVTs is that they are considered the easiest of all vinyl flooring options for DIYers to install, thanks to their manageable size and installation requirements.

Where To Install Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring In Your Home

LVT flooring can be installed anywhere in the home where there is a flat, level surface (no stairs, please) affording stylish good looks for main living areas and bedrooms, while really shining in hardworking spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, playrooms, laundry rooms, mudrooms and basements.

Available Styles in Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring

Congoleum Flooring offers some of the most unique and on-trend LVT styles. The advances made in digital imaging and embossing over the past few years is truly astounding, creating an almost limitless variety of LVT flooring options that mimic hardwood, natural stone, concrete and ceramic tile, but with the durability, ease of care and affordability vinyl is known for.

Whether your interior design style leans towards, modern, traditional, cottage core, Scandi or anything in between, there’s a perfect Luxury Vinyl Tile floor for any room, and for every household, such as:

  • Natural-looking wood options in traditional hardwood floor options such as Oak, Maple, Birch and Walnut, plus exotic wood looks with stunning, dramatic grain patterns.
  • Reclaimed and rough-hewn wood looks, as well as lime and white-washed textures and effects.
  • Timeless stone tile options such as ceramic, marble, slate, travertine and concrete in a myriad of colors.

Browse your options, then visit a local retailer to get started.

Our Most Durable Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring Option

Congoleum’s DuraCeramic collection is a beautiful floor that withstands whatever comes its way. The additional protection of ScotchgardTM makes the finish on this floor resistant to stains, spills, scratches, scuffs, dirt and more – so much so, it comes with a lifetime warranty. You can find DuraCeramic in both hardwood and stone styles.

Luxury Vinyl Tile Installation Options

As noted previously, Luxury Vinyl Tile is one of the easiest flooring types to install for DIYers. We advise that you check installation requirements before you purchase your floor, since specific installation methods vary by product. These methods include:

  • Repositionable Self-Adhesive Installation – Undoubtedly the quickest and easiest method, you simply peel off the backing and put the tile or plank in place, then reposition as necessary, even after the floor has been lived on. Available in our Endurance SmartLinkTM products.
  • Floating Floor (Angle-Locking) Installation – A no-adhesive method, you simply connect planks to each other on an angle then snap into them into place. Sometimes referred to as a “floating floor” since the flooring "floats" over the subfloor.
  • Glue-Down Installation – This is a traditional full-spread adhesive that you apply over the subfloor with a trowel before laying down planks.
  • Glue-down installations are typically recommended if the floor will be subjected to intense sun or heat, which could cause tile expansion/contraction, or for particularly high-traffic areas or larger installations. The chemicals in the adhesive may not be waterproof, so it’s important to check with the manufacturer beforehand.
  • Glue-down installations can be trickier than simple peel-and-stick or angle-locking installations, so unless you have some experience with this type of installation, you may want to opt to hire a pro if you find this method recommended for your particular floor product.

Whether you choose to let the pros handle your installation, or if you’re up for Doing-It-Yourself, we offer tips and step-by-step instructions for installing your floor, but you can always reach out to us before, during and after your installation with any questions or concerns.