When considering new floors, choosing luxury vinyl tiles is a great idea.
Most likely you would need a list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons to make sure you made the right choice. You need to consider all the possibilities when it comes to flooring and tiling your house.
The whole redecoration process may become overwhelming since you have a wide variety of choices. Therefore, you need to know the advantages and disadvantages of luxury vinyl tiles beforehand. They provide a durable and economical way to install flooring. Let's further explore why this might just be the best choice for your home with our luxury vinyl pros and cons list.
A Bit About Luxury Vinyl Tile Pros and Cons
A wide range of characteristics makes this versatile flooring material a very popular option. Nevertheless, you should also consider the drawbacks when using this material in your house. Before exploring luxury vinyl tile pros and cons, be sure to know all about this flooring type.
Does Luxury Vinyl Tile Look Convincing?
An important thing to know is that due to the advancement of technology, anyone can have now wood design luxury vinyl tile floors instead of hardwood floors. For someone who is not a connoisseur, they would not even notice that you have luxury vinyl tile floors. Therefore, you will have an almost perfect hardwood look for half the price, and one of the top advantages on any list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
How is Luxury Vinyl Tile Made and How Long Does it Last?
Luxury vinyl tile floors are very resistant to climate and moisture. Usually, it is manufactured with several base layers, using a flat hot press method. Therefore, this offers the floor a memory for straightness, holding up under temperature and moisture changes. The durable wear layer guarantees to last up to about 20 years, a prominent facet amongst the luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
What Is Luxury Vinyl Tile Made From?
Some of the luxury vinyl tile brands manufacture tiles that are 100% recyclable, and they also have 45% recycled content. It is made of PVC which features as main component salt. Therefore, instead of cutting exotic and rare trees to obtain hardwood floors, you can choose vinyl flooring which only requires a photograph of a part of a tree to imitate wood.
Where Can You Install Luxury Vinyl Tile?
Due to the fact that hardwood floor is made of a natural material, it may suffer when it comes to both stability and quality. This type of floor is not suitable for bathrooms or rooms where moisture and spills are common. This type of floor requires vigilant maintenance. Wood is a porous material, being susceptible to liquid. Furthermore, it may also be sensitive when it comes to climate change.
If you think to open your own business, a restaurant or a coffee shop, you should consider luxury vinyl tiles when flooring the rooms. It is suitable for commercial use due to its durability and stability. Be sure to check out all of the luxury vinyl tile pros and cons to know whether it is useful for your space.
How Do You Care for Luxury Vinyl Tile?
If you want to make sure that your hardwood floors will last for an extended period, you should apply a polyurethane coating. However, this may be unsuitable for high-traffic applications because you may need to reapply this coating after a certain period.
The Advantages of Luxury Vinyl Tile
As with anything, there are potential advantages and drawbacks. First, let's look into the pros of using luxury vinyl tile.
1. Easy to Install
First on the list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons is the fact that this type of flooring is really easy to install. Unlike other flooring solutions like glass and porcelain tiles, you can establish whether you want to use grout or not when installing them. You can simply peel off the back of the tile and then place it wherever you want.
You can glue them down, or you may choose to click the tiles together and install them without the glue, floating on a particular underlayment.
Before peeling off the tiles, you need to make sure that you have already measured, planned and marked the position of each tile. Otherwise, you will find it difficult to remove the tiles after you have already stuck them. Therefore, it will take you half the time you would need to complete the installation of a ceramic tile floor.
2. Quiet and Sturdy
These tiles are made of sturdy, durable and crack resistant material. A layer of clear urethane protects the top layer of the tile, preventing tears, rips, and scratches. Next, the second layer represents the colored design of the tile while the last layer is the fiberglass backing. This structure determines them to absorb sound vibrations, which for some is a key consideration when researching luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
3. Different Colors and Sizes
You can find these tiles in different colors and sizes, and you can even match two different colors if you’d like. Usually, you will find them in 8 by 8 inch and 16 by 16-inch sizes. However, when it comes to the design and colors, you really do not have to worry.
Luxury vinyl flooring provides the look of a ceramic tile flooring, being made to meet the demands of today’s lifestyles. You will find plenty of colors to match your décor. Many designs and patterns are inspired by colors in nature. You may also choose to have a dramatic or subtle variation between the patterns on individual tiles.
Furthermore, you can grout them to make them look like stone or ceramic. How great is that? So far on the list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons this flooring is off to a great start.
4. Easy to Clean
The top layer of these tiles is resistant to stains. Therefore, there is no need to panic if you spill some coffee or juice on them. You just need to use a washcloth or damp mop to wash it away. Furthermore, you won’t need to buy expensive products to polish or wax the floors since the surface will always look good. These are huge when considering luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
5. Durable and Comfortable
Generally, luxury vinyl tiles are highly durable, being the perfect choice for heavy foot traffic areas in your home. What is more, they are warmer compared to ceramic or other types of floors.
The Cons of Luxury Vinyl Tile
While luxury vinyl tile has certain advantages, it is not perfect. Below are a few drawbacks you should consider before installing it.
1. Not Suitable for Use on Stairs
Apparently, this is not a good choice when it comes to stairs. It is better if you use these tiles on flat surfaces. Be sure to consider the space you'll be using the material in when researching luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
2. Be Aware of Water
If you spill water on the tiles, you should know that it may damage the adhesive. However, the surface is waterproof. But, if you get the top side really wet in care a pile is leaking, the adhesive will no longer work properly. The potential damage can be a poor selling point on the list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
3. Moisture and Dirt
The seams between the vinyl tiles can collect moisture and dirt, even if you might not experience this when it comes to the top surface. Therefore, you should pay more attention to these areas when it comes to cleaning the floors.
4. High Costs
If you want good quality, then you must expect to pay a considerable price. Luxury vinyl tiles are not cheap at all. They may cost as much as ceramic tiles or standard hardwood. Quality always comes with a price, and you should not be shocked. Your purpose is to assure your family the best conditions, inhabiting a nice a peaceful home that satisfies all their needs. If you do this, you'll come to find that there are ample luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
5. Transitions
You should know beforehand that there might be a lack of transition between pieces. In this case, you can either use the old metal pieces, or you could purchase unfinished wood pieces and cut them to match. However, you should not do this by yourself and address your manufacturer when ordering the new floors.
6. Subfloor Damage
When installing these tiles, you need to make sure that the surface is an entirely flat surface to be able to work on it. In this way, you will be able to perfectly stick every tile, after measuring it. You need to plan the positioning of every tile before you fix it. If you did not stick the tiles well or the surface is bumpy, you may cause floor damage, and in time some of the tiles might come off. This may deter you when looking at luxury vinyl tile pros and cons.
7. Chemical Stains
Even if this type of flooring is resistant to stains, chemical stains, like rubber, may cause discoloration. Unfortunately, you may need to replace those particular tiles that were discolored. There are some mats which have rubber backing, or some of your shoes may have rubber heels that scuff against the floor. These can cause a chemical reaction in the material, triggering discoloration.
8. Difficult to Repair
In case one of the tiles breaks under great pressure, you might not be able to stick the broken piece right back. However, even if you might succeed into sticking it, it may look very unaesthetic. If the damage only concerns only one tile, then you may need to replace it. In case several tiles, from different areas in your floor broke, you may need to change the whole floor.
When you shop for new floors, make sure you are well-informed before making any purchase.
Do not rely on big box stores because they might sell products which have a decreased quality. To make sure you purchase quality floors, you should go to a popular flooring showroom to see all the types of floors displayed.
Generally, associates at a flooring showroom will be glad to help you with details and share their knowledge. Therefore, you have better chances to purchase the product you need, being suitable for your home and your entire family. This list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons can definitely help you learn more about floors.
Have you ever used luxury vinyl tile? If so, tell us about your experience in the comments below! And, for those remodeling their homes, be sure to share this list of luxury vinyl tile pros and cons with them.
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