LVT Installation Types
Luxury Vinyl Flooring Installation Types
Key Takeaways: Luxury Vinyl Flooring Installation Types
- What types of installation are available for LVTs?
- Can I install my own luxury vinyl flooring on a DIY basis?
- Which glue should I use for my stick down luxury vinyl tiles?
- What are SPC rigid core LVT?
- What amount of wastage should I allow for when installing?
- Is the sub-floor preparation important to a successful install?
There are an increasing number of luxury vinyl flooring installation types available to consumers and commercial flooring customers. Below we provide a summary fo the features and benefits of each and mention some of the leading brands and their ranges where applicable. The choice of installation type can often be guided by the environment or room where you are going to be installing the new floor. Certain types of LVT floor are possibly more suited to different areas of the home or workplace. In addition you will find that for example where you have much higher footfall/traffic (possibly in a commercial setting) then you would be better to search for an LVT with a greater (thicker) wear layer.
In general the LVT market comprises of 3 different installation methods: locking system or click, glue down (otherwise known as stick down, requiring the correct LVT adhesive) or looselay. It's important to check which installation method your vinyl flooring is before starting. In addition, now we have seen the introduction and rising popularity of Rigid core SPC. This is click-type plank vinyl flooring that does not require any adhesives. Read about the importance of leaving expansion gaps during the installation phase of your new luxury vinyl tiles.
It is fast becoming the go-to choice for homeowners and business owners because of its many features and advantages. Often, to protect the manufacturers product guarantee and warranty you will need to ensure that your new LVT floor is professionally installed by a qualified LVT fitter. It can sometimes be difficult to locate an experienced installer, however in light of the warranty protection stipulations (enforced by some brands), it is a route that you must at the very least check the manufacturer guidelines on before proceeding with your fitting. Last but not least we have the coming wave of:
Glue Down / Stick Down Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Glue down luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) are still the most popular choice of LVT on the market. Combining durability, water resistance and fantastic designs to create the complete flooring solution. Stick down LVT is the traditional installation method for LVT flooring. Within the flooring industry, the dry back or stick down method is regarded as the best way to install LVT flooring and it also allows you to install over underfloor heating systems as well as conservatories and areas subject to direct sunlight.
The importance of the subfloor preparation is vital to ensure the gluedown system is effective and looks and performs as it should do. At Flooring UK we supply a variety of Luxury vinyl flooring adhesive to make sure your installation goes as planned and stays stuck to your subfloor. You will find that many of the leading online retailers offer their own brand of this install type, and of course you have the ranges offered by leading luxury vinyl tile brands such as Flooring Hut own-brand; Amtico; Karndean; Polyflor; Luvanto and Moduleo to name check just a few. At Flooring Hut we partner with the company F Ball who make a range of excellent adhesives that you can use with this type of LVT:
- Water-resistant
- Quiet and Warm Underfoot
- Highly Durable and Scratch Resistant
- Use in any room of the house
Click LVT Flooring
Click vinyl flooring is an innovative and simple way to combine great flooring design with hassle-free installation. Vinyl is renowned for its authentic designs, spectrum of colours and low-cost maintenance. This type of flooring is more suited to a DIY installation. Although you will still need to ensure that the sub-floor preparation is completed correctly and it is also advisable to follow the manufacturers guidelines where appropriate.
Click LVT is what’s known as a floating floor and simply clicks into place like a jigsaw puzzle – like the way laminate is installed. Click vinyl flooring is more rigid and incredibly easy to fit, and because it’s so simple to remove, it’s also the perfect solution if you’re thinking of moving home or changing the room it’s in. The top selling ranges now are Polyflor Camaro Loc and Karndean Palio Clic. Both these manufacturers are the best of British and can be relied upon to deliver a first class click luxury vinyl flooring through their respective ranges. You have a choice of both stone effect and wood effect styles in the click ranges and a wide variety of colour, shades and hues from which to sample and buy online with Flooring Hut.
You can choose to use an underlay with click LVT. However, not a standard underlay as this would move underneath the floor and create stress points and potentially cracking and fracturing of the click joints. You must only use a specific type of underlay that locks together and does not move underneath the LVT. A good example is the Polyflor vinyl loc underlay.
LVT with Underlay Attached - Rigid Core
Rigid Core Vinyl Flooring is an engineered luxury vinyl floor that has an enhanced rigid core construction for dimensional stability. A rigid core vinyl will be a solid plank that has less pliability, giving it a sturdy feel to install and under foot. It is most often combined with an attached, built-in underlay. Many of the leading UK LVT brands and manufacturers have now entered this sector and brought to market their ranges of LVT with attached underlay. We have provided below an example and specification of an LVT currently available to purchase on Flooring Hut.
Their is a wide range to choose from and a fair spread of price ranges from which you can select. From more value-orientated ranges to the upmarket collections of famous brands such as Amtico. for this type of LVT you can expect to pay a moderate premium for a high quality floor. In the region of £25+ per m2 through to approaching £50+ for more sophisticated brands:
Karndean Van Gogh Rigid Core
The popular Karndean Van Gogh collection captures the look and feel of real wood in a variety of colours and designs. Available in a rigid core format for quicker installation times and added acoustic benefits. Karndean Van Gogh Rigid Core collection gives you the authentic rustic appearance of unfinished timbers, with none of the practical difficulties of waxing, sanding or porosity of real unfinished oak timbers. Available in a rigid core format for quicker installation times and added acoustic benefits:
- Bevelled Edge: Micro
- Effect: Oak Flooring
- Commercial Warranty: 15 years
- Residential Warranty: Lifetime warranty
- Classification: 33 Commercial heavy; 23 Domestic heavy
- Slip resistance: R10
- Thermal resistance: Suitable for underfloor heating max 27 °C
- Thickness:5.5mm
- Wear Layer:0.55mm
- Size: 48" x 7" wood plank (1220mm x 180mm)
- Planks per box: 10 planks = 2.196m2
Self-Adhesive / Peel and Stick Luxury Vinyl Flooring
This type of LVT floor is relatively new to the UK market. It has come about really by the desire for many homeowners to DIY install their new luxury vinyl floor. Peel and stick flooring can last between five and 25 years so is durable if installed corectly and following manufacturer guidelines. Durability is also affected by how much traffic they receive, and whether they are repeatedly exposed to water and or are installed in an adverse temperature environment. The easy peel and stick floor system, means once you have a clean, dry and smooth subfloor, just peel off the backing paper and press the planks firmly to the subfloor, giving extra pressure, ensures they will stick better and the more traffic they get the stronger the bond will be created. A great option for potential DIY enthusiasts!
Here are a few of the many insightful articles from our blog that will help answer your LVT questions.
How to Install Glue Down Luxury Vinyl Tiles
Can I DIY Install Luxury Vinyl Tiles?
Subfloors: Plywood, Levelling Compound or Both?
Our leading LVT ranges include the following: Exclusive by Flooring Hut; Polyflor Camaro; Polyflor Camaro Loc; Karndean Knight Tile; Karndean Van Gogh; Amtico Spacia; Amtico Signature: Luvanto Click Plus and Luvanto Design.
Luxury Vinyl Flooring Installation Types
Key Takeaways: Luxury Vinyl Flooring Installation Types
- What types of installation are available for LVTs?
- Can I install my own luxury vinyl flooring on a DIY basis?
- Which glue should I use for my stick down luxury vinyl tiles?
- What are SPC rigid core LVT?
- What amount of wastage should I allow for when installing?
- Is the sub-floor preparation important to a successful install?
There are an increasing number of luxury vinyl flooring installation types available to consumers and commercial flooring customers. Below we provide a summary fo the features and benefits of each and mention some of the leading brands and their ranges where applicable. The choice of installation type can often be guided by the environment or room where you are going to be installing the new floor. Certain types of LVT floor are possibly more suited to different areas of the home or workplace. In addition you will find that for example where you have much higher footfall/traffic (possibly in a commercial setting) then you would be better to search for an LVT with a greater (thicker) wear layer.
In general the LVT market comprises of 3 different installation methods: locking system or click, glue down (otherwise known as stick down, requiring the correct LVT adhesive) or looselay. It's important to check which installation method your vinyl flooring is before starting. In addition, now we have seen the introduction and rising popularity of Rigid core SPC. This is click-type plank vinyl flooring that does not require any adhesives. Read about the importance of leaving expansion gaps during the installation phase of your new luxury vinyl tiles.
It is fast becoming the go-to choice for homeowners and business owners because of its many features and advantages. Often, to protect the manufacturers product guarantee and warranty you will need to ensure that your new LVT floor is professionally installed by a qualified LVT fitter. It can sometimes be difficult to locate an experienced installer, however in light of the warranty protection stipulations (enforced by some brands), it is a route that you must at the very least check the manufacturer guidelines on before proceeding with your fitting. Last but not least we have the coming wave of:
Glue Down / Stick Down Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Glue down luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) are still the most popular choice of LVT on the market. Combining durability, water resistance and fantastic designs to create the complete flooring solution. Stick down LVT is the traditional installation method for LVT flooring. Within the flooring industry, the dry back or stick down method is regarded as the best way to install LVT flooring and it also allows you to install over underfloor heating systems as well as conservatories and areas subject to direct sunlight.
The importance of the subfloor preparation is vital to ensure the gluedown system is effective and looks and performs as it should do. At Flooring UK we supply a variety of Luxury vinyl flooring adhesive to make sure your installation goes as planned and stays stuck to your subfloor. You will find that many of the leading online retailers offer their own brand of this install type, and of course you have the ranges offered by leading luxury vinyl tile brands such as Flooring Hut own-brand; Amtico; Karndean; Polyflor; Luvanto and Moduleo to name check just a few. At Flooring Hut we partner with the company F Ball who make a range of excellent adhesives that you can use with this type of LVT:
- Water-resistant
- Quiet and Warm Underfoot
- Highly Durable and Scratch Resistant
- Use in any room of the house
Click LVT Flooring
Click vinyl flooring is an innovative and simple way to combine great flooring design with hassle-free installation. Vinyl is renowned for its authentic designs, spectrum of colours and low-cost maintenance. This type of flooring is more suited to a DIY installation. Although you will still need to ensure that the sub-floor preparation is completed correctly and it is also advisable to follow the manufacturers guidelines where appropriate.
Click LVT is what’s known as a floating floor and simply clicks into place like a jigsaw puzzle – like the way laminate is installed. Click vinyl flooring is more rigid and incredibly easy to fit, and because it’s so simple to remove, it’s also the perfect solution if you’re thinking of moving home or changing the room it’s in. The top selling ranges now are Polyflor Camaro Loc and Karndean Palio Clic. Both these manufacturers are the best of British and can be relied upon to deliver a first class click luxury vinyl flooring through their respective ranges. You have a choice of both stone effect and wood effect styles in the click ranges and a wide variety of colour, shades and hues from which to sample and buy online with Flooring Hut.
You can choose to use an underlay with click LVT. However, not a standard underlay as this would move underneath the floor and create stress points and potentially cracking and fracturing of the click joints. You must only use a specific type of underlay that locks together and does not move underneath the LVT. A good example is the Polyflor vinyl loc underlay.
LVT with Underlay Attached - Rigid Core
Rigid Core Vinyl Flooring is an engineered luxury vinyl floor that has an enhanced rigid core construction for dimensional stability. A rigid core vinyl will be a solid plank that has less pliability, giving it a sturdy feel to install and under foot. It is most often combined with an attached, built-in underlay. Many of the leading UK LVT brands and manufacturers have now entered this sector and brought to market their ranges of LVT with attached underlay. We have provided below an example and specification of an LVT currently available to purchase on Flooring Hut.
Their is a wide range to choose from and a fair spread of price ranges from which you can select. From more value-orientated ranges to the upmarket collections of famous brands such as Amtico. for this type of LVT you can expect to pay a moderate premium for a high quality floor. In the region of £25+ per m2 through to approaching £50+ for more sophisticated brands:
Karndean Van Gogh Rigid Core
The popular Karndean Van Gogh collection captures the look and feel of real wood in a variety of colours and designs. Available in a rigid core format for quicker installation times and added acoustic benefits. Karndean Van Gogh Rigid Core collection gives you the authentic rustic appearance of unfinished timbers, with none of the practical difficulties of waxing, sanding or porosity of real unfinished oak timbers. Available in a rigid core format for quicker installation times and added acoustic benefits:
- Bevelled Edge: Micro
- Effect: Oak Flooring
- Commercial Warranty: 15 years
- Residential Warranty: Lifetime warranty
- Classification: 33 Commercial heavy; 23 Domestic heavy
- Slip resistance: R10
- Thermal resistance: Suitable for underfloor heating max 27 °C
- Thickness:5.5mm
- Wear Layer:0.55mm
- Size: 48" x 7" wood plank (1220mm x 180mm)
- Planks per box: 10 planks = 2.196m2
Self-Adhesive / Peel and Stick Luxury Vinyl Flooring
This type of LVT floor is relatively new to the UK market. It has come about really by the desire for many homeowners to DIY install their new luxury vinyl floor. Peel and stick flooring can last between five and 25 years so is durable if installed corectly and following manufacturer guidelines. Durability is also affected by how much traffic they receive, and whether they are repeatedly exposed to water and or are installed in an adverse temperature environment. The easy peel and stick floor system, means once you have a clean, dry and smooth subfloor, just peel off the backing paper and press the planks firmly to the subfloor, giving extra pressure, ensures they will stick better and the more traffic they get the stronger the bond will be created. A great option for potential DIY enthusiasts!
Here are a few of the many insightful articles from our blog that will help answer your LVT questions.
How to Install Glue Down Luxury Vinyl Tiles
Can I DIY Install Luxury Vinyl Tiles?
Subfloors: Plywood, Levelling Compound or Both?
Our leading LVT ranges include the following: Exclusive by Flooring Hut; Polyflor Camaro; Polyflor Camaro Loc; Karndean Knight Tile; Karndean Van Gogh; Amtico Spacia; Amtico Signature: Luvanto Click Plus and Luvanto Design.
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