Durable flooring is a necessity for high-traffic areas in high-energy homes. We love Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) because it's beautiful, tough and easy to install.
LVP is similar to traditional laminate flooring in many ways but has some key differences. LVP has a reinforced fiberglass sheet embedded to provide stability and density. It's durable and waterproof, making it appropriate for any room including bathrooms and kitchens. Some types of LVP have attached pads that function like built-in underlayment, providing insulation and sound-dampening properties.
Loose lay flooring
Loose lay LVP is a fantastic product to use when you would like to lay new flooring over the old or when quick and easy installation is a priority. Loose lay LVP is easy to cut, which makes it suitable for installation in a variety of patterns. It is also very durable, yet easy to replace in the unlikely event it gets damaged—just use a toilet plunger as a suction cup to lift a piece out.
The more time that you put into prepping the subfloor, the better the LVP will look once installed. Even though LVP has weight to it, if there is a raised or uneven surface underneath, it will not lay flat.
The planks stay in place by butting up to each other and to the walls, creating a tension fit. If the perimeter does not have walls to create the tension fit, you will need to glue down the perimeter pieces.
Loose lay LVP can be glued down as a more permanent installation. This is the best option if you are installing the flooring in a complex pattern or in a high-traffic space. The recommended glue for such applications is a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Prepare your subfloor, trowel the glue on and let it become tacky. Then, lay the LVP and roll the floor with a weighted roller.
Click flooring
Click LVP uses a tongue and groove system to connect the pieces to each other. Because the pieces connect to each other and not the subfloor, click LVP is known as a floating floor system.
To connect two pieces, line up the tongue-side of one piece with the groove-side of the other, angling the plank with the groove-side so that it falls in place—or clicks—with the tongue-side. When starting with the perimeter, leave a ¼-inch to ⅜-inch space around the room for expansion of the floating floor with humidity changes.
Not only is click LVP available in a wide variety of colours and finishes, it also comes in planks or tiles, whereas loose lay LVP is typically only available in planks.
The vast number of colours and patterns available on the market today means that finding the best match for your home’s décor and your sense of style has never been easier. With the two common types of LVP flooring explained, you can go out in confidence and select the vinyl flooring product that’s right for you!
