Flooring is one of the most significant design decisions made for any room or home, and it can be tricky to know what type of flooring to choose. Flooring is not just a large investment, but the options are endless. Floors can have a huge impact on the overall feel and longevity of your home.

Over the next few weeks, we’re sharing what we’ve learned about flooring, the pros and cons for each flooring type and the floors we love right now. This week is all about luxury vinyl tiles!

Laminate vinyl tiles

A true win-win flooring. Practically waterproof with a limitless range of designs, finishes and lay patterns. It’s a firm favourite here.

You may not realise that you've seen these before because they look like the real thing with textured 3D surfaces. Commonly used in commercial projects such as shops, restaurants, airports and offices, this type of floor offers endless possibilities for design as almost any finish can be replicated and laid in any style you want. We're increasingly seeing and using this type of floor for residential projects. That's because it can be used in all environments is warm underfoot, is not bulky, does not require removal of the skirting boards can be mopped clean and works with underfloor heating.

Bear in mind that most luxury vinyl tiles will contain PVC which is toxic in a landfill and will emit VOCs (volatile organic chemicals). Now, most things in your home do this but as we are becoming more environmentally aware it's worth checking out PVC alternatives which are becoming popular and more commonplace. It's all about proportion. If you put this floor down and it lasts 20 years and then is disposed of through a proper recycling scheme, such as the one by Reco floor, we'd argue that's less bad for the environment than a wood floor or carpet that will last a fraction of that time.

______

pros

• Low maintenance

• Adds warmth

• Adds Value

• Versatile

• Long lifespan

• Lots of options, lay patterns, colours and designs

• 20 years + warranties - many are lifetime for residential use

cons

• Hard under foot

• May contain PVC and emit VOCs

• May require a screed and additional preparation

• Not easily installed to staircases

use for

• Auitable for all rooms and spaces

• Kitchens

• Utilities/Mudrooms

• Bedrooms

• Bathrooms

• Hallways

• Offices

• Living rooms

• Dining

top three things to look out for

The three top things to look for are the wear layer thickness, installation type and slip resistance. This will dictate where in your home is suitable to put these floors.

1. Wear layers vary a lot. In essence, the thicker the wear layer, the longer the floor will last. Typically we choose floors with between 0.5-1 mm wear layers.

2. There are two main installation types - glue down or click/floating.

   1. The glue-down option is mostly used for new builds as this requires a flat screed to glue on to. This requires additional prep for renovation projects and the floor will need to have ply down first, so install takes a couple of days or so. Once done it’s virtually indestructible.

   2. The click and floating option have a thicker plank with a groove allowing them to be slotted together, much like the laminate floor, meaning you can do the install yourself. These are best suited to renovations over floors that aren’t perfectly flat. They are more springy and slightly better insulated underfoot so perform better acoustically vs their glue-down cousins. Downsides are the need for a scotia or to remove and apply the skirting boards afterwards and less choice of lay patterns.

3. Slip resistance is relatively straight forward. For wet areas or all areas in a family home, we suggest looking for an R10 rating as a minimum.

So you’ve selected the installation type that suits you, now’s the fun part - choosing your look. Here’s just a small selection of the floors and lay patterns on offer. We’ve tried to include wood, stone, concrete and tile effect finishes but the possibilities are endless. Don’t forget you can use contrast stips too for added emphasis, and add a grout or gap effect if desired.

______

Sources, From Top to Bottom: 

Main image The Oslo by Amtico.

Pro and con image Amtico Designers' Choice Stone Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring, ‘Bijou’ via John Lewis

Bathroom image and three colour images below forming The Tracery by Amtico

Gallery panel from the top left: Herringbone kitchen ‘Oslo’ by Amtico, Bath hexagons ‘Hexa’ by Karndean, Hallway ‘Storm Oak’ by Karndean, Dining room tiles ‘Diffusion’ by Amtico, Entrance way ‘Woven’ by Karndean and Sink abstract ‘The Orion’ by Amtico