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Luxury Vinyl Tile: Narrowing Your Choices
You're convinced luxury vinyl flooring is perfect for your Denver home, but how exactly do you want your floor to look? You have decisions to make, from the design of your new flooring to how it's installed. We are here to help. Here is what to consider for your options:
Design: wood vs. stone
Luxury vinyl flooring closely mimics the appearance of wood or stone. Deciding between the two is mainly based on personal taste and inspiration, and in what room you want the flooring.
A wood design offers a warm, relaxed feel, and is great for living spaces like family rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. Stone can give you a bit of a spa feel, and works well in entryways, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. Both designs are completely waterproof vinyl flooring.
Shape and size: planks vs. tiles
Deciding between a wood or stone look will help lead you to what shape you want for your luxury vinyl flooring: planks or tiles. Most of the luxury vinyl flooring planks create the illusion of real hardwood, but there are a few plank options that look like stone. The tiles all mimic stone.
Planks can be put down in staggered designs, random patterns, and even diagonals (though they look best when lying parallel to the longest walls in the room). You can lay tiles in any fashion, with popular options being point-to-point and ashlar (brick) patterns.
Another option to consider is what size you want your luxury vinyl flooring plank or tile to be. Tiles can be square or rectangular. Planks are rectangular and come in different widths and lengths. Pro tip: bigger planks can mean fewer seams on the floor.
Installation: loose-lay vs. direct glue down vs. click-to-lock
Luxury vinyl flooring is easy to install using any of its three methods. The best installation type for you depends on a variety of factors, including what floor you are covering, how easy you want the installation, and how much the temperature fluctuates in your home.
Click-to-lock: The luxury vinyl flooring planks and tiles float above the subfloor with this installation method. Instead of using an adhesive, click-to-lock flooring has grooves and tongues on its edges to allow for easy interlocking. Click-to-lock offers room for your floor to move slightly with temperature changes and can hide imperfections in the subfloor. It's the only option if you want to use your floor immediately after installation.
Direct glue-down: An adhesive is always used here to attach the flooring to the subfloor, allowing for different patterns. You can also use grout for a different look. There is less room for movement due to temperature change.
Loose lay: This type does not rely on interlocking grooves or adhesive (though it can be glued or grouted based on the type of installation). Instead, it has an anti-slip layer on the bottom of the flooring to help it stay in place on the subfloor. Installation is mess-free, and it can be easily removed and replaced.
Does your Denver business or home need new flooring? Contact us today to take advantage of our unbeatable wholesale prices.
