7 Reasons To Reconsider Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl has had a difficult time overcoming it's reputation. We'd like to help with that.

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The word “vinyl” can invoke images of a thin, cheap blanket of plasticky horror. For some, they may think of it as punishment for not having a bigger remodeling budget.

“Wait! I thought this blog was 7 reasons to reconsider luxury vinyl… You’re not really making me reconsider anything!”

Good point! When most people think of vinyl they think of sheet vinyl. Luxury vinyl tile or planks are a different product altogether. While they have some similarities, their differences in manufacturing make all the difference.

Sierra Madre La Palma Oak luxury Vinyl Floors b y Hallmark
Sierra Madre Luxury Vinyl. Image Courtesy of Hallmarkfloors.com

What is Luxury Vinyl?

To appreciate what makes luxury vinyl planks so good, you have to first look at how sheet vinyl is made. Sheet vinyl is created on a large calendar press into giant 6′ x 50′-80′ feet rolls. This process is great for making cheap flooring for commercial use but isn’t so great for home use. The big problem is that vinyl pressed this way is soft, and isn’t as stable or durable as vinyl tile.

Vinyl planks are made to be sturdier, with each plank individually hot pressed and given a hard-top coat u. The manufacturing process gives luxury vinyl tile depth and texture. It can reproduce the look of real hand-scraped hardwood or ceramic tile at a fraction of the cost. Luxury vinyl tiles like from Hallmark are competing with and often surpassing laminate flooring.

When I suggested to my wife luxury vinyl planks (LVP) for our own kitchen, she was apprehensive about it. All she ever knew was the low quality sheet vinyl from thirty years ago. Once she saw and touched the new flooring, she understood that vinyl was a great option. It is both water & wear resistant while still looking fantastic.

For all the juicy sciency tidbits on how vinyl is made, check out this History of Vinyl by Hallmark Floors.

Luxury vinyl is..

  1. Durable. LVT is great for high traffic living spaces because of how incredibly durable and resistant to wear it is. The vinyl we buy from Hallmark Floors has a structural & finish warranty of 25+ years.
  2. Waterproof. Vinyl itself is waterproof when installed correctly. This makes it a great choice for high-moisture areas like kitchens and bathrooms. If installed properly, the likelihood of water going to the sub-floor is small. This is great news for those living in Portland and Vancouver, it gets wet here!
  3. Easy to repair. If the tiles/planks are damaged or need to be replaced, you can replace that one piece without having to tear up the whole floor. For this reason we recommend buying an extra 10% of tile in case you need it in the future.
  4. Budget-friendly. Even though LVT is a high-quality product, it can still come out to less than $5 a foot (materials + installation).
  5. Warm. Without heating, ceramic floors get pretty cold in the winter. Since vinyl stays warm, you can save on electricity by not needing to heat your floor.
  6. Soft underfoot, making for a more comfortable living space.
  7. Like real stone or hardwood. Luxury vinyl can pass for its stone or hardwood counterparts. The tiles can even be laid with grout!

If you would like to see vinyl flooring for yourself, come visit our Portland showroom!

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