Special Look for a reliable manufacturer if you choose LVT PVC, or vinyl floors

from FFI 124 July 2022

Product news

BENEFITS AND NO DRAWBACKS?

THE STRONG EMERGENCE OF LVT AND RELATED PRODUCTS IS CERTAINLY NO COINCIDENCE

LVT floors have most certainly taken the market by storm. As we’ve outlined a number of times, LVT is a vinyl floor and LVT is simply an abbreviation for luxury vinyl tiles. What is it that makes these types of floors so popular and why do we see them gaining ground in both the residential and commercial markets? The answer lies in a number of benefits (lots of them), which we’ll try to set out.

LVT is also a hard flooring, but why would you choose it instead of floors such as wood, linoleum, or laminate? What we certainly can say is that vinyl has long since ceased to be the cheap product which was discarded for so long. On the contrary, it is an increasingly high-quality flooring which more and more people are considering as an alternative.

Structure makes many things clear

What’s worth knowing for a start is how LVT is put together. We note that the structure comprises a watertight synthetic bottom layer, various fibreglass layers for good stability, a design layer, a protective covering layer, and a protective top layer. The latter prevents wear and tear, keeps the number of scratches to a minimum, protects from damp, and simplifies the maintenance.

Perhaps the biggest benefit is the form in which LVT is presented to the outside world. The vinyl which we all know used to be offered on rolls, which also had to be glued to the floor. That chore was anything but pleasant and extremely time consuming. However, LVT comprises planks and tiles in different sizes, designs, and textures which are fitted floating quickly and easily above the floor. Moreover, you can combine planks and tiles in different sizes and colours to create a well-nigh infinite range of patterns. Are you put off by talk of vinyl planks, PVC strips, or modular vinyl floors? Fear not! Those are simply different names for the same thing.

The above also makes it clear that LVT is a worthwhile product not only for residential floors, but also for commercial projects. It’s certainly no surprise that more and more people are expressing a preference for it in offices, shops, etc. Moreover, it has a thin structure, and that means that it highlights itself explicitly when it is time for renovation. Due to its limited thickness, this type of floor can easily be fitted on top of existing floors and in some cases it is easy to cut the planks or tiles to measure with a knife and without generating any dust.

Various other arguments

One major benefit of LVT is that it is also extremely durable. And so, it is no longer exceptional at present that half of PVC consists of recycled raw materials and that the latest LVT floors on the market can be recycled even 100%. Apart from the durability, the watertight bottom layer, and the protective top layer which we’ve already mentioned, we must also point out the minimal level of noise from footsteps. Moreover, the available designs are now almost without exception of top quality and obviously with a structure. Nowadays, you can hardly distinguish a wood or stone design from the real thing, so with stone you change the cold feel for warmth on the feet (also an easy combination with floor heating or cooling).

Finally, we must also talk about the fitting. Flat and hard covering floors such as concrete, anhydrite, wood, or tiles are sufficient for easy fitting, obviously provided that they are levelled.

A specialist

Parquetvinyl by Lamett

Parquetvinyl is the latest generation of sturdy vinyl floors and no longer bears any resemblance to old techniques such as vinyl on a roll. The planks can hardly be distinguished from real parquet thanks to the extremely matt finish (2-4% gloss), realistic decors, and staggering synchronous wood structure. The planks not only look like real parquet, but also have several assets such as fast installation thanks to the integrated underlay and the simple click system. They don’t need to acclimatise and can be fitted on top of most existing floors. Finally, you can install Parquetvinyl in one piece up to 400m² or 20 running metres. June will witness the launch of the premium collection ‘Nakuru’, the most silent vinyl floor on the market. This collection ensures a reduction in transmission sound of 21dB ΔLw and 10dB ΔLlin. This means it complies with the strictest prevailing standards in the Netherlands for the project market and therefore also the European standard.