Luxurious hardwood floors are an elegant and beautiful addition to your home. But custom hardwood flooring is expensive to produce and install. If only there were a better way to achieve the look you want without breaking the bank. There’s good news — you can create the look and ambiance of hardwood floors for much less. LVP flooring offers you the hardwood floors of your dreams without spending thousands of extra dollars.
In the flooring industry, LVP stands for luxury vinyl plank. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is an excellent option for homeowners as it’s durable, lightweight and can be made to look like nearly any material, in this case, hardwood planks.
How is LVP Made
Luxury vinyl plank flooring is made of polyvinyl chloride resins (PVC) that have been melted down and combined with other materials and elements to create a durable flooring option. The combined materials are then formed into planks by creating multiple layers that are pressed together.
The backing and core are produced: Pressed PVC and other materials are layered to create the backing and core of LVP. These comprise the majority of a piece of LVP.
A high-resolution digital image is overlayed: After the core and backing are manufactured, a thin layer containing a digitally produced high-resolution image of a material such as wood for LVP flooring is overlayed on the planks. This gives LVP hardwood flooring a striking appearance similar to that of real hardwood planks without the hassle of harvesting, manufacturing and producing the wood flooring. It’s also how you can save money while enjoying all the luxury of actual hardwood floors.
A wear layer is applied: The last step in the process is to apply a transparent wear layer that creates a durable flooring option. This layer is transparent enough that you can still clearly see the high-resolution image imposed on the planks yet durable enough to offer a scratch-resistant flooring option for homeowners. This layer also makes LVP hardwood flooring easier to maintain, clean and keeps it from fading or turning a different shade over time. This layer is sometimes textured to create a finished product that closely resembles natural hardwood flooring.
What is LVP Flooring Made Of?
LVP is made of vinyl. Vinyl flooring was first introduced to American consumers in the 1970s. But make no mistake about it — LVP hardwood flooring is not the cheap, thin material you might remember as a kid. LVP hardwood flooring is a form of vinyl flooring with a much more refined manufacturing process to allow companies to produce a solid, durable plank that resembles wood without having to harvest wood.
Many flooring experts and professionals feel this is why LVP is better than hardwood flooring. You don’t have the harmful environmental impact, so when you couple that with the savings in the cost and labor it takes to produce hardwood planks, LVP is sometimes a better choice than traditional hardwood. But hardwood floors are just one of the many uses for luxury vinyl.
What’s the Difference Between LVT and LVP?
Hardwood flooring is not the only type of construction material that can be produced and replicated using vinyl planks. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is another popular type of flooring material that can be produced and replicated using the above process.
The main difference between LVP and LVT is the type of material they’re each trying to replicate. LVT is designed and produced to mimic natural stone or tile flooring. Like LVP hardwood flooring, LVT flooring is sometimes manufactured with a textured feel and look that comes as close to the real thing as possible.
With LVT, instead of superimposing a high-resolution image of hardwood, an image of stone, rock or another type of natural element is digitally mastered and attached to the nearly finished tiles of LVT.
Advantages of LVP Hardwood Flooring
LVP hardwood flooring is a smart option for homeowners everywhere. If you’re thinking about LVP hardwood flooring for your home or business, then there are many different advantages to consider including:
Sustainable: LVP hardwood flooring is an environmentally friendly and sustainable flooring option. With luxury vinyl planks, you’re choosing an option that does not require pulling natural resources such as trees from the earth. This makes LVP flooring the environmentally responsible choice for your home.
Affordable: The manufacturing and production processes used to create LVP are cost-effective. This means a more affordable flooring option for you. Installation is increasingly affordable, plus you’ll have the ability to make simple repairs in the future should you need to, which also saves you money in the long run. Individual luxury vinyl planks can be replaced depending on the design you choose to go with.
Customizable: LVP hardwood flooring is easily customized to create a unique flooring option for you. The process of imposing a digital image over LVP flooring means that nearly any image can be used to create the planks. This gives homeowners countless options for creating a custom hardwood floor.
Comfortable: If you’ve ever had hardwood floors, then you know they’re called hardwood for a reason. LVP hardwood flooring is much softer and more forgiving than its traditional hardwood counterpart.
Easy: LVP hardwood flooring is easy to install, clean and maintain. Professional installation is still highly recommended with LVP flooring but it’s much simpler to install than actual hardwood planks. LVP flooring is also much easier to clean and maintain. The flat surface of LVP flooring is not as porous as traditional hardwood, so it resists dirt and dust much easier. This makes LVP flooring a great option if you have pets, kids or both.
Choosing LVP is a smart option on many levels, and these are just a few of the advantages of LVP hardwood flooring for your home or business. Contact the professionals at Metro Flooring Contractors to learn more about the ways LVP hardwood flooring will improve your home’s design, value and improve your quality of indoor life.
Is Luxury Vinyl Plank Better Than Hardwood?
There are several reasons why LVP is better than hardwood, but it all comes down to personal preference and choice. However, if our list of benefits and advantages was not enough to convince you to choose luxury vinyl planks over hardwood flooring, then here are some additional benefits to consider.
Versatility: LVP hardwood flooring is moisture-resistant and waterproof, making it an excellent flooring option for any room in your house, unlike traditional hardwood flooring. LVP flooring can be installed in bathrooms, basements and laundry rooms without any problems, where hardwood is susceptible to damaging and warping due to exposure to moisture.
Indoor air quality: LVP hardwood flooring’s versatility also makes a great option for increasing your indoor air quality. Traditional hardwood flooring’s susceptibility to moisture can result in growing harmful mold that adversely impacts your indoor air quality and subsequently your health and the health of your loved ones.
Home value: Many homeowners think traditional hardwood flooring boosts their home’s resale value, but contrary to popular belief, it can negatively influence your resale value. Young families with kids and pets might be turned off by your traditional hardwood floors as they don’t want the hassle of cleaning and maintaining expensive hardwood. On the other hand, a luxurious, modern, easy to clean and maintain flooring option can be a major selling point.
Maintenance: Replacing custom hardwood flooring planks can be a painful experience, especially if the professional flooring company that installed your floors no longer has planks of the same type or design in stock. Hardwood floors also require a lot of upkeep such as sweeping, dusting and applying products like wood oil to maintain their original appearance and luster. LVP flooring is easily cleaned and maintained with simple sweeping and a quick mopping.
Cost: The cost of harvesting, manufacturing and installing hardwood flooring is much more expensive than LVP hardwood flooring. The difference in price between the two flooring options can be thousands of dollars depending on current market rates for things like lumber and materials. You can achieve the same look as traditional hardwood flooring for a fraction of the cost when you choose luxury vinyl plank flooring for your home.
Again, the choice between LVP hardwood flooring over traditional hardwood flooring comes down to a matter of preference and choice. This is not to say that traditional hardwood wouldn’t be a great option for your home. There are definitely many benefits to having natural hardwood floors installed, and they make a great flooring option as well. Many times, your lifestyle, needs, home design and budget determine which flooring option is the best choice for you. LVP flooring is a great option if you have a home with kids, pets or both and need an affordable flooring option that fits into your busy lifestyle with little to no maintenance.
Schedule Your LVP Flooring Installation With Metro Flooring Contractors
Are you ready to learn more about LVP hardwood flooring for your home or business? Metro Flooring Contractors proudly offers free estimates and next-day installation that saves you time and money!
Our professional design and consultation team comes to you, which makes choosing the next flooring option for your home or business an easy and convenient experience. Our hassle-free process is the first step to achieving the floors of your dreams. Shop for LVP hardwood flooring with Metro Flooring Contractors.
