Luxury vinyl flooring in a Newport, NC home

Luxury vinyl flooring vs. sheet vinyl flooring


When vinyl flooring was introduced to the U.S. market decades ago, it was highly praised for water resistance, affordability, and easy maintenance. It comes in sheets or composite tiles, called VCT. Today, thanks to modern technology, the product has brilliant images inspired by nature and florals, geometrics, checkerboards, and other exciting patterns. The newer, high-end premium version is known as luxury vinyl flooring or LVF. What's the difference between the two?

Standard vinyl: still a significant role in residential flooring


Standard vinyl is thinner and comes in 6-foot or 12-foot rolls. It's a composite material with a PVC plastic core bonded to a felt or fiberglass backing; the design layer and a robust and transparent wear layer are on top. Sheet vinyl continues to play a significant role in residential flooring.

Since there are no seams, no alignment is needed, and some prefer that type of installation. Vinyl sheets can be installed through the glue-down method or as a loose lay where the sheets hover over a subfloor without nails or glue, while VCT can be glued down or come in a peel and stick version.

Luxury vinyl flooring: often preferred by homeowners, designers, and more


This affordable 100% premium waterproof flooring product is three to five times thicker than vinyl sheets, is more durable and has more design options. It can be cut to mimic hardwood boards, vinyl plank flooring or groutable squares, LVT flooring, to echo stone or tile. Many feel the extra seams add to the realism, and still, others go so far as to use grout with the tile-sized pieces.

The images are clear and vibrant, and the floors have micro beveling and embossing to add depth, dimension, and textured appearances. It is easy to care for, durable, and installed as a floating floor where the pieces click and hover over the subfloor without nails or glue. Subfloors need to be clean, dry, and level.

Luxury vinyl flooring is found in homes and high-end restaurants, retail stores, and other commercial facilities. To learn more, visit Cheap Charlies Flooring in Newport, NC, especially if you live in or near Newport, Jacksonville, New Bern, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Havelock, Morehead City, Beaufort, Cape Carteret, or Swansboro. Be sure to ask about your free vinyl flooring quote.