Suppose you want to choose the best inside ordinary vinyl planks and luxury vinyl tiles. In that case, you must select Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) flooring because LVT is the only plank flooring that can give you beautiful flooring material. These are not as light as conventional vinyl planks. The LVT is highly durable and has a very aesthetic design. But to get the right utility, you need to know the proper use of this floor.
Floors designed with luxury vinyl tiles are durable and expensive, so this floor will not be a problem, but it is not right. Like every used product, it has its pros and cons. So the floor owner needs to know about the issue of this luxury vinyl tiles floor.
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Problems with Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring
Since it is a Vinyl floor, the house members and the furniture regularly carry it on their chest. If you know the problems of this floor, you can take care of the LVT floor carefully. This article will discuss three critical issues of Luxury Vinyl Tiles Floors – solutions and some more disadvantages. Hopefully, this article will make you apprised of how to deal with those problems.
Discoloration and Stains
The vinyl flooring not only brings luxury to our house but also makes the home look beautiful. Unfortunately, we have to face many issues with it, because vinyl tiles lose color quickly or these problems. Of course, discolored tiles make your house look pale and lifeless. There are some reasons your flooring is getting discolored or pale. You deserve to know this. Let’s come to the point.
Inside a home, this is very normal to spill foods or drinks. Vinyl floor absorbs steins quickly and powerfully. Liquids from drinks or foods get absorbed into the tiles and make them harder to remove or clean. As in your home, you or your baby might spill foods or juice. What you can do at that moment is, clean the spill immediately with a clean damp rug so that it can’t get time to absorb the stein. First, remove the extra food or drinks, then use the carpet.
There are also some other reasons other than food can discolor your floor. Heat and the hot temperature is a big reason for your home is looking pale. The sunlight itself can discolor the tiles. So, you always have to keep in mind that there must be shade. Well, you may like the beautiful sunny day, want the sunlight to come inside your room. Besides, it is not possible to keep the curtain down all day. So, when the sunlight is so strong? And also, when you are out of your home, at your office, or at work! Remember to keep shade or keep the curtains down.
Otherwise, when you return home, you will the floor is already discolored. Another reason is the heating vent. The heat will make the beautiful colors of the floor faded. Keeping the vent away from the floor should help in this case.
Scratches
Scratches. That has always been a big problem for our everyday things. So, it is not a surprise that it will make issues with your vinyl flooring too. Now, there are so many implements that can cause scratches on the tiles. Scratches make the vinyl tiles discolored and dull.
Among the things that make scratches on tiles, dirt is the most common one. Hard dust, those can get dragged inside your house, make scratches on the floor. So, don’t forget to sweep and wipe your home regularly.
When you have guests in your house, remember to ask them to leave the shoes outside the door. So that dirt, brick pieces, or stones can not get inside your home and make a scratch. Another thing, don’t walk wearing high heels on the vinyl floor. That is also responsible for unwanted scratches on the tiles.
What if you get scratch even after being so careful? Don’t worry. Every problem has a solution. You will have to fix it before it gets worse. Get some warm water in a bucket and some dishwashing soap. Pour a little amount into the water and mix well. Now use a sponge, soak it in the solution and clean the areas with scratch. Clean out all the dirt from the scratches inside of a scrape. Don’t let anyone come inside the room at this time. Give the tiles some time to dry before going to the next step.
Now, rub the scratches very lightly with medium-grit sandpaper. When most of the mark comes out, take finer sandpaper and rub it circularly. Wash with a fresh sponge again.
Finally, after drying, get some car rubbing components on a piece of cloth. Rub it gently on the marks. You will see the area shining. Wipe out the extra. Your scratches are gone!
Peeling and Cracking
When you use the vinyl tiles for several years, you may see it has started to peel off and crack in some areas, especially near the tiles’ corners, where the adhesives become loose in time. So, the corners start to curl and peel off. If you leave it without fixing it, this will get worse day by day.
If only a few corners start to peel off, it would be easy to fix. You won’t need to replace the whole flooring. Now, fix the peeled off tiles. Get an aluminum foil and put it over the tile. Heat up using an iron to make the tile flexible. This way, the adhesives will also become softer. Now clean the dirt inside the tile. Sand the scratches just like before I told you. Then wax it, and now you will see the tile is again shining like new.
Now, peel off the corners by yourself. Put some adhesive on. Could you not use it too much? Only a thin layer is enough to settle the whole thing. Now put the tile back in its place carefully. Press it with a rolling pin so that extra adhesives come out. Clean the extras by using a damp cloth. Now get wax paper and put it over the tile. Don’t forget to put some extra weight, and some books will do to press the tile and settle it. Wait till the next morning.
The adhesive will dry by this time, and the tile is fixed. We want our home to look beautiful. Vinyl flooring is an excellent option for it. It will last for a long time if you take good care and maintain them.
How long will Luxury Vinyl Tile last?
LVT, the Luxury vinyl tile, is an excellent option to level up your home. If you ask how long will it last, actually there is no exact number of years. In general, it will last up to 20 years it depends on different things. The quality, installation, care, pet, heavy footstep are the factors.
Again, don’t forget to explain to the retailer of Amarillo, TX, what you exactly want. He will help you choose the best one.
Let’s know about the luxury vinyl flooring, LVT. That is a vinyl tile. You will find it cut in square or plank size associated with hardware looks. It is layered with high-quality backing, core, wear sheet, and image layer. The wear layer is a bit thick that helps the floor avoid scratches, and prevents liquid and stein absorption. Besides, LVT is waterproof.
The 20 mil or 28 mil is the best size for the vinyl floor. LVT and LVP follow the floating floor technique when installed. It’s easy to install but needs professionals. That is a significant factor in longevity. If dirt, nail, or debris is not cleaned before installation, it will crack after some days.
The LVT is now used in high-end houses. You will find it in different colors and wooden, tile, and stone textures. 3D images, emboss, shadow, depth, and dimensions give the tiles an aesthetic look. You can also get textured appearances like a brushstroke, weathered, scraped, or distressed with gloss or matte finishing if you want.
The Disadvantages of vinyl floors
I have told you how to fix vinyl tile or vinyl flooring problems and how it will bring an appreciative look to your home. That is inexpensive, and anyone can buy it too.
But, sometimes, you may have regrets in your mind, why have I bought this. Maybe it will cost you more in the long run. So, you deserve to know the wrong sides too.
Among the disadvantages, the most vital thing may be, you can’t repair it. Besides, it can emit VOC or volatile organic compounds, which can do some harm to your health.
Though the finishing touches will make the tiles look like real wood, in reality, these are not woods. So, vinyl tiles won’t last as much as a wooden floor. If you use extra adhesive when installing it, this becomes so hard to remove when needed. The last but not the least harmful side is, it is, unfortunately, not eco-friendly, not readily biodegradable.
After knowing all of these, you may have already decided not to buy this one. But, the other ones are mostly the same as it. Every product has its lacking and wrong sides, you know. Which one will you choose if there is no pure one!
Conclusion
As a luxurious floor, luxury vinyl tiles are better than any engineered wood floor. However, having a luxury title does not mean that the product will be problem-free. If you have finished reading the above article, you must have realized that using LVT flooring like other floors is a problem, and there are solutions to these problems. If you want to use this floor safely, follow my tips. Then the luxury vinyl tiles floor will be more durable and long-lasting.