When choosing flooring for any home, there are a few alternatives as alluring as luxury vinyl flooring. It is vibrant, easy to clean, and you can let the pets or children play around without any worry about their health, or scratching the floor. Another bonus feature is that the flooring can look similar to wood without actually involving any wood.
However, many people remain skeptical about how long vinyl flooring lasts. If you’re one of them, then you are at the right place. So, let’s dive right in and observe the lifespan of luxury vinyl flooring. You’ll also learn what factors affect its durability and the convenient methods you can adopt to extend its usage. Mainly, we’ll focus on luxury vinyl flooring since that is one of the most premium products and the perfect choice for many homeowners and estate developers looking for durable floors.
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Cleaning Schedule and Cleaning Solutions
While the cleaning schedule highly depends upon where you live and how often you receive guests, it helps to clean the floor once per week. Regardless of the quality of the vinyl, dust and dirt can ruin any finish. Sure, the flooring can resist it for a while, but leaving any spots unchecked may require you to replace the flooring much sooner.
It is best to use a damp mop dipped in a solution of hot water and dishwasher soap for light cleaning. In case you run into persistent stains, a cleaning product from Surdel Carpets Flooring and Design Centre can do wonders.
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Tips to Extend the Lifespan of Your Luxury Vinyl Floors
Luxury vinyl flooring is a long-lasting solution, and you can certainly apply a few preventative measures to extend its lifespan further. In addition to purchasing only high-quality flooring components, it helps to follow a few tips to extend how long your LVT floors last.
Don’t Drag Items Across the Floor
Since the weight exerted on luxury vinyl flooring can damage the flooring, it is best not to move heavy items by dragging them. You should use furniture pads and get some extra hands to lift them off the ground if you are going to move heavy furniture.
Add Rugs to Areas with High Foot Traffic
In high foot traffic areas such as your front door, hallways and living room, area rugs will protect your floor from excessive wear.
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Use the Right Cleaner
It would be best to use a pH-neutral solution to clean any LVTs around your house. It pays to sweep high-traffic areas on a daily basis. The cleaning solutions should be used for deep cleaning when things get really dirty, and you have to bring the mop out.
Make Sure It’s Installed Correctly
Many people are tempted to go for the discounted installation services, even going so far as doing the entire floor themselves over a long weekend. However, that few hundred dollars saved could turn into a bad situation and sadly end up costing more to fix issues from a bad installation. We’ve seen this happen time and time again. Thus, it pays to hire a reliable installation service.
FAQs About Luxury Vinyl Floors
It depends on the flooring you have and how well you maintain it. There is no specific duration as to when you replace vinyl flooring. However, you should check for signs of damage on a yearly basis. Bloated planks, irregular cut marks, and fading of color are a few telltale signs that it is time to replace the flooring.
A high-quality luxury vinyl, when compared to hardwood, holds up much better. Thanks to the manufacturing process and durability, you can see 10-20 years, if not more, in the lifespan of your vinyl floor. Of course, you can only achieve that through proper installation and maintenance.
It depends on the quality and the type of flooring in question. It won’t if you’re planning to replace worn-out flooring with high-quality vinyl floors. The color and aesthetics factor in as well; damaged and faded vinyl flooring is not desirable, new looking floors will only enhance the value of your home.
There are many factors to consider with this question. Typically, high-quality vinyl flooring will outperform low-quality laminate and vice versa. High-quality laminate flooring has very comparable lifespans. There are other factors you’ll want to cover with us before making the official decision. For example, laminates contain a wooden core leaving them more vulnerable to moisture and dirt.
You need to look for a few signs to determine how long your LVT flooring will last. A few hints include:
- Gaps in the planks/tiles/panels
- Bulging of the floor at specific locations
- Discoloration or fading
- Wear layer cracks that protrude from the floor
- Deep cracks or scratches