All floors are not created equal. Begin the next year with a bang by setting up a floor that is durable, stylish and unique. If you are looking for the combination of cost efficiency, trendiness, mand sophistication, then look no further. Vinyl Plank Flooring is your best option.

The type of Vinyl Plank Flooring which mimics the wooden floor best is called Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP). Luxury Vinyl Planks create spectacular floors that are ingeniously designed to look like hardwood or stone and built to endure the busiest households.

From time-worn wood to a blond maple or a rich Brazilian Cherry, you are guaranteed the style that you want, at a price that you desire.

7 Reasons Why Luxury Vinyl Planks is Your Best Flooring Option

Here are the top 7 Reasons why Luxury Vinyl Planks are the best flooring option in 2020 and beyond.

1. Affordable

Price is the first thing that makes Vinyl Plank Flooring stand out. Luxury Vinyl Planks cost from $2 to$7 per square foot on average. Whereas hardwood floor costs almost double. When compared with the other types of tiles, Vinyl Plank Flooring is certainly an affordable option.

2. Durable

Scratches, chips, and dings are not a concern if you opt for Vinyl Plank Flooring. You don’t have to fret if you have kids or pets at home. Luxury Vinyl Planks are durable, long-lasting and do not require refinishing like a hardwood floor. However, they are not entirely immune to damage, especially under heavy furniture or appliances.

3. Water Resistance

Vinyl Planks are waterproof, making them an ideal choice for bathrooms and kitchens. You can also install them in below-grade in basements. Furthermore, if you have kids, consider replacing your living room carpet with Vinyl flooring as spills and messes are a frequent occurrence there.

4. An array of Colors and Styles

Vinyl planks are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns which give your room the look that your heart desires. From ebony to whitewashed, oak to exotic cedars, you are sure to find your favorite pattern and color with perfect ease. They also come in different shapes and textures. Most vinyl planks are rectangular but they are also available in square shape. Similarly, you can make your choice based on texture as well as the thickness of the plank.

5. Easy to Install

Luxury Vinyl Planks are fairly easy to install. Adjust the size of the planks with a utility knife and you are all set. There are two options for installation:
a. Tongue and Groove Design
You can fix these planks without nails or glue. They snap together like pieces of a puzzle.
b. Peel and Stick
You can peel off the paper from the back of the planks and stick them on the floor. It’s that simple!

6. Easy to Clean and Maintain

Compared to hardwood floors, Luxury Vinyl Planks are easy to clean and require very little maintenance. Clean up the dirt with a vacuum cleaner and use a wet mop with a mild cleaner for deep cleaning.

If your vinyl floor dulls over time, don’t fret. You are not required to wax it as you wax a hardwood floor. 

7. Warm and Comfortable

Vinyl Plank Flooring can stay at room temperature. If you have central heating in your home, the floor won’t freeze your feet off as you step out of bed in the morning. Furthermore, it has a bit of padding so it won’t feel as hard as a wooden floor under your feet.

Vinyl Plank Flooring is the best option for homes with kids and pets. It is affordable, durable and easy to maintain. It’s great texture, warmth and colors make it an ideal choice for 2020 and beyond.

Proper floor care is critical to keep your home and office hygienic and appealing. Constant foot traffic results in dirt, debris and allergens accumulated on your floor. After all, they are the ground that you step-on every day. Proper care and maintenance keep your floor looking great for years.

Floor maintenance and care doesn’t have to be complicated. It is because clean floors are the expectation, not an exception.

 If you follow some simple tips and smart cleaning solutions, you can add years to your floor’s life.

Tips for the Maintenance and Care of Different Types of Floors

Use these tips to preserve your precious flooring and add value to your home.

Carpet

Your carpet needs proper maintenance and care on a daily or weekly basis. Clean all the dirt and debris from your carpet by vacuuming frequently. Depending on the type of the carpet, you will vacuum with a rotating brush, a beater bar or suction only. To keep your carpet soft, choose vacuum cleaners with efficient airflow and large wheels.

If you accidentally spill the liquids on the carpet, add water and blot to the affected area. Vacuum back and forth with the highest suction. Add more water if necessary and suck it out with a vacuum cleaner till it is completely dry.

If you do not prefer to use a lot of detergents and cleaners, carpet steam cleaner is the best choice. Once you steam clean your carpet, wipe off all the soil and debris with towels and rags.

Tile

Floor tiles can easily be cleaned by sweeping or vacuuming followed by moping with warm water.

On a weekly basis, you need to thoroughly clean the grout lines. Choose a mild cleaner and scrub with a non-scouring tool like a sponge or brush.

Avoid using acidic cleaners as they can dull the shine of your floor.

Laminate

It is important to frequently clean your laminate floor tiles as dirt and sand particles can cause scratches on the surface. Similarly, spills should be wiped off immediately.

Avoid flooding your floor because water can easily seep through the laminate boards and damage your floor.

You can occasionally mop your floor. Ideally, a mop with a microfiber pad should be used to clean the floor so that it uses minimal water and cleans all the debris.

Hardwood Floor

Hardwood floors require sweeping and mopping with minimal water. It is important to remember that there are various types of wooden floors and require care and maintenance accordingly.

Lacquered wood floors can be cleaned with a synthetic cleaner (with no grease content) whereas oiled floors can be cleaned with soap (containing grease).

Consider applying a polish or a finisher after every few weeks to keep them looking great.

Vinyl

Vinyl can mimic many other flooring types like hardwood floors or tile. It can withstand a lot of foot traffic and requires relatively less maintenance.

You can clean the floor with a brush and mop it with warm water. Wipe up spills as soon as possible. The tough stains should be cleaned with a good Vinyl floor cleaner.

Make sure your furniture or heavy appliances have protective pads to protect denting and scratching. You can also use protective mats where there is a lot of foot traffic.

Luxury Vinyl

Luxury Vinyl Floor is fairly easy to maintain. Remove the dirt or grit by sweeping or vacuuming. Using brush roller agitation on your vacuum is not recommended. While mopping, use a pH neutral floor cleaner or a solution of ammonia and water (4 parts water, 1 part ammonia).

Avoid using abrasive cleaners, one-step polishes or vinegar on your Luxury Vinyl Floor. Protect your floor from dirt and debris and dents by using non-staining mats.

Cork

Cork is vulnerable to dents and scarring. Choose a soft-bristled brush or a static duster to clean the dirt and debris. If you prefer to vacuum, avoid using the vacuum with a beater bar.

Mop the floor with as little water as possible. A few drops of detergent or a mild wood cleaner is all you need to clean the cork floor. Use a cleaner that is pH balanced and made specifically for the Cork floor.

Also, remember that a standard Cork floor needs to be properly sealed to protect it from water damage. The sealer is usually a UV-resistant polyurethane mix that creates a protective layer on the floor. When the sealer wears off, consider re-applying it as it protects your floor against water damage.

Natural Stone

According to the Marble Institute of America, the Natural Stone is broadly categorized into two main categories: Siliceous Stone and Calcareous stones. The flooring consisting of either of the two types requires certain maintenance and care. Dust mopping and cleaning with mild soap and water can keep your floor looking great. Avoid using vinegar, lemon juice, or abrasive cleaners as such cleaners can make your floor dull. Similarly, avoid using the vacuum cleaners which are worn out as the metal or plastic attachments can scratch your floor.

The tough stains can be removed by cleaning with an effective stone-cleaner. The stone specific poultice is another great way to remove the tough stains. However, you must remember that the efficacy of poultice depends on the nature of the stain and how long it had been on the stone.

Key Takeaway

Routine Care and maintenance are extremely important to maximize the beauty of your floor. Clean and well-maintained floors can add value to your home as well as a refined look. By following these handy tips, you can keep your floors looking clean in the years to come.

Installing LVT

• Step 1: Remove all furniture and appliances from the room as well as wall and doorway trim, and undercut any door casings.
• Step 2: Take care of any repairs to the subfloors before installing new flooring, and make sure the flooring surface is clean, flat, dry and free of debris.
• Step 3: If you’re renovating the space, be sure to have your cabinets installed before installing luxury vinyl—don’t install cabinets on top of the flooring.
• Step 4: Your luxury vinyl floors need to acclimate to the new environment for 48 hours, so you should have new flooring delivered to your home at least two days before installation.
• Step 5: Always examine your new flooring for damage or defects before installation and be sure to read the approved installation instructions and warranty information.
• Step 6: Let professional installers take care of the rest!

Luxury Vinyl is Built to Last

Over the past three years, Heidi’s luxury vinyl floors have endured many parties, drum solos, endless miles on the exercise bike, weight lifting and lots of spilled drinks. All the while, Mohawk luxury vinyl tile has stood up to every challenge. It has resisted scratches, scuffs and water damage completely.

Not to mention, it never fails when friends come over—they always comment on the flooring. Heidi’s friends love how LVT looks and how it feels like real wood flooring. In fact, some had to be convinced that it wasn’t real hardwood.

No one wishes for a plumbing disaster, but Heidi’s led to the best flooring option for her needs. She’s looking forward to many more football-watching parties and game nights without needing to worry if someone spills a drink. Mohawk LVT flooring can take it, no problem.

Does LVT sound like the perfect flooring for your home? Visit us to get started on your project!

The Benefits of Vinyl

First and foremost, families with pets need flooring that is easy to clean. Vinyl is one of the easiest flooring products to keep looking fresh, even with the messiest of critters. If Fido or Whiskers tracks mud across the floor, a damp mop quickly erases the prints while fur, litter or kibble can be easily swept or vacuumed away.

For those unpleasant “accidents” pets are occasionally prone to, vinyl can be thoroughly cleaned with warm soapy water. And best of all, vinyl won’t stain or absorb odors, so once cleaned, those accidents can be completely forgotten—and forgiven.

Does your cat like to play in the water bowl? Does your dog slurp and splash when it drinks? Spills and splashes can permanently damage some flooring, but vinyl wipes up quickly and looks none the worse for the wear.

Vinyl is softer underfoot in comparison to many other flooring options, making it more comfortable for pets that spend a great deal of time on the floor. It is also less slippery than ceramic tiles, so pets don’t slide or scamper for traction as often.

How to Shop for Vinyl

Not all vinyl products are created equal, and generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Vinyl flooring comes in both traditional sheet and planks or tiles that click together, often called luxury vinyl tile (LVT). Vinyl sheet tends to be less expensive, but it also tends to be less durable.

It is most important to look for a vinyl product that is waterproof when shopping for a home with pets. While all vinyl flooring is water resistant, not all is waterproof. Vulnerable at the seams, vinyl flooring may allow liquids to seep through to the subfloor, potentially causing damage and leaving perpetual odors.

However, waterproof vinyl flooring traps liquid on the surface where it can be thoroughly removed, protecting your subfloor and eliminating unwanted odors.

Vinyl can also be vulnerable to scratches and peeling. Vinyl flooring has a protective coating often called the wear layer. The thicker the wear layer, the better the flooring will stand up to daily wear and tear, especially when it comes to your critters’ claws.

Wear layers are also made of different materials, which can handle varying levels of abuse. A vinyl no-wax coating tolerates only light use, while urethane endures normal to heavy use, and enhanced urethane stands up to the heaviest residential use.

Another tip for buying vinyl durable enough to withstand daily life with pets is to look for thicker vinyl. In general, the thicker the vinyl flooring, the longer it will last.

If your furry friend is a dainty Chihuahua or a nine-pound cat with neatly trimmed nails, you may not need to worry about heavy-duty vinyl with a premium wear layer, but if your family includes a 150-pound mastiff, you’ll want to go for the most durable vinyl products available.

No matter your pet, vinyl is an excellent choice for keeping your home clean and your entire family happy.

Wood-look LVT

Luxury vinyl options have quickly caught up to laminate wood visuals in popularity since they are just as realistic looking, more versatile, and easier to maintain. True hardwood is not a perfect fit for bathrooms, kitchens, and basements where there are frequent spills and moisture, but LVT’s waterproof qualities bring rustic, natural charm to these tricky areas.

Stone-look LVT

It’s simply amazing the way LVT can mimic gorgeous, timeless, natural stone. Marble, travertine, tile, concrete, brick—all of these looks can be achieved for a much lower cost with stone-look LVT. Also, installing LVT is a much quicker process and requires zero messy or tricky grout that takes more effort to keep clean over the years.

Plank & Tile Size

One of the main reasons you may mistake LVT for the type of flooring it mimics is the actual shape of LVT tiles. Longer, wider plank sizes give LVT the popular wood visual, while larger, square vinyl options provide the look of a real stone floor. These formats allow today’s vinyl flooring to create a luxurious-looking floor that older, outdated vinyl styles could not. Larger LVT planks and tiles make rooms look bigger, modern and elegant.

LVT Color Trends

For 2017, think modern, rich colors when it comes to LVT trends. Deep espresso brown is a super-popular wood shade, and LVT can help you get this look for a fraction of the hardwood price tag. Gray flooring has been a huge style trend, and gray LVT in either a stone or wood look is a perfect modern update for your home. On the other end of the spectrum, white marble-look LVT and coastal, white-washed wood-look LVT are smart ways to enhance the luxurious feel in your guest and master bathrooms.

LVT floors are so easy to install that they allow homeowners to get extra creative when it comes to the patterns and angled layouts of the tile.

Chevron & Herringbone

These similar, classic patterns are back in a major way to add interest and depth to your long entryways, hallways and bathrooms. Typically using longer planks, you can create chevron points at an angle. A stacked, zigzag herringbone pattern is also incredibly easy to create with LVT.

So as you can see, the “luxury” in LVT is no misnomer. This flooring choice presents homeowners and designers with tremendous potential for creating striking, unforgettable homes. Durability, realism, beauty, warmth, waterproof—it’s clearLVT will continue to grow in popularity. Whether or not you decide to share the secret with others, well, that’s up to you!

With kids come messes. It’s an unavoidable fact of life. They track in dirt, they spill juice, they drop food. It’s amazing that such tiny, adorable, innocent beings can leave such disaster in their wake. When choosing flooring for a home with children, you need a product that can keep up with daily—if not hourly—soiling and cleaning while still managing to look good. Vinyl flooring offers a practical, affordable and even stylish solution.

Benefits of Vinyl

1. Easy to clean. First and foremost for families with children, flooring must be easy to clean, and quality vinyl is one of the best performing categories of flooring when it comes to cleanability. Most dirt, grime and food wipes off easily, and bigger messes clean thoroughly with just soap and water.

2. Water resistant. Since children are prone to spills, you also need flooring to stand up to liquid. All vinyl flooring is water resistant. And some vinyl flooring is even 100% waterproof, trapping liquid on the surface to protect your subfloor from damage and mildew.

3. Comfortable underfoot. Many flooring options are hard and unforgiving. Vinyl flooring is resilient, meaning it absorbs impact. Not only will it ease your children’s falls, it will also provide comfort underfoot in areas like the kitchen where you stand for long periods of time.

4. Sound dampening. Not only are children messy, but let’s face it, they can also be incredibly loud. The harder your floors, the more sound will reverberate through the house, amplifying all your children’s squeals, shrieks and general noises. There is no magic mute button for your children, but vinyl flooring absorbs sound, making their outbursts a little less deafening. The addition of a quality underlayment will enhance the sound dampening attributes of your floor as well.

5. Warmer underfoot. Children spend a lot of time on the floor, and in the wintertime especially, floors can be cold. Because vinyl is softer, it tends to stay warmer to the touch than other hard surface flooring options, which you and your children will appreciate.

6. Stylish. When you think of vinyl, you may picture your grandmother’s faded and yellowed linoleum, but resilient flooring has come a long way since those days. High-quality vinyl flooring now mimics the high-end look and texture of hardwood, ceramic tile and stone with such realism, even flooring experts sometimes do a double take. Now you can have that expensive wire-brushed hardwood look in rooms where the kids eat, drink and play without the worry or hit to your wallet.

Types of Vinyl

Vinyl flooring still comes in sheet form, but it also comes in planks and tiles that snap together, often referred to as luxury vinyl tile (LVT). LVT and sheet vinyl flooring have improved dramatically, both in performance and aesthetics in recent years, and LVT has propelled vinyl flooring into a new class of hard surface flooring with its high design looks at family-friendly prices.

Vinyl also comes in different forms for different installations. Glue-down vinyl, available in both sheet and LVT, is attached directly to the subfloor with adhesive and is recommended for areas like bathrooms or large rooms requiring multiple seams. Loose lay sheet vinyl and floating LVT, which sit on top of the subfloor without adhesive, can be installed over subfloors that are too rough for gluing.

The latest innovation in vinyl flooring is LVT with a rigid, waterproof core. The planks and tiles lock together for a waterproof floor that won’t telegraph imperfections from the subfloor. Installation is quick and easy, and can be done in any room of the house, no matter the humidity levels or fluctuations in temperature.

Are you convinced that vinyl is right for your family? Visit our showroom to view new styles and techniques in person.

Every parent has felt that unmistakable chaotic energy building up in the home. Like fast-forming, dark clouds moving across an angry sky, everything comes to a head at the most inopportune time. Dinner is cooking on the stove while the dogs bark at movement outside the front door. The cell phone finally rings for the call you’ve been waiting for all day, and just when you go to answer it, the front door swings open…

Kids dash in, dirty shoes and book bags hitting the floor. The dogs race by, knocking over water bowls and bumping into you in the process. You save the phone from falling into a sizzling sauté pan, only to drop a sauce-covered ladle on the floor. You’ve been hit by another category 4 household hurricane. And it’s just an average Tuesday!

High Performance Flooring

To minimize damage from household hurricanes, consider luxury vinyl flooring options that are designed for high performance in active households.

If you identified with the household hurricane description, Mohawk’s SolidTech products were designed with you in mind. Not only do they feature the beautiful, natural look of hardwood, SolidTech also provides 100% waterproof protection against spills and stains. Effectively eliminating odors from pet accidents and mildew, the All Pet Protection & Warranty also means your favorite furry pals are in the clear.

A rigid core and an ultra-tough protective coating make SolidTech floors resistant to scratches, scuffs and dents as well as impervious to cupping or warping due to temperature changes or humidity.

All of these benefits become incredibly important for all the unpredictable moments in life—including actual natural disasters. Even when we know inclement weather patterns have formed, it’s difficult to predict the severity of a storm until it eventually touches down. That’s why it’s always important to select products for the home that are engineered for superior durability and water protection, no matter what elements they might face on a regular basis. SolidTech endured an actual category 4 hurricane, and it passed the extreme test, coming out looking as good as new.

Waterproof and Hurricane-proof

In September 2017, Hurricane Harvey reached MainStreet America model home park in Northeast Houston, where the homes sustained as much as four feet of flood waters. One of these buildings included the Main Course Cooking School, which offers fun, informative cooking classes. SolidTech had been chosen for the kitchen floor for its versatility, easy cleanability and resistance to moisture and temperature change. Little did they know how much water and mess the floor would have to withstand.

After Harvey passed, water was everywhere. And once the water drained, it was time to regroup and try to get back to normal. First, the SolidTech planks were unclicked and removed from the subfloor, then air movers were put into the rooms to dry any remaining moisture. Due to the height of the floodwaters, drywall and insulation had to be completely removed and replaced throughout the MainStreet America park. However, after the subfloors were properly cleaned up, the same SolidTech planks that experienced Harvey’s flooding were brought back into the Cooking School to be reinstalled.

The integrity of SolidTech’s UniClic® MultiFit locking system was never compromised, and the original planks were put back in place, still as beautiful, durable and waterproof as the day they were purchased. In the words of MainStreet America personnel, “It was like the flooding never happened.” So not only are these SolidTech planks waterproof, they proved to be hurricane-proof as well!

SolidTech can easily be installed on just about any subfloor, and the planks can go into any room of the house. After surviving the ultimate test against Mother Nature, just imagine how it can stand up to the everyday chaos in your home. Get your free estimate today.