The guide to the top LVT flooring brands

December 31, 2022

Many luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring brands have been popular among those in the renovation business. They are durable, stylish, practical, and resistant to water damage.

Among these LVT flooring brands, which reigns supreme, and which ones work best for your home? If you’re interested to find out the answers to these questions, read on!

vinyl flooring brands

What Is Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) Flooring?

At first glance, LVT flooring looks like natural wood, stone, or marble. That’s part of their appeal, as they resemble expensive materials but come at a much more affordable price. In reality, it is made of various synthetic layers that are specifically made to mimic natural materials.

Many people choose LVT flooring over natural materials because, aside from its more affordable price, it is more practical for crowded rooms and areas susceptible to moisture. For instance, they’re ideal for bathrooms, kitchens, and basements. They’re also good for households where kids and pets are constantly running around. 

They also come in a variety of patterns and colours, giving more homeowners design options for their home.

What Is the Difference Between Vinyl Plank Flooring and Vinyl Tile Flooring?

There are two types of LVT floors: tiles and planks. The most noticeable difference between them is that the former is manufactured to resemble tiles, while the latter consists of large planks. Other than that, they’re both resistant to water, durable, and thin. They’re also suitable for installing underfloor heating.

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is typically made from multiple flexible layers, including a surface wear layer for protective purposes, a patterned layer that shows a specific design, and a core layer for structure. 

While these three layers are the standard, some companies add a fourth layer for extra protection.

Vinyl planks can be installed by clicking them together or glueing them onto the subfloor. Either way, they’re the easiest and quickest type to install because they’re larger than tiles. Although they come in many patterns and colours, they mostly resemble real wood, not stone, because of their plank structure.

How to Choose the Best LVT and LVP Flooring

Now that you know the difference between luxury vinyl tiles and planks, it’s time to discuss how you can choose the best one for your home. There are a few factors that you should keep in mind while shopping, and we’ve compiled the most important ones in the list below.

Wear Layer

One of the most important indicators of a vinyl floor’s quality is the thickness of its wear layer. The entire floor doesn’t necessarily have to be thick, as one of the pros with LVT and LVP floors is they are known for their flexibility..  However, the topmost layer should be thick enough to protect the tiles or planks from scratches and tears. 

The rule is as follows: the more thickness the surface layer packs, the longer the floor will look unblemished. So before making your purchase, you should ask the manufacturer about this point.

Design Layer

While the main goal behind buying luxury vinyl tiles is to have practical and durable floors, appearances still matter. You want your floors to look elegant and match the rest of your interiors.That’s why you should check the design and quality of the patterned layer before making your purchase. 

Every LVT floor has a design layer that shows a specific pattern or drawing: geometric, a resemblance to natural materials, etc,. Its quality can make or break your house’s final look.

Embossing

An embossed LVT floor has a specific texture printed on it:wood, stone, or other natural materials. When buying new floors for your house, you should check the embossing quality first and see whether it’s registered or blind. 

Registered embossing is usually based on a specific image or pattern, while blind embossing does not use a reference  image. The former results in more prominent textures and is preferred by many because of its beautiful designs, but they’re both common in the LVT manufacturing industry.

Warranties

Some LVT floors come with warranties that guarantee you free fixes in case of faulty products. However, such warranties often have difficult conditions to meet, like installing and maintaining them in a specific way. 

Before buying your floors, check to see if they have warranties. If they do, ask about their conditions and how you can use them in case of an unfortunate event.

Since LVT flooring is a durable and long-lasting product, their warranties often range from 10 to 25 years.

Brand Reputation

In the renovation industry, the reputation of companies and brands is of utmost importance. Since news travels fast, and most customers give out honest reviews, knowing whether the brand you’re purchasing from is trustworthy enough is easy. 

You can ask your local hardware or flooring stores,, read online reviews, or ask whoever recommended the brand to you.

best lvt flooring brands uk

The Best LVT Brands on the Market

There are hundreds of flooring brands on the market that claim to be of high quality, offer diverse designs, and provide top-notch customer service, but not all of them fulfill their promises. 

To make your life easier, we’ve made a list of the best luxury vinyl floor manufacturing brands on the market.

Karndean

Kardean floors are ideal for both commercial and residential use. They’re high-quality, stylish, and durable. The best part? They offer chic patterns and colours to satisfy all tastes.The brand has been in the flooring business for more than 30 years. 

On Karndean’s website, you can shop for five different ranges: Van Gogh, Art Select, Da Vinci, Knight Tile, and Opus. Each range targets a specific style. For instance, Opus tiles are best suited for modern tastes, while Art Select floors tilt a bit towards a classic mood.

Amtico

Amtico is one of the most reputable LVT flooring brands on the market because of its products’ durability, practicality, and elegance. It offers commercial and residential collections to accommodate a variety of needs, so whether you’re renovating your house or business space, you can go for it. 

The brand’s most famous collections are Spacia, Form, Decor, Signature, and Click Smart. Some of them feature both commercial and residential tiles, but in general, Amtico has more collections for commercial use.

Forbo

Forbo doesn’t only offer high-quality LVT floors for customers, but it also has a wide selection  of materials like homogeneous and heterogeneous vinyl, linoleum, carpet tiles, sports floors, and more.

Forbo LVT floors go under the name Allura, which is the sub-brand that exclusively offers vinyl tiles. Allura floors are easy to install, gentler on the environment, and extremely stable. They can be installed in three different ways: clicking, loose laying, and adhering.

COREtec

COREtec floors are ideal for crowded houses with pets and kids because they’re durable, sturdy, and easy to clean. The brand strikes a balance between simplicity and strength, as most of its floors have minimal designs but are strong enough to last for years. 

COREtec offers floors for both commercial and residential use, and the latter is  backed by limited warranties. On top of that, the brand has hundreds of stylish patterns and colours of LVT and LVP floors to suit every taste.

LifeProof

LifeProof offers affordable LVT floors, perfect for people on a limited budget. What makes these floors special is that they have a thick wear layer to ensure resistance to scratches. They’re also waterproof, rendering them suitable for rooms susceptible to moisture. 

LifeProof floors come in both tile and plank shapes, and you’ll get to choose from a myriad of designs and colours. Most of the products are modelled to look like natural materials, such as stone and wood. The brand also offers two installation methods for its floors, glueing down and nailing down.

Armstrong

Armstrong is a premium-quality brand that manufactures durable LVT floors to satisfy every taste. It offers floors in many elegant colours, including brown, grey, tan, red-brown, and beige. The most famous collection on the brand’s website is American Charm 6, and it works for both modern and classic houses. 

Whether you want your place to look rustic, contemporary, antique, or modern, you’re guaranteed to find an Armstrong LVT floor that meets your needs.

Mannington Mills

Mannington Mills is one of the oldest flooring brands on the market, and it delivers quality products that ought to meet your high expectations. Mannington’s LVT floors come in a variety of elegant patterns and colours, and you get to choose from many installation options. 

The most famous LVT collections Mannington offers are Adura Apex, Adura Rigid, Adura Max, and Adura Flex. They’re all durable, practical, and stylish.

Cali

Cali products will appeal the most to the environment-friendly folks because they’re manufactured using only renewable energy. The brand offers LVT floors that are resistant to water, easy to maintain and install, and durable.

You get to choose from six different collections: Classic, Legends, Longboards, Mute Step, Select, and Select XL. The floors come in a myriad of stylish colours like amber, brown, light brown, grey, red, and more.

Shaw Industries

While LVT floors from Shaw Industries might break your bank a bit, they’re premium quality, waterproof, and durable. You can install them with or without glue, and they come in several  colours that match every interior decor.

There are five collections Shaw Industries offers for vinyl floors: Floorte, Floorte Elite, Floorte Pro, and DuraTru. Floorte Elite and Floorte Pro are on the pricey side of the market, while DuraTru is the most affordable collection.

What LVT Brands Should You Avoid?

There aren’t specific brands that you should avoid in the flooring industry, as it all boils down to what you need and how much you’re willing to pay. If you’re on a limited budget, then go for more affordable  brands like LifeProof and COREtec. 

Another point you should consider is whether you want LVT floors in all of your rooms or not. If you only want vinyl tiles, then you can pick specialized brands like COREtec. On the other hand, if you want different types of floors across your rooms, you should go with a brand that offers more than LVT floors, like Forbo.

To Wrap Up

Have you decided on installing LVT floors but don’t know where to shop? If you’re looking for a wide variety of patterns and styles and high-quality floors but don’t mind paying a little extra, you can go for Karndean, Amtico, or Mannington Mills. 

That said, if you’re on a budget and don’t mind having fewer choices regarding colours and designs, you can opt for LifeProof or COREtec. 

If your decision to install LVT floors is final, contact us now!