Ever walked into a living space and the luscious texture of the floor against the soles of your feet felt heavenly and you desired to have the same type of flooring in your home?
Those days when you had only carpets as the option whenever you wanted to floor your homes, offices, and living spaces are gone.
These days, there are a variety of ultra-modern and luxurious flooring options.
When it comes to flooring, Vinyl floors have become super popular because they combine the best features of some other flooring options into one product. They are known for their resilience and versatile design options.
Vinyl is a highly sought-after flooring material for home improvement projects by interior designers whenever they get contracted by old and new homeowners. It has such a rich texture and is very comfortable to walk on, making it desirable.
The biggest advantage of Vinyl floors is that they are known to be durable. They last longer than other floor options, and they are dent and crack-resistant even under pressure.
They come in three variants which are planks, sheets, and tiles. Out of the three types of vinyl floors, the plank particularly stands out.
To find out more about the most durable vinyl plank flooring and what makes them so unique and durable, read on.
What makes vinyl floors so durable?
Vinyl floors are durable because of these two features:
- They can withstand heavy objects without getting damaged or disfigured.
- They are waterproof, scratchproof, and dent-proof.
Types of Vinyl Plank Flooring
The three types of vinyl flooring are
- Luxury
- Wood-plastic
- Stone composite
Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP)
It is a durable plank made of many layers, a natural-looking top layer, and a resilient wear layer. This type of Vinyl plank can be installed without requiring a particular set of skills.
Wood-Plastic Composite Vinyl Planks (WPC)
These are waterproof vinyl planks.
They have four layers, including a core fabricated from wood and plastic mixture. The core is also waterproof. This type of vinyl plank can be used anywhere. It is not affected by the imperfections of the underlying floor due to its thickness.
Stone-Plastic Composite Vinyl Planks (SPC)
The stone-plastic composite vinyl plank is a type of Vinyl that is very thin but extraordinarily durable. Another name for Stone-Plastic Composite Vinyl planks is Rigid core vinyl planks.
It is also totally waterproof, but the core is made of a mixture of stone and plastic. This makes it durable, as its core is very dense and almost indestructible.
Because of its toughness, it is the perfect fit for commercial buildings and high-traffic areas.
The single disadvantage of this type of Vinyl is that it is not as soft or warm as wood-plastic composite vinyl planks (WPC).
Most Durable Vinyl Flooring Brands
Read on to find out the strengths of each brand.
1. Shaw Industries
They excel in creating their planks in dimensions that enable you to create custom looks.
Collection
The Shaw industries offer 3 collections in 74 designs
The collections are
- Duration sheet
- Floorte
- Floorte Pro
The major difference in the collections is how the core is constructed. Floorte collection has a WPC core white floorte Pro has a spc core. Floorte and Floorte Pro collections have to wear a layer thickness range 12 – 30 mil.
Warranty
Products with a wear layer thickness above 12mil have 30 years residential warranty and 5 years commercial warranty.
Those with a wear layer thickness of 20 mil and above have a lifetime residential and commercial warranty in the range of 10-20 years.
Safety
For more information about the VOC emission standard of the product you’re interested in, contact the company.
2. Armstrong
Amstrong is another brand that’s recognized by many interior designers. Their premium products have a diamond-infused wear layer. Most of their residential products have litigated warranties.
Collection
The company offers collections that are
- PRYZM
- Luxe
- Vivero
PRYZM has 20 designs as well as cork underlayment.
3. Proximity Mills
This brand offers you the best value for your money as far as vinyl plank floors are concerned. They distribute their product to sellers directly and cut out extra sucks that would have gone to middlemen.
They have excellent customer service and are highly committed to manufacturing environmentally sustainable products. All their floors are manufactured with wear layers that are infused with ceramic-bead and are also UV-resistant.
All their floors are at the minimum, partially recyclable.
They have such high ethical standards that they only work with manufacturing companies that meet their business practices and ethical labor standards.
Collection
Proximity Mills currently carry 11 collections of Luxury vinyl Planks, and each collection has between 5 to 10 designs.
All their vinyl planks are made of very durable SPC core
All their LVP floors are made with wear layers having between 12 to12
Warranty
Their floors come with Standard Lifetime limited warranty.
For commercial warranties, 9 collections offer a 10 year warranty while the other 2 collections offer 5 years and 7 years warranty.
Safety
All their floors are certified as having low or zero VOC. Having zero- VOC is a rare feat when luxury vinyl planks are concerned.
4. Karndean
Karndean is the best choice for professionals. Buyers are guaranteed to find something to satisfy their flooring desire in their collection.
Their planks have an acoustic underlayment attached, making it very comfortable to walk on and also muffling walking sounds.
Collection
It carries 11 collections in 3 designs: loose lay, rigid click-lock, and glue-down. The designs feature either a stone-inspired or wood-inspired look.
Some of their collections are
- Knight tile
- Korlok
- Art Select
- Davinci
Warranty
All their collections have lifetime residential warranties. The beauty of Knight tile is that it comes with a 10-year warranty. Art Select and Davinci each have a 30 years commercial warranty, while other collections have a 15-year commercial warranty.
Safety
Their planks have low-VOC
They also avoid the use of Solvent in their adhesives to ensure low emissions.
5. COREtec
Formerly owned by USFloors but bought by Shaw in 2016, their planks have added cork underlayment with a raised design layer. It was the first company to develop and patent the first waterproof WPC core.
All their collections are waterproof.
Collection
The collections offered by COREtec include
- COREtec Original
- COREtec Advanced+
- COREtec Pro
The three collections are 100% waterproof.
COREtec Pro and COREtec originally have commercial products having 20 mil wear layers.
Safety
Safety standards are the same as Shaw’s since Shaw acquired the company.
Warranty
COREtec Advanced+ has a 15-year scratch-resistant warranty
How to Identify High-Quality Vinyl Plank Flooring
Scratch and Stain Resistance
To ensure that your vinyl plank floor lives up to its projected lifespan, you must make sure you choose a floor that can withstand high traffic and the attendant scratch, dent, and stains.
Thickness Level
In terms of comfort, thicker vinyl planks tend to be more comfortable than thinner ones.
Also, thickness is an essential factor that determines durability. Thicker vinyl plank floors are better able to withstand pressure and high traffic. Thus it would be best to consider the thickest Vinyl plank floor for Commercial use.
Look for Attached Underlayments
In an effort to extend the durability of their product, many manufacturers of vinyl Plank floors added an extra layer to their products. A common underlayment is a material known as Cork. The addition of Cork as an underlayment significantly increases the comfortability of the vinyl plank floor. Therefore, as a role of thumbs, an extra underlayment layer in a vinyl plank floor is a sign of a high-quality product.
Wear Layer
This is the topmost layer of the vinyl plank that is a long-lasting coating on the top layer of the vinyl plank, which functions as protection for the surface of the flooring. It resists stains, dents, and scratches.
If vinyl planks are to be used in areas with no traffic, then a very thick wear layer is not needed, but if you plan to use the Vinyl in a high traffic area, it’s best to go for the thickest wear layer.
Conclusion
There’s no denying Vinyl flooring is a state-of-the-art option that gives the ambiance and aura of hardwood floors without the associated problems.
It also costs much less than hardwood floors and is much easier to maintain. Due to its numerous advantages, it has become a highly desired flooring option.
In choosing which variety to go for, ensure you consider the wear layer, thickness, and composition to arrive at the best choice for your needs.