Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVT)

What is Luxury Vinyl Flooring?

Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is a multi-layered, PVC-based flooring product engineered to replicate the look and texture of natural wood, stone and pattern tile while delivering significantly better practicality. It is sometimes called luxury vinyl plank, vinyl plank flooring or simply vinyl flooring and it is sold as individual planks and vinyl floor tiles rather than on a roll. Each plank or tile is built up from a stable core, a high-definition photographic design layer, an embossed surface texture and a hardwearing transparent wear layer that protects against scratches, scuffs and stains. Premium ranges add a polyurethane (PUR) coating on top for additional durability.

The result is a floor that genuinely looks and feels like real wood or stone underfoot, but is fully waterproof, far easier to maintain and able to handle the everyday realities of busy family life – including kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and homes with pets and children.

Is LVT the Same as Vinyl Flooring? LVT vs Sheet Vinyl vs Laminate

LVT is a type of vinyl flooring. The term vinyl flooring covers both LVT – rigid planks and tiles you lay individually – and traditional sheet vinyl, which comes on a flexible roll and is usually thinner. LVT gives you a realistic embossed wood or stone texture and a tough wear layer, so it looks and performs far closer to the real material than sheet vinyl does.

Against laminate the key difference is water. LVT is fully waterproof through the body of the plank, where most laminate is only water-resistant and can swell if water reaches the core. LVT is also warmer and quieter underfoot.

Choosing the Right LVT: A Buyer’s Framework

Most LVT buying decisions come down to five questions, in this order: which format you want, which wear layer you need, how thick a board suits your subfloor, which design and colour family suit your interior and which brand tier matches your budget. The category pages below let you shop by any of those dimensions.

Step 1 – Format. LVT is laid in one of three ways. Glue down LVT flooring is bonded straight to a properly prepared subfloor, which gives the flattest, quietest and longest-lasting finish and is the format experienced fitters prefer for whole-house and feature floors. Click LVT flooring uses a rigid SPC core with a locking edge, so the boards float over the subfloor with no adhesive; it is quicker to lay, goes over most existing hard floors and suits DIY fitting. Loose lay vinyl flooring sits in between: heavy, flexible planks held in place by their own weight and friction, used mainly where the subfloor needs to stay accessible.

Step 2 – Wear layer. The wear layer is the clear top film that protects the printed design, and it is the best single guide to how long a floor will look good. 0.2mm wear layer LVT is for light use such as spare rooms, while 0.3mm wear layer LVT flooring is the entry residential grade for bedrooms and quieter rooms. 0.5mm wear layer LVT flooring and 0.55mm wear layer LVT flooring are the everyday family-home grades, right for kitchens, hallways and homes with children and pets. 0.7mm wear layer LVT flooring steps up to heavy domestic and light commercial use, and 1mm wear layer LVT flooring is the top grade, found at the premium end of the glue-down market.

Step 3 – Thickness. Overall thickness tells you how a floor is built rather than how long it lasts. Glue down planks are thin and dense: 2mm LVT flooring and 2.5mm LVT flooring cover most of the market, with 3mm LVT flooring for a slightly more solid feel underfoot. Click floors carry a rigid core, so they start at 4mm vinyl flooring and 4.5mm vinyl flooring, move through 5mm LVT flooring, 5.5mm LVT flooring, 6mm LVT flooring and 6.5mm LVT flooring, and reach 8mm LVT flooring, 8.5mm SPC flooring and 8.8mm LVT flooring, where a thicker core bridges small dips in the subfloor and often comes with underlay attached.

Step 4 – Style. LVT designs fall into a few clear families. Wood effect vinyl plank flooring is the everyday choice: easy to run through open-plan rooms and forgiving on the eye. Herringbone LVT flooring, chevron LVT flooring, parquet LVT flooring and basket weave LVT flooring give a more structured, design-led finish that works especially well in hallways, kitchens and feature rooms. For a stone look, choose stone effect LVT tiles, stone effect herringbone LVT or stone effect parquet LVT, and for something bolder there is patterned LVT flooring and abstract vinyl flooring.

Step 5 – Brand and budget. See the brand tier comparison below.

Our LVT Brands at a Glance

We split our LVT range into three broad brand tiers. The right tier depends on your budget, the importance of brand-led warranties and how design-led the project is. All three tiers contain genuinely good products – the differences are largely about brand premium, warranty positioning and design library depth rather than headline durability.

Two notes on the table. First, “Premium” does not always mean better performance – Invictus and Brampton Chase compete directly with Amtico and Karndean on specification, often at sharper price points. Second, the Add to Basket / Request a Price split is a commercial constraint rather than a quality marker. Some brands simply do not permit online price display by their UK retailers.

Premium vs Mid-Market: How to Decide

The honest answer most customers do not get told: at finished-floor scale, the visual difference between a premium glue-down LVT and a well-chosen mid-market product is much smaller than the price difference suggests. The biggest reasons to specify premium are warranty length, design library depth, very specific colour or texture treatments and (in the case of Amtico and Karndean) buying through a Retail Partner to keep the warranty valid. The biggest reasons to specify mid-market are price, the availability of samples and direct online checkout.

For most family homes we recommend ordering samples of two or three mid-market designs alongside any premium designs you have shortlisted, then comparing them in your own light before deciding.

Where Can LVT Be Used?

LVT is suitable for almost every room in the home. Because it is fully waterproof and easy to clean, it comes into its own where water and traffic are highest: kitchen LVT flooring, bathroom vinyl flooring, utility room LVT and hallway LVT flooring. It is just as much at home in the rest of the house, as living room LVT flooring, dining room LVT flooring, bedroom LVT flooring or conservatory LVT flooring, and as office vinyl flooring for a home study, where warm wood-effect designs add character without the upkeep of real timber.

Shop LVT by Colour

If you already know the colour you want, start with light LVT flooring, natural LVT flooring, grey LVT flooring, dark LVT flooring, white LVT flooring or black LVT flooring. Each colour page pulls designs from every brand so you can compare them side by side.

LVT and Underfloor Heating

Most LVT ranges are compatible with both wet and electric underfloor heating systems, subject to a maximum surface temperature of 27C and standard installation guidelines. Premium glue-down ranges (Amtico, Karndean, Brampton Chase, Invictus Maximus) and rigid-core click ranges (Invictus Click, Nordikka SPC, Coretec, Moduleo) all perform well over UFH when fitted correctly. Always check the specific product spec and follow the manufacturer’s installation guidance to preserve compatibility and warranty.

Durability, Maintenance and Practicality

One of LVT’s biggest advantages is how little day-to-day work it requires. Once installed, the floor is fully waterproof and resistant to scuffs, scratches and stains. Regular sweeping or vacuuming and occasional damp mopping are usually enough to keep it looking its best. There is no sanding, sealing or refinishing – and no risk of swelling or warping in damp conditions.

Buying LVT from Grosvenor Flooring

You can buy LVT from Grosvenor Flooring in two ways, depending on the brand.

Add-to-Basket brands (Nordikka, Textures, Elements, Polyflor, Quick-Step Alpha, Alva, Woodlands, GF LVT, Aspire, Chester Square, Holland Park) display full pricing and have a secure online checkout. Free samples are available on GF LVT and One Flor, and samples of Nordikka, Textures and Elements can be ordered too – order up to 5 designs and we will post them to you.

Request-a-Price brands (Amtico, Karndean, Invictus, Brampton Chase, Harvey Maria, Coretec, Moduleo, Project Floors) are sold via tailored quotation. Send us your room measurements, the designs you have shortlisted and any competitor quotes you have already received via our enquiry form, WhatsApp or phone and we will come back the same working day with a competitive price.

For customers in the North West we also offer supply-and-fit through our experienced installation teams, working out of our Altrincham showroom. Trade customers can apply for trade pricing through Grosvenor+.

Key Takeaways

• LVT (luxury vinyl tile) is a waterproof, hardwearing vinyl flooring that recreates real wood and stone in plank and tile formats.
• The two main formats are glue-down (the flattest and longest-lasting) and rigid-core click (faster and more renovation-friendly); looselay is a commercial option.
• The wear layer sets durability: 0.3mm for bedrooms, 0.55mm for most homes, 0.7mm for heavy use and 1.0mm for the premium tier.
• We stock over 20 LVT brands across premium, mid-market and value tiers with free samples on GF LVT and One Flor.
• LVT suits every room including kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and conservatories and works over underfloor heating up to 27C.