Buying Guides · 6 min read

What Is Vinyl Flooring? A Plain-English Guide to Vinyl, LVT and Lino

Published 4 November 2026 · Updated 6 November 2026

Reviewed by our team, led by Adam Williams, Managing Director

Vinyl flooring is a family of man-made floors built from layers of PVC. A printed design sits under a clear protective surface. It is waterproof, warm underfoot and easy to clean. It can also look remarkably like wood or stone. Beyond that simple answer, the word covers floors that behave very differently: a soft roll of kitchen vinyl, a thin plank glued to a screed and a rigid board that clicks together are all sold as vinyl. This guide explains how vinyl is made, how the main types differ, how it compares with lino, laminate and wood and which one we would put in your home.

In this article

How a Vinyl Floor Is Made
The Main Types of Vinyl Flooring
Is Lino the Same as Vinyl?
Vinyl Compared With Laminate and Wood
How Long Does Vinyl Flooring Last?
Which Vinyl Floor Should You Choose?
See Vinyl Flooring in Person
Frequently Asked Questions

Try the Floor Finder Order Free Samples

What Is Vinyl Flooring? A Plain-English Guide to Vinyl, LVT and Lino – Grosvenor Flooring

Key Takeaways

Vinyl flooring is a layered PVC floor: a backing or core, a printed design film and a clear wear layer on top.

The main types are sheet and cushion vinyl, glue-down LVT and rigid-core click vinyl (SPC).

Lino and vinyl are not the same thing. True linoleum is made from linseed oil, although many people use the word lino for sheet vinyl.

The wear layer is the number that tells you how long a vinyl floor will last: 0.3mm for quiet rooms, 0.55mm for most homes, 0.7mm or more for the busiest.

For most homes we recommend our own GF LVT, in glue-down or click form.

How a Vinyl Floor Is Made

Cut through any modern vinyl floor and you will find the same basic layers, stacked from the bottom up:

The base. On sheet vinyl this is a backing, sometimes with a foam cushion layer for comfort. On LVT it is a flexible vinyl body. On rigid-core click floors it is a stiff board made mostly of limestone powder and PVC.

The design film. A high-resolution printed image of wood, stone or a pattern. This is why vinyl can copy almost any material.

The wear layer. A clear vinyl layer that protects the print from scratches and scuffs. Its thickness, measured in millimetres, is the best guide to durability.

The surface coating. A thin, hard-wearing finish, often embossed with a grain or texture so the floor feels less like plastic underfoot.

Better floors line up the embossed texture with the printed grain, so the knots and grain lines you see are also the ones you feel. That detail does more than anything else to make a vinyl floor look real.

The Main Types of Vinyl Flooring

LVT stands for luxury vinyl tile. The name is used for planks as well as tiles. You may also see LVP, luxury vinyl plank, which means the same thing in plank form. Our SPC flooring guide untangles the rigid-core terms such as SPC and WPC. Our glue-down vs click LVT article helps you choose a fitting method.

Type	Format	How it goes down	Feel and look	Our example
Sheet or cushion vinyl	Rolls up to 4m wide	Cut to the room, loose-laid or stuck down	Soft, warm, flatter print	Budget utility rooms
Glue-down LVT	Planks and tiles	Bonded to a smooth, levelled subfloor	Thin, solid, very realistic	GF Glue-Down LVT
Rigid-core click (SPC)	Planks and herringbone	Clicks together and floats	Firm, quick to fit, built-in underlay	GF Click SPC
Loose-lay LVT	Heavy planks	Held in place by weight and grip	Easy to lift and replace	Loose-lay range

Is Lino the Same as Vinyl?

Not strictly. Linoleum was invented in the 1860s and is made from linseed oil, wood flour, cork and resins pressed onto a jute or hessian backing. Vinyl flooring came along in the twentieth century and is a plastic. Over the years the word lino stuck to any floor that came on a roll, so when most people in the UK say lino today they mean sheet or cushion vinyl. True linoleum is still made, mainly for schools, hospitals and offices, but it is far less common in homes.

The practical difference for a homeowner is that sheet vinyl is softer and cheaper, while LVT is tougher, more realistic and lasts much longer. If you are replacing old lino in a kitchen or bathroom, a 0.55mm LVT is a big step up.

Vinyl Compared With Laminate and Wood

Vinyl, laminate and engineered wood are the three floors most people shortlist. Vinyl wins on water: it is fully waterproof, so it is the safest choice for bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms. Laminate has a very hard surface but a wood-fibre core that does not like water. Engineered wood is the real thing, warm and natural. It can be sanded, but it is not waterproof and it dents more easily. Our guides to LVT vs laminate and LVT vs engineered wood go into the detail.

How Long Does Vinyl Flooring Last?

Lifespan depends on the wear layer, the room and how the floor is looked after. As a guide, a 0.3mm wear layer suits bedrooms and other quiet rooms. A 0.55mm wear layer is the sensible standard for kitchens, hallways and family homes. A 0.7mm or 1.0mm wear layer is built for the busiest homes and light commercial use. Warranties reflect this: our GF Glue-Down LVT carries a lifetime residential warranty and GF by Associated Weavers a 25-year warranty. Grit is the main enemy, so a doormat and regular vacuuming add years to any vinyl floor. Our LVT cleaning and care guide covers the routine.

Which Vinyl Floor Should You Choose?

Start with the room, then the subfloor, then the look.

Kitchens and family rooms: glue-down LVT at 0.55mm or more, such as GF by Associated Weavers or GF Glue-Down LVT.

Bathrooms: glue-down LVT gives a sealed surface. Our bathroom flooring guide explains why.

Quick refits and upstairs rooms: rigid-core click flooring such as GF Click SPC, which floats over a sound existing floor.

Tight budgets and small utility rooms: sheet vinyl, accepting that it marks more easily.

If you have already seen a floor you like from another brand, our Floor Finder shows the closest GF design. For buying vinyl on offer, our vinyl flooring sale guide explains what to check before you buy.

See Vinyl Flooring in Person

Our 24/7 Altrincham Smart Showroom has GF and the leading LVT brands laid out side by side, so you can feel the difference between glue-down and click floors. Request a door code online and visit when it suits you. GF samples are free if you would rather compare at home.

Who leads our guides

Adam Williams

Managing Director, Grosvenor Flooring

Adam Williams is Managing Director of Grosvenor Flooring in Altrincham. He sets the standards our guides are written to and guides the team that reviews them, so the advice matches the floors we supply, the manufacturers' specifications and the way the fitters we work with install them.

More about Adam →

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is vinyl flooring waterproof?

The vinyl itself is waterproof. Glue-down LVT forms a sealed surface once fitted, which makes it the best vinyl for bathrooms. Click floors are waterproof through the board, but water can still find its way through the joints if it is left standing.

Is vinyl flooring good quality?

It can be excellent. Quality comes down to the wear layer, the realism of the print and texture and the construction. A good 0.55mm LVT will outlast a cheap laminate and look far better than old-style sheet vinyl.

What is the difference between vinyl and LVT?

LVT is one type of vinyl flooring. It comes as individual planks or tiles with a thicker wear layer, rather than as a roll. It looks and lasts better than sheet vinyl.

Can vinyl flooring go over underfloor heating?

Yes. Most LVT and rigid-core click floors are suitable for underfloor heating, usually with a maximum surface temperature of 27C. Check the specification of the floor you choose.

Is vinyl flooring warm underfoot?

Warmer than tile or stone. Glue-down LVT takes on the temperature of the room quickly. Click floors with a built-in underlay feel softer still.

Which vinyl flooring do you recommend?

For most homes, our own GF LVT. GF Glue-Down LVT and GF by Associated Weavers are glue-down floors at 0.55mm or more. GF by Associated Weavers also comes as a 0.3mm Click SPC for bedrooms and quieter rooms. GF Click SPC is the click option with a built-in underlay. All are priced online with free samples.