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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Vinyl Planks Are NOT Lino

Lets discuss vinyl planks. More often than not when i mention vinyl planks most people screw up their nose thinking of old style sheets of soft lino.


We first used vinyl planks in our old house in 2011. This is when vinyl planks were fairly new and pretty much every person i spoke to had no idea what they were. I've noticed they are far more popular now especially amoungst those building in WA. We used them again in our current house as they suit our lifestyle.

So what are vinyl planks? Vinyl Planks are made of five layers of materials pressed together to create very hard wearing floors.


• Protective Coating – The Polyurethane (PU) coating helps to protect against scuffs and reduces maintenance. 
• Wear Layer – A clear, top layer that provides exceptional resistance to wear, fading and staining.
• Design Layer – A high resolution printed PVC layer that realistically captures the look of the surface it is imitating. Generally the designs are of timber but they may also be of tile or stone.
• Stabilising Layer/Core Layer –  A Vinyl core layer with integrated fibreglass stabilising sheet provides stability, comfort and sound reduction qualities.
• Backing Layer –  A Vinyl layer that provides further stability.
Vinyl planks come in many colours and patterns. The trick is to chose one that look most like wood. Also choosing a plank that represents just one plank or real wood. Rather than multiple planks printed onto one vinyl plank. You can get smooth or textured vinyl planks. They are directly stuck onto the slab. They are some that are looselay but i don't have any experience with them.


There are many pros to vinyl planks: They are waterproof (so can also be used in wet areas), they do not need sanding and polishing, they do not dent, they are directly stuck to the slab so there's no hollow sounds like laminate boards, they are great option when you have young kids and/or pets, they do not get cold like tiles in winter and there are no grout lines to clean.
The cons? I personally dont have any.
I think its important to add skirting boards to vinyl planks. I know skirting boards are standard in eastern homes but in WA they are not. In our old home we used small scotia skirting stained in a colour to match them floor. Julian did it himself. This home i decided i really wanted white tall skirtings. I chose half splayed skirtings finished in semi gloss paint.
Skirting boards really finish the look off as if you had real wood floors there would be expansion gaps around the edge which require skirting to cover them up. 

My floors are Karndean Van Gogh - Walnut. I LOVE them!! Many people have assumed my floors are real wood... well the truth is out... they are vinyl planks!




Old house vinyl planks: Explona Honeyoak (turns out i dont really have any photos showing the floor/skirtings). I decided it was far too orange by the time we moved out but when we chose these they really wasnt the huge selection of choice they have now.

You can see vinyl planks are your local carpet shop. Karndean website also send samples to your home free of charge. 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post! Very informative! Do you know if these can be laid over exisiting tiles?

Lime & Mortar said...

I have been told they can. I dont know anyone who has actually done it yet though

Fee said...

A friend of mine had them laid over existing tiles. I think the tiles were covered up with some sort of levelling compound first. So a little bit of height will be added to your overall floor (they removed existing skirting boards before the planks were laid and then put them back on after).

Anonymous said...

Excellent post Leanne!
Will be looking into Vinyl planks next time the opportunity arrises!!
Marcela :)

Fleur - Our Urban Box said...

We are using vinyl planks in our new home too. We have been able to source some really good quality commercial grade ones that come with a 20yr guarantee. Your floors look great Leanne. We used vinyl in our current home but had to rip up the old tiles first.

Anonymous said...

We have Karndean vinyl tiles in our kitchen. Had them 14 years and they still look awesome. They are so stylish and real looking. The 'grout' never discolours and we also have a 'border tile' running around the edge. Two dogs, 14 years. No problem. Some scratches if you get down on your hands and knees. But not noticeable because of the 'marble' effects in the tiles. Excellent product. Thanks for this post Leanne, you've made me think of doing this for our new build too. Love your blog Leanne. Mandy

Robinson D. White said...

Yes, vinyl can be taken as a very good option for your floor. It gives an attractive and classy look. Saying honestly, it is not that much expensive and also lasts for a long time with proper maintenance. As you're using the vinyl flooring from last few years so you must be aware of its benefits. We have replaced our flooring by vinyl last year and we're quite happy with it. Easy cleaning and long lasting! It's just value of money.

Teresa Mahmut said...

Very informative article with the good pictures. Thanks! Vinyl Flooring Melbourne | Carpet Repairs Melbourne

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Saif said...

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