Many homeowners love the look and feel of real hardwood flooring, but are less enthusiastic about the cost associated with purchasing and installing natural flooring. The good news is that you don’t have to fork over your entire renovation budget to get the floors you want! There are options available that will give you the same look and feel as natural hardwood flooring but will cost you a significant amount less than you’d expect. We’re talking about luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring, of course. Recently, luxury vinyl flooring has taken the design world by storm and it’s easy to see why, after you do just a little research.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring Looks like Hardwood

Vinyl flooring isn’t just about colourful patterns anymore. Luxury vinyl flooring offers sophisticated patterns that mimic natural options like hardwood in a variety of woods and stains. This means that you will be able to select the traditional warm cozy hardwood tones or the newer trendy grey wood tones for the same price. Plus, not only does luxury vinyl look like hardwood flooring, but it feels like it too. The higher quality vinyl flooring actually has the wood pattern embossed into the vinyl, which adds to the realism of the flooring.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring is More Durable

You can count on luxury vinyl flooring to withstand much more than natural hardwood floors. Vinyl is made to withstand stains and scuffs and is even water resistant…beating out hardwood on all three counts. This means that you can install luxury vinyl in high traffic areas in your home without worrying about the flooring wearing or fading.

Minimal Upkeep

Unlike hardwood floors which require special cleaning products and regular maintenance, luxury vinyl flooring can essentially be ignored. It can be swept, vacuumed, or mopped and you don’t need to panic if you spill water, coffee or wine on the vinyl floor. Gone are the days of worrying when your friends don’t remove their shoes when walking through your house, your vinyl floors can take it.

Affordability

Unlike natural hardwood floors that can cost thousands of dollars to purchase and have installed, luxury vinyl flooring ranges anywhere from $2 to $6 per square foot (on average). This price, coupled with the fact that it is easily installed as a do-it-yourself project, make vinyl flooring a very affordable design option for your next renovation project. With vinyl flooring you won’t have to worry about resurfacing costs down the road either, and most flooring is guaranteed for up to 15 years (depending on the brand). It becomes easy to see that luxury vinyl flooring really does compete with natural hardwood flooring for a fraction of the cost. For most design projects luxury vinyl flooring is an excellent option. If you’d like to see a comparison of hardwood to luxury vinyl give The Floor Shop a call today! Our experienced and friendly staff would be more than happy to help you with your flooring questions.