Luxury Vinyl Flooring at Carpets Plus of Manitowoc
Luxury vinyl flooring is one of the first floors people in Manitowoc ask about, and for good reason. It gives you the look of wood or stone, it is made to take water better than either, and it goes into kitchens, bathrooms, basements and mudrooms where other floors need more care. Carpets Plus of Manitowoc keeps vinyl plank flooring, luxury vinyl tile and in-stock sheet vinyl in the showroom on Calumet Avenue, and we install the vinyl flooring we sell.
This page explains the main types in plain words so you know what to look at. The guides at the bottom go deeper on each one.
Plank, Tile or Sheet
Luxury vinyl plank, or LVP, comes in long boards that look like wood. Luxury vinyl tile, or LVT, comes in squares or rectangles that look like stone or ceramic tile and can be grouted or set tight. Sheet vinyl comes off a roll in wide pieces with very few seams, which is why it still has a place in bathrooms, laundry rooms and rental units. Our LVT or LVP guide and our sheet vinyl guide walk through where each one fits.
What a Vinyl Plank Is Made Of
Much of the vinyl plank flooring sold today is a rigid core product. It is built in layers: a backing or attached pad, a core, a printed design layer and a clear wear layer on top. The core is what the names on the box refer to. A WPC core mixes a wood-based material with vinyl, which makes a slightly softer, warmer plank. An SPC core uses a stone-based material, which makes a denser, harder plank. Either one can be a good floor; the right one depends on the room and how it is used. Our premium vinyl guide explains the layers in plain words.
The wear layer is the part you walk on, and it is the detail worth asking about. A thicker wear layer is made for more traffic. Ask us which wear layer suits a hallway, a kitchen or a bedroom.
Look and Texture
Modern vinyl plank is printed from photographs of real wood and stone, so the pattern repeats far less than older vinyl did. On planks with embossed-in-register texture, the texture follows the printed grain, so the plank feels the way it looks. A bevel along the plank edge, on products that have one, gives the floor the shadow lines of a real wood floor. Hold a vinyl sample next to a hardwood sample in the showroom and judge for yourself.
Where Vinyl Flooring Works
Vinyl flooring is the usual choice for rooms that see water: kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mudrooms and entries. It also works in basements, which can stay damp through a Manitowoc summer. Some people run one luxury vinyl plank through the whole main floor so there are fewer transitions between rooms. Read waterproof flooring in Manitowoc and vinyl flooring for a bathroom before you choose a floor for a wet room. If you are deciding between vinyl and laminate, that comparison has its own guide.
How Vinyl Flooring Is Installed
Most vinyl plank and tile clicks together and floats over the subfloor, with a small gap at the walls so it can move with the seasons. Some products are glued down, which is common in businesses and in rooms with heavy rolling loads. Sheet vinyl is glued or fastened at the edges. Every format needs a flat, clean subfloor, so ask about yours when we come out for the free in-home estimate. Our vinyl floor installers guide explains the difference between click and glue-down.
Caring for a Vinyl Floor
Sweep or vacuum up grit, damp-mop with a cleaner made for vinyl, and keep felt pads under chair and table legs. Skip steam mops and harsh cleaners unless the manufacturer says they are fine. Keeping grit off the floor is the simplest way to protect the finish.
Luxury Vinyl Flooring Guides
- Luxury vinyl plank in Manitowoc: a buyer's checklist
- LVT vs. LVP: which luxury vinyl belongs in your room
- What is premium vinyl flooring? A plain-English guide
- Waterproof flooring in Manitowoc: what the label means
- Is vinyl flooring the right fit for your bathroom?
- Sheet vinyl flooring in Manitowoc: where it makes sense
- Luxury vinyl plank vs. laminate in Wisconsin homes
- Vinyl floor installers in Manitowoc: click or glue-down?
- Vinyl flooring in Manitowoc: plank, tile or sheet?
- Contact Carpets Plus of Manitowoc
See Vinyl Flooring in Person
The showroom on Calumet Avenue has vinyl plank, luxury vinyl tile and in-stock sheet vinyl you can pick up and handle, and the room visualizer lets you preview a floor in a photo of your own room. Ask to see what we have on hand from COREtec, Karndean, Shaw and Mohawk. When you have a short list, we come out to measure and give you a free in-home estimate with no obligation. Give us a call at (920) 686-0060, or stop into the showroom on Calumet Avenue.