Home design has come a long way since the creation of modern flooring components that bring style and function together with durability. Though today’s most popular flooring construction consists of hardwood flooring, engineered and laminate floor options, another durable floor type is definitely making a comeback. Incorporating new technologies with incredibly realistic detail and styling, vinyl wood flooring or Engineered Vinyl Plank (EVP) flooring might just surprise you.
Vinyl flooring came a long way since its mainstream introduction in the 1930s. Though it was not widely marketed and popular until after WWII, traditional vinyl flooring did eventually become the most popular type of flooring for hard surface applications. Vinyl flooring reached its height in the 1970s due to many advancements in manufacturing that resulted in a more durable, low maintenance and more natural-looking product, which included vinyl wood plank style cuts.
Since the creation of traditional vinyl floor tiles and the subsequent popular vinyl sheet flooring we all remember with a bit of disgust, the vinyl flooring industry has grown up quite a bit. New materials, enhancements in texture and color, resulting in a real luxury vinyl tile flooring, engineered vinyl plank wood flooring has become an incredible new alternative for both commercial and residential flooring applications.
What is Engineered Vinyl Plank Flooring?
Fast forward to today, new Engineered Vinyl Plank (EVP), also referred to as Engineered Vinyl Flooring, Vinyl Composite Core (VCC) or Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) flooring are very similar to the more commonly known Engineered Hardwood Flooring, which is constructed using layers of composite materials and a top layer of real solid hardwood. However, Engineered Vinyl Plank wood flooring is created by sandwiching several floor components together around a high-density core layer, along with a top layer made of colored and textured vinyl that appears deceptively like real wood. Engineered vinyl plank flooring is constructed in planks, similar to other wood flooring strips, resulting in a similar look and feel.
We carry multiple lines of Engineered Vinyl Plank flooring, and Vinyl Composite Core flooring, which represents the next generation of Luxury Vinyl Tile. Our EVP wood floor products feature various rigid wood and plastic composite (WPC) bases, with exceptional detail and texture, while exceeding the performance of standard LVT flooring. By carrying multiple EVP flooring products lines, we are able to give our customers an unprecedented choice of floor styles and colors, as well as price.
Advantages of Engineered Vinyl Wood Flooring
EVP or Vinyl Composite Core wood flooring provides many advantages over other real wood flooring products and excels at certain applications where traditional hardwood flooring is not advisable. Due to engineered vinyl flooring construction using multiple layers combined with a high-density core, exceptional wood grain detail and style is achieved like never before in other vinyl floor products.
EVP – Vinyl Composite Core Advantages:
- Generally, high-end engineered vinyl products are less expensive than low-end wood floor products.
- Vinyl Composite is lightweight compared to wood, making it easier to transport with no need for big trucks or trailers… unless it’s over 1200 sq/ft.
- Unmatched wood grain detail, texture, and appearance.
- Incredible durability lasting 30+ years in residential applications.
- Automatically hides sub-floor imperfections making it versatile and less expensive for many installation applications.
- EVP provides a durable, low maintenance product that is scratch resistant and waterproof.
- Can be installed in the basement and/or damp environments.
- Stylish wood designs feature extra-wide and extra-long planks for added visual impact.
- Classic hardwood designs in standard 48″ lengths.
- Vinyl backing adds slip resistance and reduces sound transmission.
- Installation system “floats” over existing floors.
- Ease of installation. This is definitely a product that a do-it-yourselfer can take on with good results.
In addition to being able to be installed in the wet areas, Vinyl Composite Core flooring can run throughout your entire home. For example, this allows for “continuity” from the family room to the kitchen, or master bathroom to the master bedroom. This reduces the need for transition moldings which allows for greater “flow” from one room to another.
The Look Of Wood Flooring, The Durability Of Vinyl
Engineered Vinyl Plank flooring comes in many of the traditional wood flooring colors and styles. From Walnut, Oak, and Acacia, to Reclaimed wood and Driftwood wood floor styles. The natural wood textures, colors and plank styles that engineered vinyl plank flooring delivers will definitely change your view of vinyl flooring and provide you with home design and commercial installation options that you didn’t think were possible.
If you’d like to discuss engineered vinyl plank flooring for your Portland, Salem, and Vancouver metro area project, give us a call, stop by or complete this form and we will give you all the details and vinyl wood plank options available.