Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and plank (LVP) flooring are renowned for their durability and minimal maintenance needs. The unique transparent vinyl wear layer on the surface of luxury vinyl flooring provides exceptional resistance to scratches, stains, and wear from frequent traffic.

Under normal circumstances luxury vinyl flooring can last for 10 to 20 years or more. How long your LVT or LVP lasts depends on your own personal preference and the traffic wear that’s visible on the surface of your flooring.

Although luxury vinyl is durable, it’s not impervious to all damage. Deep scrapes and gouges can happen on any flooring. Luckily, individual luxury vinyl planks or tiles can be affordably replaced.

The only flooring options that last longer than luxury vinyl are stone and hardwood, but each of those have some additional maintenance complications if longevity is your main concern.

Hardwood flooring may be the longest lasting flooring material, but it must be refinished every seven to 10 years. A three-quarters-inch thick hardwood plank can be refinished between four and six times before they must be replaced. At that thickness and rate of refinishing a hardwood floor could last between 28 and 60 years.

The average cost of refinishing is about $1,500, but that can vary a lot depending on the refinisher and the size of the home. The dust kicked up by sanding off the wood’s surface also makes a huge mess throughout the rest of your home. In most cases a room will need to be completely emptied out before refinishing can commence. Higher-end refinishers might offer dustless refinishing solution that will cost extra (and are rarely as mess-free as advertised).

Stone tiles can last a long time as well, but they also require periodic sealing. Natural stone tiles have porous surfaces that can be magnets for stains, bacteria and little particles of dirt, dust and food. Sealing creates a barrier that prevents dirt and grime from gaining purchase in the stone. The frequency of sealing for optimal performance varies based on the type of sealant. Impregnating sealants may last for up to three years, while easier, lower cost sealants may only last six months.

Over the 20-year life of luxury vinyl you’ll never need to reseal or refinish the flooring.

How Long Do You Want Your Flooring?

With any type of home improvement product, the longer it lasts the better, whether it’s kitchen countertops and cabinets or paint and windows. A lot of these products play a major role in the aesthetic and design of your interior. Nothing lasts forever, and the style you want (or what appeals to buyers) will likely change over the years.

One of the benefits of LVT and LVP is affordability and ease of replacement, not to mention the material’s visual diversity. As a flooring shopper you have a lot of style, texture and color options to choose from with luxury vinyl flooring.

What Makes LVT and LVP’s Wear Layer So Special?

One thing you might notice when perusing different residential and commercial luxury vinyl flooring products are the different clear vinyl wear layers. Metroflor, for example, offers products with six, eight, 12 and 20 mil wear layers. Some high-traffic commercial LVT and LVP floorings may even boast wear layers of 28 mil.

As a rule of thumb the thinner wear layers, six and eight mil, are ideal for multi-family residential, assisted living and light commercial applications.

Homeowners and medium-traffic commercial customers seeking something a bit tougher may want to look for a 12 mil or 20 mil LVT or LVP.

The 28-mil wear layer is likely more durability than the average home would need, even with kids and pets.

The thicker the wear layer the longer the warranty. Many six and eight mil LVT and LVP products offer residential warranties between seven and 15 years and commercial warranties of about three to five years.

The 12 to 20 mil wear layers will usually include commercial warranties between five and 15 years and residential warranties between 15 and 25 years.

Some Metroflor products, such as Engage Genesis, include ceramic bead overlays treated with Ultra-Fresh. This unique overlay, which consists of microscopic ceramic particles suspended in a UV-cured urethane coating, makes the flooring more resistant to all types of odors, as well as mold and mildew growth.

Get Beautiful, Long-Lasting LVT and LVP Flooring from Metroflor

If you’re a home or business owner looking for a durable, affordable flooring material that requires minimal maintenance, it’s hard to go wrong with LVT and LVP. How long your flooring lasts depends a lot on how its treated. Families with children and pets or businesses where moisture and high traffic can cause premature wear should choose their flooring wisely.

Browse our products to learn more about Metroflor’s LVT and LVP products and find out why it’s often the smartest investment for home and business owners.