What Is LVT Flooring? Luxury Vinyl Tile Explained

LVT stands for luxury vinyl tile. It is vinyl flooring supplied as individual tiles or planks, often with a decorative wood or stone effect. It is different from a continuous roll of sheet vinyl and from laminate flooring with a wood-fibre core.

What should you compare?

Check the exact product's construction, dimensions, total thickness, wear layer and use classification. The decorative surface provides the design; the product specification and installation system determine where and how it can be used. A wear-layer measurement alone does not guarantee scratch resistance or a particular lifespan.

Glue-down, click and other formats

Glue-down LVT is bonded to a prepared base with a compatible adhesive. Click products use locking joints and have their own requirements for underlay, clearances and floor condition. Not every click vinyl is SPC. Loose-lay and specialist systems also exist, with different fixing instructions. Read our glue-down versus click guide before choosing a format.

Where can you use LVT?

Choose a product approved for the particular room and traffic level. For bathrooms, heated floors, strong sunlight or commercial use, check the current manufacturer instructions rather than relying on a general LVT label. A waterproof product does not make a shower or wet-room construction waterproof.

Before you order

Have the base assessed, calculate whole packs with an agreed cutting allowance and compare the complete preparation and fitting cost. See our LVT buying checklist, browse LVT flooring and request samples to compare colour and texture at home.

Choosing between materials? Read our LVT versus laminate comparison for room suitability, fitting and complete project costs, or compare LVT tiles and planks with sheet vinyl.