What Is LVT Flooring?

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    Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a high-quality, cost-effective, and durable flooring option you can use to update your home’s interior. It is one of the many flooring solutions offered at SMART Carpet and Flooring, a trusted installer of industry-leading carpet and flooring since 1995, proudly serving New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Here, our team provides a brief overview of LVT flooring, including its benefits and where it can be used in your home.

    What Is LVT Made Of?

    LVT is a semi-flexible flooring containing several laminated layers that create a durable and realistic look. The layers are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and calcium carbonate (limestone), finished with a urethane topcoat to protect against scratches, chemicals, scuffs, and abrasions. The vinyl top layer adds strength and allows the manufacturer to print various designs and colors on boards, so they match your interior decor.

    The laminated layers in LVT flooring include:

    • Backing layer: This flat bottom layer is formulated and manufactured to stabilize the board. It features a textured surface to enhance the bond with the floor in glue-down applications.
    • Inter-core layers: The body of the LVT increases durability and creates bulk for added insulation and noise-dampening properties.
    • Print layer: This visual top layer provides a layer of depth and realism to mimic the grooves of stone or wood.
    • Clear wear layer: The urethane topcoat layer makes the flooring easy to clean and maintain.

    How Is LVT Installed?

    At SMART Carpet and Flooring, our professional installers make the entire process easy from start to finish. Depending on the type of LVT you pick and your sub-flooring, we may use one of several techniques:

    • Click: The flooring installer uses the tongue-and-groove locking system on the edges of the boards to lock them into place.
    • Rigid core click:Like the standard click method, the core is thicker and more rigid for increased resistance and stability on uneven floors.
    • Glue down: Also known as dryback, this is the most common installation method, especially in areas of heavy foot traffic. Our flooring installer uses an adhesive to glue the boards to the subfloor.
    • Loose lay: This installation method is often used in smaller spaces with thicker LVT boards. Your installer will lay down minimal adhesive around the perimeter of the flooring.

    Benefits of LVT Flooring

    LVT flooring can have any design printed on it and mimics the look of natural hardwood or stone, without their level of maintenance. It also offers other practical benefits for homeowners, such as:

    Durability

    LVT is strong and can withstand heavy foot traffic. It is also water-resistant, making it an ideal choice for rooms that are prone to moisture, such as bathrooms, basements, and kitchens. The top coating also makes LVT flooring resistant to scuffs, stains, and scratches.

    Quick Installation

    LVT flooring is easy for professionals to install. The interlocking system on the boards makes it quick and easy to replace if some boards are damaged, without needing to replace the entire floor.

    Value

    LVT costs less than other flooring materials such as wood or stone, but it still gives you that natural look you may desire. Additionally, LVT is durable and requires minimal maintenance, helping it last longer than other flooring, such as vinyl. Vinyl flooring may be cheaper per square foot initially, but the longevity of LVT flooring makes it a cost-effective option.

    Versatility

    LVT flooring offers premium finishes, durable surfaces, and realistic designs, making it a suitable option for any room in your home. The endless design possibilities allow you to find an option that complements your existing decor.

    Cleanability

    Unlike hardwood or tile, which are harder to clean, the water-resistant properties of LVT flooring make them easy to clean. You can quickly wipe up spills and dirt with a paper towel or mop, and you don’t have to spend hours scrubbing your floor to keep it looking like new.

    Increased Comfort

    Compared to other types of natural flooring, LVT is softer and more comfortable underfoot. The layered construction helps dampen and absorb sound while insulating heat, making your home quieter and warmer. You can also choose underlayment options that increase sound absorption and provide additional cushioning under your feet while walking.

    Pet-Friendly

    The scratch-resistant and easy-to-clean properties of LVT flooring make it a pet-friendly flooring option. Your pet’s nails won’t scratch up your flooring, and they can play rough or spill their water bowl without causing lasting damage.

    Upgrade Your Floors With SMART Carpet and Flooring

    When you’re ready to upgrade your floors with high-quality LVT flooring, choose SMART Carpet and Flooring. Since 1995, we have been a trusted installer of carpet and flooring industry-leading names, such as Mohawk. As a mill-direct buying service, we don’t factor overhead costs into the price of our flooring, which saves our customers up to 50% off typical store prices. You’ll never pay store prices again.

    What’s more, everything is included in the cost of our flooring, including the measuring, padding, and installation. With our upfront, transparent pricing and our free estimate, you’ll know what to expect before we start your flooring project.

    We also make it easy to find the right flooring option for your home with our mobile flooring showroom. Our team brings thousands of samples right to your driveway, so you can see which of our premium options works the best with your home’s styles before you buy. You can shop at home, save money, and never have to pay store prices again.

    To learn more about our luxury vinyl flooring options in New Jersey or eastern Pennsylvania, or to schedule a free estimate, contact us today. We’ll have you saying, “Wow! That was easy!”

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    RitaT
    Excellent work and appointment & follow up was great. Very pleased with services
    Cindy K.
    Our installer, Sammy did an excellent job and paid attention to details. I would recommend him for anyone using Smart Carpet.
    Stan T.
    Very pleased with the service and Jay was great at helping me pick out a good color that would work best for the home.
    Ivory Williams N.
    Loved doing business with Jay! He responded quickly, remained patient while I was indecisive and was knowledgeable on all my flooring options. Called him back two weeks after our first job for a rental property and had a great experience again.
    Jennie S.
    Very happy with our new floors. Louie went above and beyond with great customer service. The install team was very professional and we will definitely use them again. Highly recommend!
    Morgan W.
    Rima was amazing to work with and the team was professional, quick and cleaned up after themselves. Great experience!
    Richard P.
    Drew did an excellent job helping us to decide what would be best for us…Professional, friendly and knowledgeable, we would highly recommend him to our friends and family
    Deirdre B.
    Smart Carpet is great! I ordered my floors and Hunter Douglas blinds directly from them. I cannot stress enough how exceptional the service has been. Install managers “Jude, Joe and Ryan” took great care of my floor issue, and I sooo appreciate it! Kudos to “OTTO” for handling my Hunter Douglas blinds. He was kind and went above and beyond to make us happy. No doubt, I will be spreading the word to my family and friends. They were all terrific. Thank you again!!!!
    Mark von B.
    Top tier service from initial contact through finish. Louie was great. Very professional and helpful. Highly recommend.
    Donna V.
    Smart Carpet provided excellent customer service. Salesman Shayne was quick to respond, provided many options for flooring, and answered all my questions. The new hard wood vinyl floors and new carpet look great! Outstanding service!
    T. M.
    Smart Carpet was a pleasure to work with. They were punctual, upfront, accommodating and very reasonably priced. They worked with us every step of the way and completed the project within a week of signing our contract. Our sales representative Ruth Kennedy was extremely knowledgeable and gave us a no pressure sales pitch. Through the whole experience she checked in with us every step of the way to ensure we were not just satisfied but happy with the materials, workmanship and the schedule. I’d definitely recommend Smart Carpet for your flooring needs and I’d absolutely request Ruth to be your salesperson!
    Nick S.
    Rima is a class act! Smart carpet should be happy to have her work for their company. She takes care of her customers as if they were her own family and always checks in after the job is completed. We will definitely recommend her.
    Tom G.
    Rima was my salesperson who did an excellent job in exploring different options of carpets available for my room.
    Ashley H.
    My sales rep Louie was five stars!
    Pasquale A.
    If you're thinking of flooring look no further than Smart Carpet; an excellent company to deal with that has a wide inventory, very fair pricing and excellent workmanship. Simply put, outstanding!
    Marianne D.
    Louie and installer were great, quick and easy process
    Sherrie S.
    Excellent experience with Smart Carpet! Louie and his installers did a great job in our home. Highly recommend them!
    Diana K.
    100% satisfied from beginning to end. Louie came to our house, measured and talked to us about what we expected from the product.
    Bringing in the samples which made it easy to make a final decision. Received a call the next day to make the appointment for installation. Jonathan and his partner removed the old carpets, moving furniture, putting down the padding and then laying down the carpet. These guys were courteous, polite and professional. From the room flooring to the closets, every corner and cut is precise. Absolutely love the carpet. Thank you for bringing brightness to our rooms.
    Embria S.
    Ruth and the staff went over and beyond assisting my family with our floors and carpet concerns…Keep up the good work…
    Patricia C.
    I'm so glad I chose Smart Carpet for my recent installation! Their team was incredibly helpful in guiding me to pick the perfect carpet for my home. The installers did an absolutely great job; they were highly professional and meticulous. My husband was especially happy that they managed to install everything without scuffing his freshly painted stair treads. Everyone involved was professional and did a fantastic job from start to finish.
    Debbie E.
    Great experience with Shayne in Ocean County. We wanted a mixture of floor and carpet to spruce up our basement. Shayne shared different options with us. He made it so easy to make our choices in our own home! Installers for both floor and carpet were professional, friendly and got the job done right! Shayne also helped us previously with carpet for LR and stairs!! I’m sure we will reach out to Shayne again in the future!
    Arielle M.
    From beginning to end a great experience. Louis was personable, accurate and professional. The install crew worked diligently to do an exemplary job, cleaned up and moved furniture back in place without hesitation. A+
    krista C.
    I couldn’t be happier with the new linoleum floor installed by Smart Carper through Costco! From start to finish, the team was professional, punctual, and incredibly easy to work with. Otto helped me choose the perfect style for my space and budget, and the installation was done quickly and with great attention to detail. The floor looks absolutely fantastic and it made a huge difference in the room. I highly recommend Smart Carpet to anyone needing to freshen up their space!
    Sonia M.
    We just had our kitchen flooring installed. Ulysses and Carlos did a beautiful job!! They were very professional and competent young men. We are very happy customers, and highly recommend the Smart Flooring through Costco.
    From the first meeting a very competent salesperson Michelle to the final installation we had a great experience. Thank you!
    R M.
    On time, very professional and clean up was satisfactory. Would use them again.
    Tom P.
    I was very pleased with the whole experience. Smart Carpet did a great job on my son’s home, so I used them in mine. Louie made great carpet suggestions and followed through on the entire install. Installation went very well also! I’d use them again.
    Gail L.
    Outstanding sales person and installers. The installers did a fabulous, they were pleasant, professional and left the house immaculate. I Definitely would recommend this company.
    Jeff C.
    I needed carpet for my new office. They came out when they said they would and the installation went smooth. Recommend ! Thank you Rima !
    Jody C.
    We were very pleased with our experience working with Smart Carpet. From start to finish, representatives were generous with their time, quick to respond to inquiries and continually asked if we were satisfied. The new carpet look great. We only have good things to say about Smart
    Michelle L.
    Louie from Smart Carpet was great! Knowledgeable and helpful. Met with him on a Wednesday and had my new carpets installed 2 weeks later.
    Judith M.
    A great experience. Ryan made it an efficient and pleasant visit. Came back when I changed my mind. They look great!
    Percita S.
    The sales representative Michele was extremely helpful and knowledgeable assisting pick out what would look best in my space. The installer are fast and efficient. I would definitely recommend their services.
    Kim H.
    Team was very professional and on time. They completed the job in a timely manner it looks beautiful! Jim, checked in to see how they were doing! He is great to work with!! I will be calling him in the winter for my next install. Thank you!!
    JoAnn L.
    I am so happy with my new floor. The guys that came and installed them were awesome. They moved all my furniture and put it all back. They were in and out in no time.
    My sales guy Andrew was awesome, he explained everything to me in detail and there were no surprises. Honestly this is the first time in a long time that I had work done in my house with no problems. I would recommend this company to anyone that wants to redo their floors. I am just so happy
    Brian C.
    This was a superior company. The person that came out and estimated the work did a fantastic job. The workers that came out and put down the rug did an unbelievably good job. The Costco company negotiated the best possible deal pricewise with this company on top of all that they gave me a $900 shop card with Costco. Unbelievable.
    Karen L
    Have used them many times. Ryan was our salesman and was great. Smooth installation and very happy with final product.
    Charna G.
    A very positive experience. The gentleman in the showroom was very patient and informative. I picked out a couple of rugs I liked and he arranged for the mobile showroom to come to my home. Ryan, with the mobile showroom, showed me the samples in my home, which was invaluable. He measured, answered questions and helped me make some decisions. He was a pleasure to work with. Delivery followed a couple of weeks later. I’m very happy with my choice. It was a painless and reasonably priced experience.
    dennis F.
    Nice price, great service and professional installation. Sales Tech Ryan was very helpful and friendly.
    Sandy P.
    Joe helped us pick out the perfect carpet for our needs. Would recommend Smart Carpet!
    Jeanette B.
    Bill Hicks was absolutely outstanding! He helped me navigate my carpeting needs with professionalism, patience, and efficiency. The installer, Sam, was also equally excellent.
    David B.
    I’ve used Smart Carpet several times over the years - this time around we got Louie for our sales rep and he was great! Very personable, patient and helpful. We made several changes during our renovation and Louie gave us fantastic support - even came back to the house more than once to make sure we were satisfied with our selections. The installation teams were phenomenal. FAST, CLEAN and courteous (they wore slip on shoes so they could remove them and keep the new carpets pristine!)
    Paulyn H.
    This is my fifth time working with Smart Carpet. Rima listened to what I needed and provided me with multiple options based on my descriptions. She helped me narrow it down to my final choice. The whole sales experience was no pressure and she went out of her way to answer any questions I had. Installation was exactly as expected. Sammy was a professional craftsman, and took great care to install the padding and then the carpet in the correct direction (it's a herringbone pattern) and ensure I was satisfied with the results. Everyone was great from start to finish. And j wouldn't hesitate to work with them again if needed.
    Barry K.
    Had a carpet installed in a basement bedroom and staircase. Louie from sales gave us the quote and was really good to work with as far as picking the best padding and carpet for our space. The price was fair and the installation went very well. We liked the communication with Louie and the company. Would use them again in the future. Communication was the key.
    Stephanie D.
    Great service and knowledgeable crew! I needed a quick turnaround and they absolutely delivered. Their recommendations were on point, they came prepared, exceeded all expectations and were a pleasure to work with.
    Christopher G.
    Excellent service! Great pricing!

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