What is vinyl flooring and how is it made?

LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles/Planks)

LVT is a type of vinyl flooring designed to perfectly mimic natural materials like hardwood or ceramic tiles. Thanks to technological advancements, today's vinyl looks and feels nearly identical to the products it mimics. LVT comes in many great designs, both classic and modern. You can choose tile or plank formats to match the look of ceramic or wood.

Whether you choose a rigid or flexible format, the modular nature of LVT is a major asset in renovation. It allows for easy and fast installation without disrupting your daily routine. With LVT, renovating is stress-free: you don't need to close off a room or remove all the furniture for installation.

Vinyl roll is a fiberglass-cushion-backed flooring that comes in large, continuous, flexible sheets, and is available in an almost limitless number of styles, from timeless and realistic to more playful designs. Vinyl rolls are also one of the most affordable flooring solutions for homeowners. Vinyl rolls are 100% phthalate-free and have low VOC and formaldehyde emissions, and are UK allergy certified, which contribute to healthier indoor environments.

At Tarkett, we have developed a full range of LVT and vinyl roll flooring solutions for your home, to meet different needs, tastes and budgets. For instance, two of our LVT collections, iD Click Ultimate and Elegance Rigid offer professional-grade resistance, a simple click installation system, and a wide range of colours and surface designs. While our vinyl sheet flooring offers a durable, practical and affordable option, which is particularly suited for your kitchen, bathroom or laundry room.

Vinyl flooring is known for its exceptional durability and long-lasting performance. Several factors influence how well it stands the test of time — including the quality of the material, the manufacturing process, and the installation method.

At Tarkett, all our vinyl floors, both the LVT and vinyl roll ranges, are designed to last. Each product is treated with a special PUR surface treatment that provides strong protection against scratches, stains and daily wear. A transparent wear layer adds another level of resilience, ensuring your floor maintains its original look for years.

Our rigid LVT range goes even further, featuring an enhanced rigid core construction for maximum stability and strength. It resists rippling, swelling or warping, even under moisture, heat or temperature changes. Its water-resistant core layer and GenClick^® keep the surface smooth and protected from damage, making it ideal for high-traffic and demanding areas.

In short, Tarkett vinyl flooring offers a durable, stable and low-maintenance solution for any space, combining long-term performance with effortless beauty.

Is vinyl flooring waterproof?

Yes — all vinyl flooring is waterproof because it’s primarily made from PVC, a naturally water-resistant material. However, the installation quality plays a key role in maintaining its full waterproof performance.

Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) are installed as planks or tiles placed side by side, creating multiple seams. While each tile is waterproof, poor installation can allow water or moisture to seep through the joints. To address these issues, Tarkett has developed its own patented click technology: GenClick^®. This click‑locking installation system is watertight and can withstand fluctuations in temperature and humidity, while remaining easy to install. No grouting or specific tools are needed, and it is 35% quicker to install than typical click systems on the market.

When installed correctly and according to Tarkett’s recommendations, both LVT and vinyl roll flooring are perfectly suited for moisture-prone spaces such as bathrooms, kitchens or laundry rooms - ensuring long-lasting beauty and protection.

How long do vinyl floors last?

Vinyl floors can last between 10 and 25 years, depending on their quality, installation, and maintenance. With proper care, Tarkett vinyl flooring offers long-lasting durability and will keep its original look for many years.

Advantages of vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring is comfortable and quiet underfoot, resistant to wear, moisture and stains, and easy to install and maintain. It’s also affordable and available in a wide variety of colours, patterns and designs, making it ideal for design-conscious and budget-friendly projects alike.

At Tarkett, vinyl floors are a sustainable choice. We’re committed to the responsible use of PVC and follow Cradle to Cradle^® principles, using EPEA-assessed materials to ensure full transparency across our production process. Our vinyl rolls are ReStart^® Ready^*, meaning they can be collected and recycled through Tarkett’s recycling program (availability may vary by country). We also prioritise recycled and recyclable materials and power all our production plants with 100% renewable energy.

^{*Terms of registration may vary per country. Contact your local Tarkett sales to find out how to register for ReStart® in your country.}

Disadvantages of vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring may present a few challenges. It can be difficult to remove if glued down and may dent under heavy furniture or puncture with sharp objects. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can also cause fading or discolouration, making vinyl less suitable for verandas or sunrooms with high UV exposure.

Vinyl flooring is so easy to install that you can have a whole new look to any room in your home in just one weekend. Exactly how to install your vinyl floor depends on the type of product you choose. In the case of vinyl roll flooring, we recommend loose-lay installation up to 50m2, therefore, a knife and double-sided tape are all you need. For more information on how to install vinyl flooring, including how to prepare the subfloor, visit our installation page.

Vinyl floors are not only stylish and simple to install, they're also easy to clean and maintain, making your life easy and your home hygienic. At Tarkett, all our vinyl flooring is coated with a special surface treatment, making it even more resistant to scratches and stains and even easier to clean and maintain.

Yes. Due to its water-resistance, durability, and ease of installation and maintenance, vinyl flooring can be installed in any room in your home.

Its water resistance and durability make it a particularly good choice for bathrooms and kitchens. However, vinyl flooring is also a popular option for other rooms in the home, including living rooms and bedrooms.

Water-resistance, durability, and ease of installation and maintenance are some of vinyl's popular selling points. Today, however, vinyl’s popularity is also due to the growing range of design, pattern and texture options available, and its ability to almost perfectly reproduce the look of natural materials, such as hardwood and stone.

Both LVT and vinyl rolls are available in a wide variety of designs and styles. One of the key differences, however, is that vinyl rolls offer an almost limitless range of design and colour options. LVT, on the other hand, offers a variety of designs and styles that focus mostly on reproducing the look and feel of natural materials such as wood and stone.

Both LVT and laminate are considered to be affordable alternatives to real hardwood flooring. They’re also more durable and relatively easy to install and maintain compared to hardwood. However, there are still differences between the two products themselves.

The first difference between both products is the sound insulation of the floor: both LVT and Laminate can be installed with an acoustic underlay to improve sound absorption, with an additional cost, but rigid LVT (Starfloor Click Ultimate) comes with an integrated acoustic backing that significantly reduces sounds in a room.

An important difference between both products is vinyl’s ability to stand firm against water. LVT is composed primarily of PVC, which is 100% waterproof compared to laminate flooring, which is made primarily of wood products. Combined with the GenClick^® System, which has been tested for standing water and provides resistance for up to 5 days, proves how ICONIK can easily be fitted in bathrooms. LVT’s moisture resistance means that it can be installed in any room in the home, including wetrooms such as the bathroom and laundry room, which isn’t the case for laminate.

Although, both LVT and laminate offer a click installation option that allows easy installation without the need for glue or nails, there is another key difference. Where only a basic utility knife is needed to cut most vinyl products, laminate requires a hand saw or circular saw to cut each piece.