If you're looking for an affordable, resilient durable, water resistant flooring option for your home that can be installed virtually anywhere, you should be thinking about Luxury Vinyl Tiles. Vinyl Tiles will save you money, are tough and come in a huge variety of colors, patterns and sizes.

Vinyl Tile, compared to real ceramic tile or natural wood products, is a very economical choice --- and it's easy for a do-it-yourselfer to install. These tiles can be installed basically anywhere in your home, including bathrooms.

Wear
The durable construction of Luxury Vinyl Tile includes a protective wear layer which resists scratches, scuffs, rips, tears and gouges. Generally, the thicker the vinyl is, the longer it's going to last. When compared to traditional sheet vinyl, Vinyl Tile is easier to install and it's much easier to repair if one particular tile is damaged later.

Styles
Luxury Vinyl Tile styles range from the look of natural Ceramic tile, Stone, Marble to more creative and artistic patterns. The multitude of Vinyl Tile varieties allows you to really have any look you want for your home or commercial setting. Vinyl Tile is especially convenient when considering a checkerboard pattern or intermixed with bordering patterns with wood and other floor covering.

A new introduction to many manufacturers' Vinyl Tile product lines is an offering of Vinyl Planks. Mannington Adura Vinyl Tiles, for example, has the Distinctive Collection. These are 5 IN. by 48 IN. Vinyl Planks, mimicking the look of real wood flooring.

Installation
Installing luxury Vinyl tile is easy, you simply pour out some ready mixed adhesive and trowel out a thin layer out onto a section of the subfloor where the tiles are set into the desired pattern. It’s advisable to lay out the entire floor pattern before starting installation. This will ensure (especially with patterned floors) that the end result will be exactly what you had in mind. Before installation, make sure that your subfloor is clean, flat and smooth. Any imperfections will likely show after the vinyl is installed. With a wood subfloor, fill any nail holes or joints and then lightly sand the spot to make a smooth subfloor.

Grout
Although grouting Vinyl Tile is in no way necessary, for the most realistic tile look, Mannington has introduced Adura Grout for some of their tile collections. Instead of butting the tiles edges tight, you leave a desired gap between the edges of the tile and fill it with a specially designed acrylic grout. No other grout can be used with Vinyl Tiles besides the premixed Adura Grout, as its properties make it flexible and durable enough for Vinyl Tile.

Overall, Luxury Vinyl Tile is a great value. It is considerably inexpensive and durable and won't be easily damaged.

Luxury Vinyl Tile is NOT the Peel and Stick Variety.

The Cheap Peel & Stick Vinyl tile versions usually found in Home centers are not the same as Luxury Vinyl Tile and not very thick, durable or scratch resistant. The adhesive on these peel & stick vinyl tiles can fail over a short time creating loose tiles.