• LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank): Modular planks designed to replicate natural hardwood boards, featuring rigid waterproof cores, click-lock installation, and thick protective wear layers.
• LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile): Modular square or rectangular tiles designed to replicate stone, slate, or ceramic tile, offering the option of grouted or seamless installation.
• Sheet Vinyl: Traditional continuous rolls of thin vinyl glued across a room. While waterproof, it lacks the realistic texture, rigid core durability, and easy repairability of modern LVP/LVT.

The wear layer is the clear top coating applied over the printed design layer of vinyl flooring. It protects against scratches, stains, and denting. Wear layers are measured in mils (1/1000th of an inch):

• 12 mil: Suitable for low-traffic residential areas like bedrooms.
• 20 mil: The commercial-grade gold standard for active homes with children, pets, or high foot traffic.
• 28–30 mil: Heavy-duty commercial grade designed for extreme traffic.

We recommend a minimum 20 mil wear layer for maximum residential longevity.

Yes! Rigid core SPC (Stone Plastic Composite) luxury vinyl plank is 100% waterproof. Unlike laminate or real hardwood—which swell, warp, and delaminate when exposed to water—SPC vinyl planks contain no wood fibers and will not absorb moisture. This makes LVP ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements.

LVP can often be installed directly over existing tile, sheet vinyl, or well-bonded hardwood, provided the existing floor is completely flat, smooth, firmly secured, and free of moisture issues. However, it should never be installed over carpet, padded underlayment, or severely unlevel tile without proper surface prep or removal.

Many premium LVP products come with an acoustic foam or cork pad pre-attached to the underside of each plank. If your chosen LVP has an attached pad, no additional soft foam underlayment should be added (adding extra foam can make the joint system flex and break). However, laying a continuous 6-mil vapor barrier over concrete subfloors is always required to prevent subterranean moisture vapor from affecting click joints.

Vinyl flooring is exceptionally low-maintenance. Regular sweeping or vacuuming (without a hard beater bar) removes loose dirt. For mopping, use a damp mop with a pH-neutral cleaner specifically formulated for vinyl floors. Avoid steam mops (which can push heat into seams), harsh bleach, wax polishes, or abrasive scrubbing pads.

A standard vinyl flooring installation typically takes 2 to 4 days of active on-site work for a 1,000-square-foot footprint. This includes subfloor prep, plank installation, door casing undercutting, stair wrapping, and baseboard installation.

Installing luxury vinyl flooring properly requires meticulous subfloor prep, moisture testing, and precision trim carpentry that go far beyond basic DIY installation. A low-tier installer who lays LVP over unlevel subfloors or skips expansion gaps will cause click joints to crack and planks to buckle within months. Levite Construction Co. is a full-service, licensed design-build general contractor. We handle every step with precision subfloor prep, continuous vapor protection, premium materials, and master trade execution built to stay flat, beautiful, and waterproof for decades.