VINYL REVIVAL
Decorative vinyls and LVTs are pushing new technical and aesthetical boundaries so that both customers and contractors benefit, says Gino Venturelli, Creative Director, Gerflor.
Decorative vinyl and luxury vinyl tiles and planks (LVTs) are practical, durable and straightforward to maintain and install. They come with the added benefits of exceptional acoustics and slip resistance and are rarely dull in appearance. Ideal for so many contract and residential applications, they are hard to beat when it comes to combining outstanding performance with what’s on-trend in aesthetics for installations as diverse as homes, offices, hospitality and retail, as well as healthcare and education environments.
Vinyl flooring has been around for almost 100 years and in 1937 Mipolam, the first homogenous flooring, was produced. As vinyl easily lends itself to different formats, sizes and countless design interpretations, decades later when crafting new flooring collections the creative teams of leading vinyl flooring manufacturers are never short of inspiration from worldwide resources like nature, fashion, textiles, graphics interior design and architecture.
DEVELOPING NEW RANGES Having identified emerging styles and trends, the gestation period for a new decorative vinyl or LVT range is around 12 to 18 months. The trick is successfully uniting innovations in design, advanced production techniques, the best sustainable materials and the expertise of marketing
32 | LUXURY VINYL TILES (LVT)
teams so that new floorings excel in meeting customers’ requirements. Almost any design concept can be applied to the print layer that tops a vinyl constructed roll, tile or plank flooring. This design layer is then covered by a wear layer, the thickness of which denotes longevity and durability depending on application, followed by appropriate protective, easy maintenance and specialist finishes.
Manufacturers are therefore pushing the boundaries in the design, colour, texturing, finishes and performance of decorative vinyls and LVTs that are not necessarily possible with other flooring materials. The immense design scope enables manufacturers equipped with the necessary technology and design capabilities to capitilise on trends for global markets. For example, as wood is an ever-popular choice, replicas in vinyl have been perfected to look as good as the real thing but with fashionable colours and grained finishes providing an individual, modern edge.
KEY TRENDS FOR 2018 The look for 2018 is for purer, raw, untreated wood surfaces giving an overall matt appearance that isn’t rustic. Forget waxed and varnished boards or polished parquet, timber is going naked, stripped back to basics. Wood-look LVTs are also taking on darker, deeper tones and elegant shades for a more
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