September 23, 2021
Vinyl flooring has been getting more and more popular over the years. It is obvious why; it’s cost effective, easy to install, durable, and looks great. In the vinyl flooring industry, understanding the alphabet soup of acronyms and short-form for different types of flooring can be difficult to understand. It is a language of its own that needs to be understood when you are making your next flooring decision. In this blog we will discuss; what EVP flooring is, the differences between EVP flooring vs LVP flooring, its benefits and its shortfalls.
EVP is an acronym for engineered vinyl plank. This kind of vinyl flooring comes in a seemingly endless amount of different styles and patterns, typically replicating wood and stone. You might think, why would someone want a flooring that imitates these materials? Why not just get the genuine option?
The reason is EVP flooring comes with a heap of benefits that regular hardwood flooring or stone wouldn’t usually come with, the main of which are EVP is cost-effective, durable, and it is super easy to install!
EVP is a floating flooring, which means it is typically not glued to the subfloor and is instead connected through an interlocking system, like a puzzle. This is why it can be so cheap and easy to install. EVP is made from five technical layers:
LVP is an acronym for luxury vinyl planks. LVP flooring, just like EVP, are vinyl planks that mimic other materials like hardwood and stone. However, LVP is slightly thinner, which reduces their durability and waterproofing ever so slightly. Additionally, LVP is often glued to the subfloor and does not have an interlocking system.
As you may have worked out from the above, EVP and LVP are very similar, but do have slight differences. The difference is EVP is slightly more durable and is easier to install. This is, as mentioned above, because LVP is thinner and does not have the interlocking, glue-free installation method like EVP does.
EVP flooring has been used commercially for a long time. Because of it’s durable nature, commercial floor high traffic areas like retail stores, that want a great looking cost effective floor, is ideal for EVP.
The way in which EVP mimics wood and other materials without the premium cost and duty of care for maintenance, establishes it as a superior flooring choice for retail stores. EVP flooring is also used and is great for commercial canteens and other spaces where EVP’s stain proof and waterproofing properties are a major asset. EVP is used for commercial flooring because it is:
Some people think vinyl flooring is cheap and undesirable for residential use. The fact that vinyl is cost-effective, easy-to-install and used often commercially all contribute to its bad reputation, particularly vinyl sheet. Residentially, people often want the genuine option like hardwood, rather than EVP.
However, the bad reputation for vinyl flooring residentially has begun to improve recently thanks to EVP. This is because people have realised that the advantages of vinyl flooring and EVP are too great. Vinyl flooring is:
EVP flooring, as highlighted in this blog, has many advantages. These advantages are it is;
Because of this, it means EVP is incredibly versatile and can be used in almost any situation.
As with most things, there are still downsides and cons to EVP flooring, despite its many benefits. These include:
EVP costs approximately $4-$6 per square foot, with an additional $1.50-$6 per square foot in installation. This makes EVP flooring a truly cost-effective great looking floor.
For comparison, engineered hardwood flooring costs around $3-$8 per square foot to install, and solid hardwood costs even more than that!
When choosing a flooring, there are four things to consider; is your space high traffic? Does your flooring need to be durable? Does your flooring need to be waterproof? Do you care if your flooring is genuine material? If you ask yourself these questions, I think you’ll find that EVP and other vinyl flooring solutions become more and more viable.
Jupps Floor Coverings will be able to provide you the best and friendliest flooring solutions. This is because we have been providing them since 1962. Our staff are highly trained and our method ensures you get the quickest, most affordable and pleasant flooring solution. Contact us on our website or over the phone for any questions or a quote today.
