Should I be concerned with expansion with luxury vinyl flooring?

Luxury vinyl plank and tile floors are durable, requiring no maintenance except routine removal of dirt and debris to prevent scratching.

While you should be concerned with expansion after luxury vinyl flooring has been installed in your home, little effort is required to mitigate potential problems. Read on for advice from KC Floorworx, a flooring retailer with a large selection of vinyl flooring in Independence, MO.

Expand and contract

Like the wood it mimics, vinyl tile and vinyl plank flooring expand in the heat and contract in the cold. Thus, installers leave an expansion gap around the room's perimeter to allow this expansion when they lay luxury vinyl flooring.

Without an expansion gap to accommodate temperature fluctuations, buckling will occur.

Acclimation

But before the floor is installed, planks and tiles must acclimate, or become accustomed to, the room temperature and humidity level of your home. Acclimation takes at least two days, and during this time, optimal performance of your HVAC system is desirable.

With proper installation, which includes acclimation, top-quality vinyl plank flooring will last up to 30 years.

Temperature and humidity

So, the first thing you must do before installers arrive is ensured your HVAC system is working correctly. Then set the system to maintain an acceptable temperature of about 65 to 80 degrees for most products and a humidity level that falls between 40- and 50%.

Maintain a constant, comfortable temperature throughout the years to avoid damage to the floor.

For all your luxury vinyl flooring needs

You can count on family-owned KC Floorworx to install your new luxury vinyl flooring properly. We offer our services in an area that includes Independence, Kansas City, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, and North Kansas City, MO, as well as Overland Park, Olathe, Kansas City, Shawnee, and Lee Wood, KS.

Visit our 35,000-square-foot showroom/warehouse in Independence today if you're shopping for a new floor, or give us a call if you're having a problem with your existing floor or you desire more information about our shop-at-home service.