Add luxury vinyl to any room in your home

 
Luxury vinyl is a floor covering that can offer excellence in both performance and appearance, no matter which rooms you need to have floored. In addition to an extensive selection of appearances, you’ll find benefits that seem as if these floors were made just for you. With this kind of durability, functionality, and stability, you won’t have to leave the product line, no matter how big or small your project. In fact, just one opportunity to experience this flooring for yourself might just mean you’ll become loyal for life.

Alfred's Carpet & Decorating has 30 years of experience in the flooring industry as a family owned and operated business. We offer extensive flooring material selection, plenty of supporting products, and professional services that are sure to meet your every need. From our Ames, Iowa showroom, we serve the areas of Ames, Boone, Story City, Nevada, and Huxley, and we’d love the opportunity to serve you as well. Stop by anytime, at your convenience, to speak with one of our flooring specialists who’ll be standing by to assist you and answer any questions you might have in flooring.
 

How does vinyl stack up against other flooring types?

 
The way that vinyl is produced these days makes it possible to purchase a vinyl flooring that is visually indistinguishable from other types of flooring. Ceramic tile, hardwood and natural stone can be expertly faked with one of the high end vinyls that we offer here at Alfred's Carpet & Decorating. Beyond appearances though, there are many differences between vinyl and other types of material that you should consider before deciding which kind of floor covering will be best for your home. You’ve come to the right place to see how vinyl stacks up against other types of flooring!

Hardwood
  • Durability: Water is hardwood's worst enemy. Areas like kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms where contact with moisture is likely like minefields for hardwood floors. Vinyl's water resistance makes it perfect for these areas. Hardwood's scratch and gouge resistance depends on whether or not it's been finished, and the quality of the finish if it has. Vinyl is always scratch and gouge resistant.
  • Ease of maintenance and repair: Hardwood requires sanding and refinishing every so often, and repairs can be disastrous if not done properly. Vinyl requires only routine cleaning, like sweeping and mopping, but repair can be just as risky.
  • Cost: Even luxury vinyl comes up to only a fraction of the cost of quality hardwood.


Natural stone
  • Durability: Different kinds of stone have different levels of durability. Granite tiles can withstand just about anything you can throw at them, but travertine is a lot more vulnerable. Unless you're willing to shell out the dough for a granite floor, chances are, vinyl is going to be a more durable choice.
  • Ease of maintenance and repair: Porous stone like limestone, travertine and marble require sealing in order to get the maximum use out of them. Like hardwood, this protective coat must be replaced every so often depending on levels of wear. The repair process for natural stone is more closely aligned with that of ceramic tile, but vinyl is simpler than both.
  • Cost: Vinyl is much, much less expensive than any available natural stone.


Ceramic tile
  • Durability: While ceramic tiles are much harder than vinyl, they're also much more rigid. This means that situations where ceramic tiles might crack or chip wouldn't be an issue for vinyl. Ceramic tile, however, won't tear the way that vinyl can. Ceramic tile is waterproof and fireproof, while vinyl is only water and fire resistant, but ceramic tile is vulnerable and weak at the grout lines. Vinyl has no such vulnerability.
  • Ease of maintenance and repair: Both materials take roughly the same amount of maintenance, but repairing vinyl is much easier than repairing tile. It requires fewer tools, adhesives, and less expertise. Both should be repaired only by professionals.
  • Cost: Vinyl costs quite a bit less than ceramic tile.
 
 
 
 

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Luxury vinyl and its many benefits

 
One of the most popular and well-known benefits of this material is the expansive selection of appearances you can choose from. The all-natural look of solid wood, stone, or even porcelain tile can all be yours in this one material. If natural isn’t your favorite appearance option, you can go on to browse our selection of artistically designed elements, colors, and patterns that will assure a match to any of your decor or home interior. For those with new constructions, you can even base your decor around the floor, making it your starting point.

Durability is a key feature in any floor covering, and luxury vinyl planks and tiles provide a great deal of that. The construction of this flooring offers layers that have only gotten better over time and a protective wear layer that offers even more protection. You’ll see fewer scratches, dents, scuffs, and stains, and fading should not be a problem either. In fact, the durability offered in this material easily helps it reach its expected lifespan with no problems.

For the utmost in security as well as peace of mind, be sure to check out waterproof luxury vinyl. With this material in place, you will never again have to worry about spills, moisture, humidity, or the water damage that can come as a result of any of these.