What is the difference between vinyl plank flooring and luxury vinyl plank flooring?

Vinyl flooring is a common choice for rooms where the floors are likely to come into contact with water or spillages. This is because it is durable, easy to wipe and mop clean and does not rot when wet. A relatively new addition to the vinyl options is vinyl plank flooring. Both in its standard and luxury versions, this is now becoming a much sought-after flooring solution.

Just as vinyl tile floors are sheets of vinyl designed to replicate the look of ceramic or stone tiles, vinyl plank floors recreate the look of flooring made from individual wooden planks. This type of floor is available in standard or luxury form, and there are some key differences between them.

Material thickness

Luxury vinyl plank floors utilise vinyl that is considerably thicker than that used for the standard variety. Whereas the latter will involve vinyl with a thickness of roughly 1mm, the former will give you a 5mm thick vinyl floor.

While the difference is not detectable to the eye, the increased thickness does capture the feel of solid wood planks much more effectively.

Look

The variance between standard vinyl plank flooring and the luxury type does become noticeable when you look more closely at them. As the wear layer on standard vinyl plank flooring is solid and smooth, the fact that the breaks between the planks are not real is very easy to spot.

In contrast, luxury vinyl plank floors use 3D printing to capture an idea of individual planks, complete with different wood grain depths and colours. This ensures that they recreate the look of an actual wood floor much more convincingly.

Overall durability

Again, there is a definite difference in how hard-wearing the two types of flooring are. A standard vinyl plank floor will last for roughly 15 years in most settings, but eventually, the thinner vinyl sheets used will become worn and scratched.

The much thicker material used in luxury vinyl plank flooring was created specifically because of that issue. In addition to more durable vinyl, it also offers thicker and better lasting film and wear layers underneath it. This will ensure it is much longer before a luxury vinyl plank floor needs to be replaced.

Whether you have a home or business in Oswestry or Chester, vinyl plank flooring will be an efficient and stylish option. For the highest quality flooring option, luxury vinyl plank floors are the choice to make.

Sawdust carpets decorate Guatemalan streets

Every Easter, the residents of Antigua in Guatemala make carpets from sawdust, which are displayed in the streets.

The tradition of making colourful carpets started in 1524 when soldiers of the Spanish conquistadors who had invaded Guatemala imported the tradition of making outdoor carpets at Easter. This originated in the Canary Islands and its capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Modern-day street carpets in Antigua can take days to complete using brightly coloured sawdust.

Elizabeth Bell from Antigua Tours said:

“At one time, the carpets were quite simple, but now they’ve crescendoed and have become the backbone of Antigua’s cultural traditions.”

Many of the carpets have religious-themed designs in keeping with the origins of the tradition, while others are more secular and abstract. As well as carpets made from sawdust, some are constructed using flowers and other natural materials. Processions of residents and visitors walk the streets admiring the carpets.

As with many events, the tradition was suspended for two years due to the Covid pandemic, but in 2022 hundreds of carpets were displayed on the city streets. After Easter, workers with trucks and sweepers remove the carpets, recycling the sawdust and other materials in the carpets.

Modern quality carpets in North Wales and Chester homes last many years, a lot longer than the few days’ life of the sawdust carpets of Antigua. Many types of carpets can be recycled at the end of their life with the materials extracted from them used to make other products.

What type of flooring adds the most value to a home?

Whether you are looking to sell your home now or just want to increase its market value in the longer term, décor can really help. While many homeowners look to improve furnishings to increase their property’s value, the floors are often neglected. The fact is that some types of flooring will add value, while others will subtract it, and this can vary depending on what rooms in the house are being re-floored.

These are the top floors that you can choose for increasing the value of your home.

Solid wood

Wooden floors are a strong pick for increasing the value of a home – especially in bedrooms and living rooms. This is despite the fact that they can be quite high maintenance. Data shows that having solid wood floors can raise the price of a home by up to 10%, making them a worthwhile investment, even if they are costlier to install than other types of flooring. Solid wood must be maintained, but it’s hard wearing and also looks stylish, adding appeal in the eyes of buyers.

Engineered wood

Opting to have engineered wooden floors installed in those rooms will be a strong alternative if solid wood is outside your budget. It is every bit as pleasing to the eye as solid wood flooring and also has the real advantage of much easier maintenance. Many flooring companies will put in underfloor heating at the same time, which can further add to the value if you live somewhere in the north of England like Chester, where the weather during the winter months can tend to be very cold.

Laminate

The next best option if you want to raise the asking price for your house would be laminate flooring. Indeed, this will be a better option for the bathroom in particular, as the water in that room will cause a solid wood floor to rot, which will reduce any valuation. Laminate can also help to add value if it is installed to replace carpeting in a kitchen, as it combines the practicality of being easy to clean with an attractive look.

There are certain types of flooring – most notably solid and engineered wood – that really increase the market value of a home. However, that will depend on where they are fitted. In bedrooms and living rooms they will be an asset, but in a bathroom they are a liability compared with laminate flooring.

Travelodge to install carpets made from discarded fishing nets

Low-cost hotel chain Travelodge has unveiled what it calls its new “budget-luxe” design, which features carpets made out of recycled fishing nets.

The new design for Travelodge hotel rooms follows a widespread consultation with several thousand guests who have stayed at Travelodge hotels. The new, contemporary design features several sustainable initiatives. The carpets are made from fishing nets that have been discarded, and they support the hotel chain’s commitment to the clean ocean campaign.

Each year, over 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets are thrown away, and this is a threat to marine life. Travelodge’s new carpet backing is made from recycled plastic bottles. Other environmentally friendly design features include motion-sensing controls, low-energy lighting and energy-efficient showers.

Travelodge will upgrade 60 of its hotels to the “budget-luxe” standard by the end of 2022. In a statement, the Chief Executive of Travelodge, Craig Bonnar, said:

“This is our most radical transformation to date and has been created in response to ever increasing expectations from customers. “

Bonnar added that many Travelodge customers, whether staying for leisure or business reasons, prefer to stay in a budget hotel but still expect their rooms to be stylish and feel homely.

Carpets made from discarded fishing nets are not yet available for households that want environmentally friendly carpets for their Chester, Wrexham, and North Wales homes. There are, however, other sustainable options, such as wool carpets. Made from a natural material that is environmentally friendly, wool is biodegradable and has a minimal environmental impact.

Departing BBC presenter reveals state of studio carpet

Dan Walker recently announced that he is leaving BBC Breakfast to join Channel 5 news. After revealing this news, he posted a video on social media that showed the shocking state of the BBC Breakfast studio carpet, which had a large, dark stain coming from beneath the program’s red sofa.

Walker said on the video:

“Well, welcome to the world of the strange BBC Breakfast stain.”

A shocked woman is then heard on the video asking Walker what the stain was, before he burst out laughing.

Walker has been a BBC Breakfast presenter for six years. After he left, his place on the red sofa was taken by Sally Nugent, who made no mention of the stain, and neither was the stain seen by viewers, as the camera operators avoided angles that showed the carpet in front of the sofa.

High-quality carpets in Wrexham and North Wales homes should last a long time if they are regularly cleaned. If there is a stain in front of a sofa like the BBC Breakfast one, it could be hidden by moving the sofa forwards; however, it is better to use one of the several cleaning products on the market that are formulated to remove stubborn carpet stains. Spray the cleaning solution on the stain, leave for a few minutes, then blot.

Carpets should be cleaned at least once a year by a professional carpet cleaning service, more often in commercial areas with high footfall. If a stain is too stubborn, the carpet should be replaced.