When living near the coast, choosing flooring that can bear the unique challenges of a beach environment is recommended. Traditional flooring materials often fail prematurely in coastal homes due to the humidity, salt air, and occasional flooding. Fortunately, luxury vinyl plank flooring has become an excellent option for those with properties along the Virginia Beach shoreline.
Luxury vinyl uses advanced core technologies to create durable, waterproof floors that mimic the look of natural wood or stone. Keep reading as we explore the advantages of luxury vinyl for beach homes over other popular flooring options available today.
Advantages of Luxury Vinyl Flooring for Beach Homes
As a homeowner in Virginia Beach, you want flooring material that can hold up to everyday beach living without requiring high maintenance. The flooding from storms or high tides combined with high humidity and salt air takes a toll on traditional flooring in beach homes.
Porous materials like hardwood absorb moisture and will swell, warp, and eventually buckle over time. With its ability to retain sand and odors, a carpet is ill-suited for such an environment and will deteriorate rapidly. Unsealed grout in tile floors allows moisture to get underneath and can lead to cracking or mold growth in coastal conditions.
Even laminate flooring, while water-resistant, may not hold up to prolonged exposure to moisture and is still susceptible to damage from flooding. Beach house flooring like luxury vinyl offers all the style and benefits of more expensive materials but with the water resistance coastal properties demand, as explained below.
Moisture Resistance and Durability
Suppose you own a property in Virginia Beach. In that case, moisture build-up is inevitable, and traditional flooring like hardwood can struggle in these conditions. However, luxury vinyl flooring is recommended for beach houses as it’s waterproof and moisture resistant, which can weather high tide flooding in your basement or crawl space. The construction of luxury vinyl also makes it highly durable, as it won’t swell or warp in humid conditions. Such moisture resistance and durability mean that when professionals install luxury vinyl flooring in Virginia Beach, it will last many years.
Easy Cleaning and Maintenance
Coastal living often means more wear and tear on your floors due to sand and salt air. Luxury vinyl is a breeze to clean and maintain compared to other flooring types. Simply sweep or mop your luxury vinyl floors as needed; no special cleaners are required. Spills can be wiped, and the floor won’t retain odors like carpet near the beach. This low-maintenance quality is ideal for busy beach homeowners who want an easy-to-care-for floor.
Variety of Style Options
With luxury vinyl beach flooring, you have the look of hardwood, tile, stone, or laminate but without the drawbacks of those materials in a beach environment. The floor planks come in various colors, textures, and styles to complement any coastal design aesthetic. From light, bright woods to dark slate looks, you’ll find a luxury vinyl option that feels right at home on Virginia’s coast. The realistic visuals are often indistinguishable from expensive natural materials.
Comparing Luxury Vinyl to Other Flooring Options
Flooring purchasing decisions take on an added importance for homes in coastal areas. Traditional flooring types each have pros and cons when facing the conditions near the ocean. Luxury vinyl flooring offers benefits over these materials, as highlighted below:
Luxury Vinyl vs. Hardwood
Although hardwood floors have an elegant, natural aesthetic that many homeowners love, they have some drawbacks in coastal homes. In a beach setting, with sand and saltwater regularly entering the home, hardwood’s porous material can swell or warp over time. It’s also more prone to dents and scratches from furniture or daily wear and tear.
Luxury vinyl flooring mimics the look of hardwood, but has the advantage of being non-porous and very durable. It won’t dent, scratch, or swell, making it much more suitable for life near the ocean. Vinyl also requires less maintenance over its lifespan compared to refinishing or repairing hardwood floors.
Luxury Vinyl vs. Carpet
Carpets are not suitable for a home near the coast. As a porous material, a carpet readily absorbs any moisture that enters your house. This includes dampness from periodic rainfall or high humidity, but more significantly, the seawater and sand that can be tracked in from beach outings. The salt is particularly damaging as it does not evaporate like freshwater, allowing mold and mildew issues to develop over time.
Additionally, carpets have no effective means to remove the tiny sand particles that inevitably make their way inside. The sand acts as an abrasive that causes carpet fibers to break down and wear out prematurely. In contrast, luxury vinyl flooring is impervious to moisture and easy to clean. Paint spills and finer particles like sand can be quickly wiped up or vacuumed away to protect the flooring’s integrity, even after years of coastal use.
Luxury Vinyl vs. Tile
Although ceramic and porcelain tiles are renowned for their durability and stain resistance, they cannot match the warmth and comfort of luxury vinyl flooring. A hard, non-insulated surface makes tiles feel frigid underfoot in a beach home that may experience temperature fluctuations. The rigid nature of tiles also signifies that they can crack if installed over a concrete slab prone to absorbing moisture from the ground up. Conversely, luxury vinyl flooring has sound-dampening and insulating properties, making it cozier to walk on. Its waterproof core and flexible material also forgive minor subfloor imperfections.
Yates Flooring VA: Quality Installation and Care
Yates Flooring has been the premier provider of flooring installation in Virginia Beach for over 15 years. We only use top-of-the-line luxury vinyl plank brands designed to withstand the rigors of coastal living and offer free in-home consultations to discuss the best flooring options for your home. Whether you need a new floor for a construction project or want to upgrade an older home, our trained flooring experts have the expertise to install flooring made for the Virginia climate properly. We also provide annual post-installation maintenance plans to ensure your floors retain their beauty for years to come. Call us at 757-717-9955 today and schedule an installation in your Virginia Beach house, or click for an instant quote.
