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How Thick Is Vinyl Plank Flooring? (All You Need to Know)

Vinyl flooring has become a popular choice for people since they look good and can be used safely.

You will have different vinyl flooring materials that you can use in your house for commercial purposes. Mainly, the vinyl plank floor comes with a combination of plastic & wood texture.

Since polyvinyl resin makes it a water-resistant surface, people love introducing vinyl plank to their houses. You can also get different sizes of the vinyl plank to make your floor a perfect one.

Vinyl plank flooring thickness

Vinyl plank flooring is 8-12 mm thick, although it varies and could be 15-20 mm thick. Following the standard thickness, you can use 15 mm thick vinyl plank flooring. Some may use 20mm thick vinyl, but anything more than 20 mm is for commercial space. You should stick to 12-15mm thick vinyl.

You will find different thicknesses for your vinyl plank flooring since they are not the same. If you prefer a high-thick vinyl plank, you may go for a 15mm thickness. It will give you the best flooring experience and will be enough for any multi-story building or a regular house.

You will love to use different types of vinyl plank flooring because of their simple & attractive looks that will help you to design your interior.

Apart from that, you will also enjoy some premium benefits from the flooring. The waterproof feature comes first since vinyl plank is waterproof & will give you a safe floor to raise your pet.

Apart from that, the vinyl plank floor is durable and colorful; therefore, you may add some color to your boring flooring.

It will give you some extra benefits of using vinyl plank flooring. When you get through a high-thick vinyl flooring, you can expect a premium service from the floors, and the external factors rarely damage your floors.

These features or benefits will remain similar if you use a different thickness for your vinyl plank flooring. Both 10mm & 15mm vinyl plank or any other plank will give you a secure flooring system that will last for years.

It will be an excellent choice for your flooring; however, you should try to stick to 15mm or 12mm thickness since it will go longer than other vinyl planks.

Let’s talk about two categories of the vinyl plank: luxury vinyl plank & mohawk vinyl plank flooring. They are different in terms of quality, thickness, and other aspects. It’s time to explore these vinyl planks to decide yours.

Luxury vinyl plank flooring:

if you love to use a durable flooring system in your house, you should consider using luxury vinyl plank flooring.

They are very durable and will give you attractive coloring floors that will increase your house’s beauty because the typical standard thickness for luxury vinyl plank flooring is 12mm.

Despite having some benefits of using luxury vinyl plank flooring, you will also experience some drawbacks. Scratching & denting are two significant drawbacks of using LVP flooring.

If you use heavy-weight appliances in your house, they will leave some stains and scratches on your floors. If you consider these drawbacks, you can use 12mm luxury vinyl plank flooring.

Mohawk vinyl plank flooring:

is another luxury vinyl plank that can be used to avoid regular luxury vinyl plank’s drawbacks.

Typically, the Mohawk vinyl plan will come with 4-1/2 mm thickness. You will get other options depending on your flooring system and your choices.

The mohawk vinyl plank is durable and easy to clean; therefore, you can easily remove all other dents and scratches from this vinyl plank.

It will not allow your heavy appliances to leave some scratches since it uses high-quality vinyl components to avoid these damages.

Is 5mm thick vinyl plank good for flooring?

A 5mm thick vinyl plank is good for flooring, although it is the minimum requirement you must follow to get reliable flooring in your house.

If you consider the standards of vinyl thickness, you must stick to 8-12mm thick vinyl planks to avoid any external damage. In addition, the more thick vinyl refers to a durable experience.

Sometimes, we need to use a minimum of thick vinyl to make new flooring; therefore, 5mm could be an excellent choice to make a thin floor. If you go less than a 5mm thick vinyl plank, you will fail to use it for a long time since the less thick vinyl plank will be damaged soon.

Considering a high-quality vinyl plank, you cannot say that a 5mm thick vinyl would be a perfect match for your commercial space.

You can only use this thickness in your indoor flooring system, which could be as thin as possible. Apart from that, you can’t say that a 5mm vinyl plank is an excellent choice for flooring.

Does thickness of vinyl plank flooring matter?

The thickness of vinyl plank flooring matters greatly because durability, reliability, quality, and pressure bearing depend on your vinyl thickness.

Introducing a 15mm vinyl plank for flooring will give you the utmost service by lasting for years. Besides, the thick vinyl floor is easy to clean, and it can protect your floor from scratches & dents.

If you use less than 8mm vinyl plank in your house flooring system, it will quickly get some dents & scratches that will be impossible to remove.

Additionally, the less thick vinyl is not appropriate for commercialized buildings or flooring. Avoid using less than 15mm thick vinyl for any commercial building.

Besides the thickness of the vinyl plank, the quality of the vinyl also matters a lot. When you go for the premium quality vinyl plank to make your floor, you must check its endurance and capabilities to bear the heavy appliance weight.

If it fails to avoid dents & scratches, you should avoid that and try to get a perfect one.

3 factors that determine vinyl plank flooring thickness

You must consider these three factors that ultimately determine vinyl plank flooring thickness. They are given below with an explanation.

Wear Layer:

The wear layer is the first-factor determining vinyl plank flooring thickness because the wear layer refers to the durability 7 strength of the vinyl plank floorings.

A 15mm thick vinyl plank will have a better wear layer than an 8mm thick vinyl plank. You should consider the wear layer first.

Protective Coating:

Other than all the factors, the protective coating can create a difference, and you must get through this feature to determine vinyl plank flooring. Mainly, the flooring will come with a protective layer.

If it ensures the best quality layers, it can quickly get rid of the dents & scratches. Only a high thick vinyl plank can ensure a better protective layer.

Sometimes, the vinyl’s protective layers might be multiple to protect your floors from scratches. Since you will use heavy home appliances, you should consider these protective layers as your best factor in determining the vinyl thickness.

Foot traffic:

Foot traffic comes later since you need to decide how many people will use your vinyl plank flooring.

Let’s say you are there to make flooring outside your house or for the patio. Since most people will be inside your house, you don’t need to put a thick vinyl plank.

In contrast, your vinyl plank must come with a high-thick layer if you use it inside your home flooring. All your family members will use that area. So, the thickness will be higher than other flooring.

How to choose the right thickness for vinyl plank flooring?

Following the steps or guidelines, you can choose the right thickness for vinyl plank flooring.

Durability:

If you want to use a particular vinyl plank flooring for a long time, you must use a high thick vinyl plank. In that case, the thickness of your vinyl plank would be around 12 to 15mm.

You cannot use a 5mm thick vinyl plank flooring and expect to get a durable service from the flooring.

You must ask the buyer about the life expectancy of your desired thick vinyl plank flooring. It will help you decide on the perfect thick vinyl plank floor that will last for years.

Traffic:

You should consider the traffic to choose the right thickness for vinyl plank flooring.

If you introduce your flooring to your living room, you should use a thick vinyl plank. In contrast, you can use less thick vinyl plank flooring on your patio, where you will go alone and spend some quality time.

Quality:

Your last consideration should be qualified to choose the best thickness for your vinyl plank flooring. You must use high-quality vinyl plank flooring to get quality vinyl that you can use for a long time.

Final Thoughts

8-12mm thickness is standard for most vinyl plank floorings, although the industry standards are different, and they require more than 20mm thickness for vinyl plank flooring. You should consider your vinyl plank’s traffic, quality, and durability to get durable service.