Forget what you think you know about vinyl flooring. The latest generation of luxury vinyl offers outstanding performance, a wide range of textures and colors, and strong value both for the material and installation.
Our standalone studio is a compact 100-square-foot space with old, worn square plastic floor tiles. Years of wear and heavy staining left them looking grimy and beyond cleaning, so we rarely bothered to maintain the floors. We wanted to update the space for a long time, but cost and the disruption of a remodel kept us from moving forward—until now.
A few months ago, Shaw Floors contacted us about sampling their Floorte luxury vinyl line. We immediately thought of the studio and the chance to give it a long-overdue refresh. The room needed new paint and a better layout, but those changes depended on updating the floor, so we welcomed the opportunity to try Shaw’s product.
We selected a design from Floorte, which offers 71 styles and colors. After requesting three samples, we chose Mantua Plank in Elba. Mantua Plank comes in nine color options; we wanted a light, neutral tone to complement our white walls and pale furniture. The wood grain and tone add depth and a subtle sophistication that the room previously lacked.
Beyond the look, we were impressed by the ease of installation and the waterproof performance. Floorte’s Fold-N-Tap locking system is precision-engineered to be simple to use while remaining strong and durable. The planks are flexible and install as a floating floor, which helps hide minor imperfections in the subfloor and reduces the amount of prep work required. Our concrete slab had some unevenness, but the new flooring masked those issues and the installation left clean, tight seams. The waterproof nature of the product is especially reassuring—spills happen, and we no longer have to panic about stains or moisture damage.
Preparing the Room
The first step was clearing the room entirely. After eight years in the space, accumulated items had to go. Emptying the studio gave us a chance to declutter and keep only what we really needed. With the room cleared, we decided to paint before installing the new floor. We used a Behr paint-and-primer and applied two coats for a fresh, clean backdrop.
Because we planned to remove the old tiles, we didn’t need protective drop cloths for the floor. The walls were scuffed and will need attention down the road, but we saved major refinishing for another project. Pulling up the old tiles turned out to be easier than expected: the adhesive had mostly dried out, and with a demolition bar we removed the tiles with minimal residue left on the concrete. We swept and used a shop vacuum to clean the surface thoroughly. Removing years of built-up grime felt very satisfying and made the space feel ready for a fresh floor. Be cautious when removing older flooring materials—adhesives and underlayment can sometimes contain asbestos; if you suspect that may be the case, consult a professional contractor to test and manage the removal.
In a follow-up post we’ll describe the actual installation of the Floorte luxury vinyl planks. The install turned out to be one of the most straightforward DIY projects we’ve tackled, and it made a dramatic difference in how the studio looks and functions.
This post was created in partnership with Shaw Floors. All opinions and experiences described are our own.