Luxury vinyl flooring is gaining interest and setting itself apart from laminate and engineered wooden flooring by reportedly offering greater durability, with ultra thin profiles giving more flexibility around the install location, an inbuilt underlay, and the ability to truly capture the nature of grain and knots to such a degree that you’d think it was real wood. So we have opted to go with the Pro-Tek Editions LVF in our studio in order to uncover its properties, exploring design, resilience, and if it really can fuse a high level of aesthetics with practicality.

Choice of floor

Pro-Tek offer two collections, Excel and Editions. We opted for Editions because of its thinner profile. We wanted to have a level connection between the outside decking area in front of our recently installed Origin bi-fold doors and this new interior flooring. However, upon researching flooring options from laminate to engineered wood, we came up against an issue, because every option was too thick to achieve this merging of flooring zones between outside and inside when also taking into account the necessary underlay. Then we stumbled upon luxury vinyl flooring, and in particular Pro-Tek which is remarkably thin at 5mm including an inbuilt underlay. This seemed like the ideal solution for our open plan studio renovation and it’s also marketed towards both home and commercial use. We carefully considered the many choices of shades and replica wood types offered by Pro-Tek and opted for the ‘Classic Richmond Oak’ in the Editions classic wood collection.

The Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring boasts a sophisticated sandwich of specialised layers. At the surface the Hygienic Pro-Tek anti-scratch guards against wear and tear, then a Wear Layer, designed for commercial-grade protection, further shields against staining and excessive wear ensuring the floor maintains its pristine appearance over a long time. The heart of the flooring lies in its Decor Layer, featuring the actual visual designs which resist fading, and anchoring the structure is the Core, fortified with SPC 100% waterproof rigid core technology, and beneath it all, the IXPE Foam underlay.

Installation

Our experience with laminate flooring systems has been relatively straightforward in the past, characterised by ease of installation. However, a common challenge we encountered was ensuring a seamless connection when fitting interlocking pieces due to the tightness of the various click systems. Intriguingly, the Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring connection system, which is referred to as the Uniclic Click Lock System, is the best interlocking flooring system we’ve yet to use. Allowing each piece to glide positively and easily into one another, it lays perfectly flat every time. Each plank of flooring (L 1220mm x W 180mm) is light, flexible and very easy to cut with a circular saw, jigsaw or hand saw, making it easy to fit neatly around our structural studio poles and against walls.

The inherent practicality continues because, unlike solid wood, laminate or engineered flooring materials that demand underlay prior to installation, the Pro-Tek Editions defies this convention by incorporating a 1.0mm LXPE Foam underlay directly into its design, so it’s 100% waterproof and provides stability even over imperfect floors - something which we can pay testament to. This feature not only saved us valuable time but also minimised disruptions within our studio, enabling us to reveal our new environment sooner rather than later. This simple and integrated approach to installation, make the Pro-Tek Editions flooring accessible to both professionals and DIY enthusiasts.

Is it a good fit in our studio environment?

Our interior palette for the studio is made up of neutral tones and natural materials, with a vaulted wooden ceiling, painted white and blush pink plastered walls and wood clad wall sections. We desired a neutral toned floor that had wood grain and texture which would interact with the increased amount of natural light that now enters the studio since installing the Origin bi-fold doors. It needed to offer an airy lightness to our environment that could also deal with frequent footfall, movement of gear and the occasional heavy impact in a working environment. The last test has been inadvertently thoroughly tested - and the Pro-Tek has resisted such impact!

As we reflect upon this studio renovation journey, it becomes clearer that the Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring in Richmond Oak has found its rightful place within our studio's narrative. Walking on the Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring is a comfortable and reassuring experience. Laminate flooring, in the absence of heat in the cooler evenings or early mornings, can exhibit a harsh coldness to walk on. One of the first things we noticed about the Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl floor is how under our feet its textured surface emulates the warmth of natural wood all day long, providing a soft yet resiliently effective slip-resistant finish. It feels cushioned underfoot. This quality not only contributes to a more comfortable walking experience but also aids in reducing fatigue, making it an ideal choice for spaces where prolonged standing or walking are common. Furthermore, it mitigates the hollow or echoing sound that can sometimes accompany harder flooring materials. This feature adds an element of tranquillity to your footsteps, allowing you to traverse your environment without disruptive noise, a consideration that is especially significant in shared or high-traffic areas.

The most enthralling aspect of the Pro-Tek Editions flooring became evident as daylight filtered through our space via the bi-fold doors and other windows. The textured top layer artfully interacts with light bestowed upon the floor, to reveal a captivating chameleon-like quality. Throughout the day, as sunbeams dance across the floor's surface they reveal the natural intricacies of wood, and the the colour and character that make up the floor undergoes a mesmerising metamorphosis from lighter to darker hues. It reflects a skilful mimicry of the intrinsic nature of wood, demonstrating the flooring's prowess in emulating the real thing within the plank variation and the dynamic interplay of hues and shadows. Some of the other LVF samples we tried out had a woodgrain appearance with no tactile texture, which would have looked lifeless when interacting with sunlight. The Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring has not just met, but exceeded our expectations, etching its presence indelibly into the fabric of our creative space. It’s a lighter space now too, channeling the natural light and diffusing it throughout, something the carpet it replaced could never do. Imparting a luminosity that subtly enhances every corner, the result is a studio environment that feels not only lighter but also invigorating.

As our studio renovation project has transitioned towards completion, we’ve noticed instrumentally improved sound isolation from the use of materials such as premium glazing and insulation. But it was the installation of the Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring that placed the final acoustic piece in our puzzle. As the floor's expanse extended and the last of the open floor surfaces succumbed to insulation, the symphony of sound isolation grew in response. The Pro-Tek flooring’s contribution to enhancing our studio's acoustic environment has been signifiant, enabling a retreat that didn’t even reveal the true audible extent of a recent raging storm and, on a more day to day level, containing the sound from loud speakers within the building.

Verdict

Each step on Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring offers a harmonious blend of comfort and style. While traditional wooden options originally showcased their allure through grain and shading, they faltered in meeting our requirements, impeded by their unwavering thickness. The Pro-Tek Editions luxury vinyl flooring became the conduit through which our finalised studio vision materialised, capturing the very essence of real wood grain and texture in a hardwearing non-slip format with truly simple and straightforward installation. Our 'Classic Richmond Oak' design from the Editions collection, interacts dynamically with natural light, adding a tapestry of depth and character to our neutral and organic interior studio palette. It’s a transformative and practical solution to finalise our renovation, with that remarkably thin profile of 5mm, including the built-in underlay, being the key in allowing us to seamlessly merge the flooring zones between the exterior decking area and the interior space, creating a cohesive transition.