Flooring

LVT: The ‘smart’ solution for renovating your flat – Technical Advantages & Application

Last updated: 3 November 2026

How much clearance is available beneath the door, which method suits the neighbour below, which wear layer suits the home and what can go beneath LVT.

The system at a glance

Solutions & Applications · Residential Refurbishment

The most expensive part of a flat refurbishment isn’t the materials — it’s the demolition. Rubble, dust, noise, empty communal areas, weeks away from home. This is precisely what makes LVT stand out: it is laid top than the existing flooring — and now, in rigid click versions, with an integrated acoustic backing for the neighbour below.

The budget of

In any refurbishment over an existing floor, there is a hidden constraint: the headroom beneath the doors. Exceed this, and costs skyrocket — every internal door must be removed, cut to size and refitted, whilst security doors often cannot even be cut.

System	Thickness	Consistency in window and door frames
Glue-down LVT	2–2.5 mm	Usually no intervention
LVT loose-lay	4.5 mm	Check each door individually
Rigid LVT click	5–6.5 mm, with integrated acoustic backing	Check each door individually — clearance is often tight
Laminate	8–12 mm	Requires door leaves to be cut to size
Tiles laid with adhesive	10–12 mm	Requires cutting; often also demolition

At 2 mm, glue-down LVT is the only system that almost always fits beneath an existing door leaf without alteration. However, 5–6.5 mm rigid click offers something glue-down does not: sound reduction and adhesive-free installation over tiles. The choice often comes down to the 2–3 millimetres beneath the security door.

Three methods, three different projects

Method	How is it held in place?	When to choose
Adhesive	Full adhesion to the substrate	Minimal thickness, continuous surface, permanent solution, herringbone with mini planks
Rigid click	GenClick® or equivalent locking system — floating, with integrated acoustic backing	Over existing tiles, no odour, immediate use, 18–19 dB sound reduction
Loose-lay	Held by its own weight — 7.8 kg/m² — without permanent adhesive	Very fast installation, easy replacement

For glue-down installation over a non-absorbent substrate — terrazzo or tiles — a water-free adhesive is required. The CERESIT P 625 is a two-component polyurethane adhesive, free of water and solvents. It cures regardless of layer thickness and also bonds LVT over tiles and stone.

ARGYNET Note

LVT reduces impact noise to the floor below — dimension ΔL_w — rather than the room’s sound absorption. It does not make the space any less echoey for anyone speaking within it.

The reduction depends on the method: 2 mm glue-down LVT bonded to the slab transmits impact almost directly. The rigid click products with integrated acoustic backing provide 18–19 dB without a separate underlay. If the concern is the neighbour below, choose the method before the collection — and use an additional underlay beneath click flooring with an integrated backing only where the manufacturer permits it.

Rigid click for the home

Rigid click (SPC) products do not flex like older flexible click flooring. They therefore bridge joints in existing tiles without “telegraphing” the pattern through to the surface, and are suitable for domestic kitchens and bathrooms:

Collection	Thickness	Wear layer · class	ΔL_w	Feature
STARFLOOR CLICK ULTIMATE 30	5 mm	0.30 mm · 23/31	18 dB	Over tiles with joints up to 6 mm · 18 designs
ESSENCE RIGID 30-55	5 mm	0.30 or 0.55 mm · up to 23/33	19 dB	The same 10 designs as glue-down Essence
iD CLASSICS CLICK ULTIMATE 30	5.5 mm	0.30 mm · 23/31	19 dB	30 designs · R10 · suitable for domestic bathrooms
ELEGANCE RIGID 55	5.5 mm	0.55 mm · 23/33	19 dB	Ultra-matt TEKTANIUM® · R10 · 20 designs
STARFLOOR CLICK ULTIMATE 55	6.5 mm	0.55 mm · 23/33	19 dB	Residual indentation ≤ 0.05 mm · 21 designs
iD CLASSICS CLICK ULTIMATE 55–70	6.5 mm	0.55 / 0.70 mm · up to 34	19 dB	Also for commercial spaces
iD NATURALS CLICK ULTIMATE 55	6.5 mm	0.55 mm · 33	19 dB	Marble, terrazzo, wide 1500 mm planks
RIGID HERRINGBONE	—	Class 23/33	18 dB	SPC herringbone · waterproof · R10

Wear layer thickness is the measure that separates the classes: 0.30 mm for domestic use (Class 23), 0.55 mm for homes with pets, children or rental use — and for light commercial use (33). The cost difference is small compared with the extra service life.

The existing floor: what can go underneath

Tiles or terrazzo in good condition: rigid click directly, or glue-down LVT with water-free adhesive after filling the joints.
Uneven or worn existing flooring: the Tarkoflat Loose-Lay is installed over existing floors without removal, as a levelling underlay without wet work.
Ground floor with moisture in the slab: the underlays Tarkolay accommodate moisture up to 7% CM (Tarkolay HO up to 96% RH), without waiting for drying.
Existing timber flooring: check stability — a floor that moves will transfer that movement to the new one.

The remaining advantages, with their limitations

Waterproofing: allows for a continuous application from the living room through to the kitchen and bathroom, without changing materials and without thresholds.
Warm feel: noticeably warmer underfoot than tiles, and compatible with underfloor heating — provided there are no two moisture barriers in the structure.
Reversibility: in click systems, removal does not damage the original floor. In a let property or one intended for resale, this is a valuable feature.
Speed: no wet work, no curing time, with the space ready for immediate use.
Refurbishment skirting: covers the existing skirting and perimeter gap without removing anything from the wall.

The same principle applies to walls

The principle of ‘building on top of the existing structure, without demolition’ does not apply solely to the floor. The KNAUF TYPE A 12.5 mm can be bonded as dry plastering on existing walls: the old cracked plaster is covered rather than removed.

Where new partitions are being erected, the system is supplemented with metal profiles for dry construction and jointing with KNAUF Fugenfüller Leicht, together with the corresponding jointing tapes. Where requirements change, the board changes too:

Space requirements	Slab upgrading
Damp — bathroom, kitchen	Type H2
Fire resistance	Type DF or Fireboard A1
Sound insulation	Piano DF · Silentboard
All of the above, plus impact resistance	DIAMANT DFH1IR
Wet rooms — shower cubicles	AQUAPANEL

Design series

Measurement of clear height: beneath each internal door and beneath the security door. This determines the available system thickness.
Inspection of existing flooring: flatness, loose areas and moisture. This determines whether an underlay is needed.
Requirement for the floor below: if required, choose rigid click with an integrated acoustic backing.
Wear layer: 0.30 mm for a typical home, 0.55 mm for pets, children or rental use.
Continuous or zoned installation: if the floor continues into the kitchen and bathroom, thresholds are removed.
Walls and partitions: where provided for, they form part of the same dry-construction programme.