Settling on LVT (luxury vinyl tile) does not settle the choice. Which pattern, at which lightness, in which format comes next.
That decision is hard to work through catalogue by catalogue. Catalogues are organised by product line, so pattern, format and thickness never sit side by side on one page.
So this sets out what to settle first, site by site.
Why pattern is the default place to start
Pattern is the most awkward decision to reverse. Format and thickness can be changed within one pattern, but changing the pattern usually means rebuilding the shortlist from scratch.
Sorted only by what the surface imitates, concrete, stone and wood carry the range, with terrazzo, textile and metallic behind them.
The grouping is independent of manufacturer line names. One line often mixes concrete and terrazzo, so a line name is not a way to narrow down pattern.
The proportion of a board reads best in the long formats, while mineral patterns read as a single plane in squares. Settling the pattern therefore narrows the format candidates with it.
Default format and sizes by pattern
These are tendencies across the range Tornex carries, and do not generalise to the whole Korean market.
| 기준 | 우드 | 콘크리트 | 스톤 | 테라조 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default format | Plank | Square | Square | Square |
| Common size | 178×1220 | 600×600 | 600×600 | 600×600 |
| Thickness options | 3T · 5T | 3T · 4T · 5T | 3T · 4T · 5T | 3T · 5T |
Choose the pattern and the format is largely chosen with it.
Decide tone together with the lighting plan
Tone is how light the floor is. Grouping it as light neutral, mid gray, charcoal and dark, warm beige, warm brown and cool colour makes the comparison quicker.
The spread leans one way. Commercial interiors are carried by mid gray and light neutral, that is, by the achromatic range.
Floor lightness is not only a matter of taste. Lighting design is calculated on the reflectance of interior surfaces, and there is a recommended range for the floor as well.
Very light and very dark floors sit at the two ends of that range. Where the lighting plan is already fixed, it is safer to pick a tone that does not force the calculation to be redone.
Tone and pattern do not move independently. Warm tones are mostly wood. Asking for a warm floor while ruling out wood leaves very little.
Square tiles and planks are different decisions
Formats fall into two families, square and plank. Among squares, 600×600 is effectively the standard, with the smaller 500×500 and 450×450 used alongside it.
Planks differ in aspect ratio from format to format. 178×1220 is 1:6.85 and 457.2×914.4 is 1:2. Within the same plank family, that ratio is what sets how long a single piece reads.
Some plank formats come from inches. 228.6×1524 is 9″×60″ and 457.2×914.4 is 18″×36″. That is why the millimetre figures carry decimals.
If the drawing already has a module, it is worth checking those decimals first. A 600 mm square grid and an inch-derived plank do not divide the same way.
Planks have direction. Direction opens up laying patterns, and manufacturer catalogues show herringbone or staggered layouts alongside their plank lines. With square tiles those options narrow.
Sometimes the subfloor settles the thickness
Commercial interiors mostly use 5T. 4T and 3T are the steps down when the budget calls for it. 4T exists only in squares, not in wood planks.
Where the subfloor is uneven, thickness gets settled first. A thicker product resists telegraphing, where unevenness in the substrate shows through the surface, so 5T is fixed and pattern and tone are then chosen within it.
Where pattern and format were narrowed first, on the other hand, only two or three thicknesses are left by that point.
What thickness actually changes is set out in LVT Thickness 3T, 4T and 5T — What Actually Changes, against wear layer and use class.
How well the surface holds up is governed more by the wear layer than by total thickness. For heterogeneous PVC floor coverings, EN ISO 10582 grades the wear layer by binder content, with Type I above 80 per cent.
Quality across commercial ranges has largely levelled up, however, so the actual choice usually comes down to format and thickness, pattern and tone, and lead time.
The site constraint decides the order
Narrowing by pattern first is the default, but where a site already has something fixed, that is where you start. Beginning from what is settled is what saves you from choosing twice.
Where to start, by what is already fixed
Only a concept image so far
The mood is set but the drawing module and lighting are still open
The drawing module is fixed
The floor module is already drawn against the ceiling grid or furniture layout
Lighting and adjoining finishes are fixed
The lighting design is complete, or the floor has to match existing finishes
The subfloor has already settled the thickness
An existing building with an uneven substrate, or an overlay where the finished height is already fixed
What is already fixed differs from site to site. Start from what is fixed and narrow the rest, and you choose twice less often.
Check when you can have it
Commercial projects are usually specified on the basis of using the material within four weeks of settling it. In practice, whether it fits that schedule is checked before which maker it comes from.
Even for the same product, shipping timing depends on whether it is held in stock in Korea, held as a standing line by the maker, or goes into production on order.
Made-to-order carries a minimum quantity per item. An order stands only where a single colour runs to 600 m² or more, so on a smaller floor area it is quicker to shortlist from what is in stock.
Lead time by availability
Actual timing depends on project conditions and is confirmed at quotation.
| 기준 | 국내 재고 | 제조사 상시재고 | 주문 생산 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ships in | Immediately | Within 1 week | Within 4 weeks |
| Minimum quantity | Within available stock | Within available stock | From 600 m² per item |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1Can a wood pattern be used as a square tile?
Q2Why are some formats written with decimals?
Q3Is a light or a dark floor the better choice?
Q4Can we not pick a manufacturer first?
Q5How do we compare items that differ only in colour within one pattern?
Q6How soon can we have it once the material is settled?
That is why the search has to open from any of them. commercial LVT search narrows by pattern, tone, format or thickness from whichever is fixed, and shows availability and lead time alongside.
If the question is how to read a specification table at all, Carpet Tile Formats and Thickness — How to Read a Spec Sheet helps. The material differs, but the reading order is the same.
Glossary
LVT — Luxury Vinyl Tile, a resilient floor covering built from pressed layers.
Plank — a long board format, as distinct from a square tile.
Aspect ratio — the long side relative to the short side, which sets how long one piece reads.
Reflectance — the share of incident light returned by a surface, an input to lighting design.
Wear layer — the clear layer above the design layer, the part actually consumed as the surface wears.
Use class — the classification of where and how intensively a floor covering can be used.
Sources
EN 12464-1:2021 §4.2.2 — Light and lighting, Lighting of work places, Indoor work places (recommended reflectances)
KS A 3011 — Recommended levels of illumination (Korean Standards)
KS K ISO 10874 — Classification of resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings / ISO 10874:2009
KS M 3802 — PVC floor coverings (Korean Standards)
EN ISO 10582 — Heterogeneous PVC floor coverings. Type I and II by binder content of the wear layer (ERFMI, 2017; EN 649 withdrawn February 2014)
Hyundai L&C Goldtile Classic, Noble, Relic / LX Hausys Prestige, Prestige Special / NOX and Milliken catalogues — format notation (checked August 2026)