SPC vs. WPC & More ... What does it all mean?!

Chances are that you've heard all about vinyl flooring in your recent floor shopping escapades. With vinyl becoming the fasting growing flooring segment, manufacturers and distributors are working hard to expand product lines, innovate with new technologies and offer durability & stability that has never been possible in a floor before. There is just 1 problem---there are multiple subcategories of vinyl flooring that most people don't understand! Below we will explain a few terms and product types that you will definitely run into when shopping for you next floor!

LVT/LVP - Luxury Vinyl (Tile/Plank) is mostly made out of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) with a digital print of wood or tile grain on top for excellent visuals. A wear layer sits on top of the digital print to increase durability. This isn't the most stable option in the luxury vinyl segment, but can often be found with one or more layers of fibreglass to minimize expansion / contraction. 

WPC - Wood Plastic Composite is an engineered flooring under the luxury vinyl umbrella. Its core consists of wood pulp and plastic agents that are adhered to create a stable and durable product. On top of that core you will find a vinyl top layer for comfort, a digital print for visuals and wear layer coating for scratch and dent resistance. This type of product is generally superior to a standard LVT/LVP.

SPC - Stone Plastic Composite is also an engineered flooring in the realm of luxury vinyl. As its name suggests, its core consists of stone material, such as limestone, as well as other synthetic agents to provide extreme stability. This type of product is generally thinner than its WPC counterpart, but the main drawback is that it will be slightly colder and less comfortable (imagine walking on stone vs. wood). 

Terms to aware of:

Loose Lay: A loose lay vinyl is a type of product that requires no nailing, gluing or even clicking together. You simply start your install right up against your wall and lay each plank tight with the next. Be careful not to leave any gaps, or you will have a lot of movement within your floor!

Glue-Down: A glue down vinyl system means that you MUST full spread glue the material to your subfloor. Follow the manufacturers guidelines to trowel your specific adhesive to the subfloor and then lay your vinyl in your desired pattern. 

Click: A Click system vinyl product is exactly that... click in place! Each piece floats on top of an underpad on your subfloor and fits together to the previous piece like a puzzle. Be sure to leave a perimeter expansion gap of at least 3/8".