FREE SHIPPING ON FLOORING ORDERS OF 1000+ SQUARE FEET
When I think about my childhood, one of the things that stands out most is the memory of what different places felt like underfoot. The hot, rough concrete pavers of my backyard. The smooth hardwood in the living room of the home I grew up in. Cool grass at the park, grainy sand at the beach. And, just as notably, the plasticky, textured feel of the laminate flooring in my grandparents’ basement.
That used to be my impression of laminate or vinyl flooring – outdated, overprocessed, slightly sticky underfoot. Easy to clean, sure, but in the same way a plastic tablecloth is easy to clean. I guess it was pretty durable, as it’s definitely still there, but it was also definitely already worn when I was a kid. I associated laminate or vinyl flooring with a cheap solution that sacrificed style and elegance for lower cost and easy installation, a quick and dirty solution for a flooring problem.
And then I learned about SPC vinyl flooring. Not only was it not the floppy, faded plastic tile that I associated with laminate, but a strong, durable, resistant plank, easy to install, cost efficient – and gorgeous to boot. It’s the perfect choice for a homeowner who wants to do it themselves, who wants a wide variety of textures and tones to choose from, and who is looking for durability and resistance. SPC is laminate’s hot cousin, swooping in as a luxurious, shiny new alternative to hardwood.
Here’s what you need to know about SPC.
SPC stands for stone plastic composite. It has a vinyl layer which provides the color and texture, like laminate flooring, but with a much sturdier, waterproof core that consists of limestone and stabilizers. This core is very rigid, which makes it resistant to temperature fluctuations (this is a huge benefit, as temperature and humidity can warp floors with less stable cores), more comfortable underfoot, and quieter, too.
SPC vinyl plank also has a wear layer as a transparent top coating which provides extra resistance, especially against scratches, stains and other direct wear, and often comes with an attached underlayment. The underlayment provides sound insulation and softens the flooring underfoot, though not all SPC products come with attached underlayment, so be sure to notice whether the product you’re considering comes with it or without.
SPC vinyl plank also has a wear layer as a transparent top coating which provides extra resistance, especially against scratches, stains and other direct wear, and often comes with an attached underlayment. The underlayment provides sound insulation and softens the flooring underfoot, though not all SPC products come with attached underlayment, so be sure to notice whether the product you’re considering comes with it or without.
Another real benefit of SPC is that it is simple to install yourself. SPC planks come with a tongue on one side of the length and a groove on the other, and they lock in with a couple taps of a hammer, very smoothly and without gaping. This is called a click-and-lock or float-and-click easy install system, and it makes SPC flooring the perfect choice for a DIY home renovation. There are a lot of great resources to reference for installing SPC, from written articles to podcasts, but an absolute must-watch is this video by Jeff from Renovision, where he goes through the whole process in detail in his very own kitchen.
The really amazing thing about vinyl flooring is that you can find exactly the aesthetic you’re looking for, be it a natural wood look, or a more dramatic stain, or even a marble look. You can find a variety of plank widths, and accessories to match. We’re so excited about the selection of products we’ve put together for you at Decorner, and it’s even easier to find your perfect match with the visualizer we’ve integrated into our product pages. Forget racking your brains to imagine what something might look like; just upload a photo of your space, and let the visualizer do the rest. Take a look at what the Cyrus Akadia might look like in your space – it’s one of our most popular options, a beautiful gleaming beige with some medium brown and grey graining. A complete contrast to that is the Andover Dakworth SPC, which is a textured charcoal black wood style, and the Andover Hatfield, a decadent chocolate brown wood grain. For the elegant marble look, check out the Trecento Calacatta Marbello SPC: still our popular, highly resistant SPC product, but with a gorgeous white and grey marbled look that will elevate any space.
Style, affordability and ease of installation and maintenance – those are three things that matter a lot to Decorner, and SPC checks all of those boxes. We’ve made sure we’re offering a good variety of colors, so whether you’re looking for a snowy white, a soft grey, a saturated brown or a smokey charcoal, we’ve got your dream floor.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
