If you're replacing floors around the house, you've probably narrowed it down to SPC luxury vinyl or laminate. Both look like real wood, both click together without glue and both are realistic DIY jobs. The difference is what happens when they get wet, and that decides which room each one belongs in.
What is SPC?
SPC stands for stone polymer composite. It's a rigid core with a luxury vinyl top layer printed and textured to look like wood. The result is a floor that's waterproof, scratch and stain resistant and very stable. Our SPC comes with a 2mm underlay already attached to every board, so it clicks straight down over a flat subfloor.
- Planks: 1540 x 230mm, 1.77m² per box
- Herringbone: 625 x 125mm, 1.5m² per box
- Thickness: 6mm plus the 2mm attached underlay
What is laminate?
Laminate uses a wood fibreboard core with a photographic wood layer and a tough wear surface. Ours is 12mm thick, which gives it a solid, quiet feel underfoot, and the textured surface follows the grain so it looks and feels natural. It's scratch and fade resistant and great value per square metre.
- Planks: 1520 x 235mm (2.15m² per box), or 1220 x 199mm MHDF (1.94m² per box)
- Underlay: needed, and sold separately
Room by room
Kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms: SPC
Spills, splashes and wet feet are part of life in these rooms. SPC is waterproof, so it's the safe choice. We don't recommend laminate anywhere that gets wet regularly.
Hallways: SPC
Wet coats, muddy boots and the dog coming in from the rain make the hallway tougher than it looks. SPC's waterproof, scratch resistant surface copes, and herringbone looks especially good in a period hallway.
Living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms: either
Here it comes down to feel and budget. Laminate's 12mm thickness feels solid and warm and is excellent value for large rooms. SPC suits open-plan spaces where the kitchen flows into the living area, so one floor runs right through.
Plank or herringbone?
Long planks make a room feel calm and open and are the quicker of the two to lay. Herringbone gives the classic parquet look and adds real character, but it uses more cuts, so allow 15% extra rather than 10%.
Working out how much you need
Multiply the room's length by its width in metres, divide by the box coverage and round up, then add 10% for cuts (15% for herringbone). The calculator on each product page does the maths for you, including the wastage.
Browse SPC flooring or laminate flooring, or call 0333 242 2442 if you'd like help choosing a shade.