Laminate vs. SPC Flooring: Which Is Better? This Will Help You Decide!

BLOG & NEWS

Laminate vs. SPC Flooring: Which Is Better? This Will Help You Decide!

Many people might mistakenly think that both SPC and laminate flooring are the same. No, there are not. But don’t they look similar?

Well, it’s indeed difficult to differentiate both SPC and laminate flooring visually. Despite that, there are tons of differences between these two flooring and as you compare the composition, functions and features, you will be convinced how different they are.

1. Core Material

Generally, both laminate and SPC flooring consist of 4 layers which are the backing layer, core, printed design layer and top with wear layer. The differences are the material used for each layers, especially the core material.

Laminate Flooring

Core material used for this type of flooring is normally fiberboard. It can be medium density fiberboard (MDF) or high density fiberboard (HDF) depending on the quality of laminate flooring you choose.Higher quality laminate flooring uses water resistant HDF as core material. This helps boost the overall durability of laminate flooring.

The use of compressed wood fiber as core material also make laminate flooring prone to have similar existing problems of wood flooring. So don’t be surprise if you found your laminate flooring affected by mould, mildew and even termite sometimes.

SPC Flooring

As the name goes, SPC flooring uses solid SPC as the material for core layer. Solid SPC has high density which make it tough enough to sustain heavy foot traffic, durable and of course water resistant.In fact, some manufacturers also included SPC in the backing layer. You might want to check this out if you want to go into details on how SPC is made.

2. Cost

Well, I must say it is very much depends on the quality of flooring you are looking for. Price range of both laminate and SPC flooring varies according to it’s quality and functionality.Not just that, installation and maintenance cost should be part of the consideration as well-installed flooring that is under good care can last for many years.

Laminate Flooring

Price of cheap and low quality laminate flooring can be as low as $1 per square foot. However high end laminate flooring can be up to $5 per square foot or more. Medium range laminate flooring will normally cost around $3 per square foot.Even though laminate flooring is cheaper per square foot, but here’s the kicker… Laminate flooring is actually more difficult to maintain compared to SPC flooring.

You should also think of the maintenance and repair costs of laminate flooring over the time.

SPC Flooring

Again, depending on the type of SPC flooring you desire, traditional SPC flooring like sheet SPC can cost as low as $0.50 per foot square. Averagely, medium ranged SPC flooring is about $2.50 per square foot.When it comes to top end SPC flooring like luxury SPC plank (LVP) or luxury SPC tile (LVT), prices can be a lot more higher ranging from $5 to $8 per square foot.

Yes… it is actually more costly than high end laminate flooring. As you can expect from the price you pay, luxury SPC flooring comes with high quality water resistant core layer and thicker wear layer.

Also, darker color SPC flooring tends to be slightly expensive due to the concentration of specialized pigment used. So, don’t get yourself fooled by thinking that all SPC flooring products are low cost.

Spread the love