The wooden look of a hotel bedroom, busy hotel reception, or family kitchen needs to perform differently in each room. So when comparing WPC flooring with SPC flooring, it is best to start with the loads under which the floor will be working, the comfort levels customers will experience walking over the floor, and the constraints of the installation. WPC flooring is often used in comfort-led interior designs, whilst SPC flooring is a good starting point where indentation resistance is key. The flooring label is not evidence of the finished floor.
UTOP SPC FLOOR helps residential and commercial customers select flooring specifications, designs and accessories for installation. We match floors with their usage prior to selecting a color.
Indoor WPC rigid-core vinyl is typically made with an expanded composite core. This gives it more ‘give’ underfoot than a comparable SPC floor, making it suitable for bedrooms and sitting rooms. Note, though, that different products contain different materials, so check the actual construction rather than assuming that all WPC products are made of similar stuff. Note that this is not to be confused with WPC outdoor decking.
SPC flooring is made up of a dense core of mineral filler embedded in a polymer binder. This core provides good resistance to indentation by heavy objects. But the core is only part of the flooring, and one must also consider the wear layer, the locking profile, and the backing.
For soft cushioning in bedroom and lounge areas, look at WPC, but for kitchens, areas around entrances, and homes with plenty of movement of furniture, look at SPC first, then look at surface performance and cleaning requirements. A soft feel does not necessarily mean better dent resistance from furniture.
Our SPC collection offers a range of designs including wood looks, stone looks, woven or carpet looks. We can supply embossed-in-register designs that have the printed grain aligned to the embossed surface and offer matt finishes as an alternative to gloss. Our products are designed for residential use and are complemented by a range of matching trims to create a single appearance throughout a property without having to purchase the same product to use in different areas.
Test a full-size sample of the selected finish in the specific lighting of your room. For both solid core and engineered cores, find out the water-exposure limits of the selected model. Note that a water-resistant plank does not necessarily mean that the joints, the perimeter details, and the subfloor form a waterproof assembly.
WPC merits consideration where barefoot comfort is central to the guest experience. Test samples with the intended bed feet, luggage wheels, and cleaning equipment. A comfortable sample walked on briefly cannot establish how it will respond to sustained furniture pressure. Obtain product-specific indentation and service-use evidence before approving a room-wide installation.
Dense SPC is worth evaluating for corridors and reception areas exposed to repeated trolley movement. Yet core density alone cannot predict noise reaching rooms below. Ask for acoustic evidence describing the complete tested floor assembly, including slab, ceiling and backing, rather than comparing isolated headline ratings.
Our SPC flooring is available with IXPE or EVA backing and also with skirting, transitions and stairs all made to match. Our ‘quiet’ SPC flooring includes an attached underlay to reduce walking noise. We must receive confirmation of the approved backing type and associated acoustic information for the project in question. An additional layer of softness cannot be assumed to work with the floor’s locking system.
A dense SPC may be the starting point for office procurement, but castors, meeting tables and delivery carts put different loads on floor coverings than mere footsteps. Is the selected construction approved for the anticipated rolling loads and for the respective arrangement of furniture? Insist on evidence for the specific model offered – simply increasing the thickness of a plank does not automatically turn it into a commercial product for the required applications.
Our commercial SPC flooring lists 0.5 and 0.7 mm wear layers, with flooring thicknesses of 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 mm excluding underlayment. These are product options, not universal minimums. The wear layer and overall thickness describe different parts of the construction, so procurement schedules should record both separately.
In addition to the textile-look surfaces, our woven and carpet-look SPC designs offer offices with a need for a wipe-clean surface an alternative option. A range of coordinated products and commercial specification assistance is also available. Samples, edge details and a written warranty should all be confirmed prior to specifying a collection for multiple locations.
Before commencing work with either type of core, it is essential to check the substrate and the installation conditions. A rigid board is not a repair item for a structurally unsound floor. Read the requirements for flatness, moisture testing, expansion joint spacing, room temperature, etc., and stipulate these requirements for your selected model, rather than copying general tolerances from another product.
Our click-lock SPC flooring system allows for a floating installation, and we therefore discourage adhesive-only installation of the specified system. Our website contains full installation guidance and an array of ancillary items; however, site preparation remains the responsibility of the consumer. Please review our full installation and maintenance guidance prior to booking in the renovation.
For normal maintenance, clean the floor gently with soft-bristled brushes or sweeper/vacuums, and damp mop using a slightly damp mop and a mild cleaning solution. Avoid very harsh cleaning agents and excessive amounts of water. Also use furniture protectors, try to stop grit from entering the area, try to lift heavy items when moving them, and limit direct sunlight for long periods. This will aid the protection of the floor regardless of the floor core chosen.
When doing a phased renovation of a house, also check the other floor levels and the replacement access. Ask the installer how he will handle the fixed cabinets, doorways, and other movement joints as described in the model-specific instructions. Make sure the underlayment as approved for your purchase is recorded in the purchase specification. Later, a site team might want to change the underlayment to something softer in order to change the walking feel.
Create a room-by-room plan for pedestrian traffic, rolling loads, moisture, sound, and floor height. Compare samples against the plan and obtain installation instructions, performance data, and warranty for the chosen product. Check if compliance documentation is available for the chosen product and if it covers the requirements for the destination.
We support OEM and ODM with options for color, texture, specification, wear-layer, and packaging customization. Please provide information on the intended application, quantity, desired look, and required documents, and we will provide a suitable option. We recommend WPC where verified comfort performance meets the required specification and SPC where verified load resistance and maintenance requirements are better met. The strongest specification explains why a particular floor covers a particular room.
A: No. WPC feels cushioned, but perceived noise in the room and sound going down to the floor below are different issues. Look for acoustic reports for floor assemblies of similar construction, including the backing and ceiling. Just looking at the core name of a WPC is not sufficient.
A: Additional pads should not be added to a plank without written authorization to do so for a particular construction. More padding than required can negatively affect the support of the joints. Check if the plank already has a backer attached and what underlayment configuration the installation instructions permit.
A: Yes. At UTOP SPC FLOOR, we offer OEM and ODM options covering colour, texture, specifications, wear layers, and packaging. We also provide matching flooring accessories. Send us the room type, intended use, and required documents so we can confirm the available configuration and samples.
