Look at the history of wood flooring, real hardwood flooring is the real deal and still very popular. However, it is expensive and requires frequent maintenance, and is not resistant to humidity.
Younger generation was looking for a cheaper choice that requires a minimum maintenance, so engineered hardwood was born, but it was still expensive for consumers.
Then came laminate floors – a wood particle blend with image layer on top to mimic the look of hardwood. As high definition prints and embossing techniques improve the look of laminate, the biggest problem is it tend to swell with moisture.
There has been an increasing trend in wood-like tile porcelain tile. Tile is very durable and water resistant but cold and tough, and its installation is complicated requiring mortar and grout.
Luxury vinyl tile was the next big thing. LVT is vinyl planks that mimic wood floor and are waterproof, which solves the problem with laminate. It is cheaper to install with click-system or glue down options but can shrink or buckle with cold and heat.
This leads us to the latest innovation in wood-like flooring – SPC.
Post time: Jun-16-2022