When you are shopping for flooring, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the choices. Here at Southside, we have carpet, sheet vinyl, hardwood, engineered hardwood, and tile.
We also have three types of floors that look very similar, but are very different – Stone Polymer Composite (SPC), Luxury Vinyl, and traditional laminate.
The Same…
When you compare these three floors to hardwood or tile, you’ll find that they are usually less expensive and are easier to install and maintain. Most are click together installation. They all mimic the look and often the feel of solid surface flooring, with seemingly endless options of colors, styles, and textures. But there are marked differences between the three.
But Different…
Traditional laminate flooring is mostly made of wood byproducts, sometime called composite. It is a floating floor made of layers of high density fiberboard that is laminated together, then topped with an image and a transparent protective wear layer that gives the floor its color and pattern. Laminate flooring has an durability abrasion rating – from AC1 to AC5 – that will help you assess the .
Luxury vinyl flooring is also known as LVT, LVP, or LVF. (Read about the differences here.) It is also made in layers, but is composed of PVC vinyl. LVT flooring is waterproof, so is a great choice for installation in kitchens, laundries, and bathrooms. It often can be used with steam mops. While it’s usually floating, you can also find peel and stick varieties.
Stone Polymer Composite – also called rigid vinyl flooring, is the latest player to the flooring game. Its layers include the SPC core, which is made of a very dense limestone core fused with PVC dust, meaning it is quite eco friendly It’s also waterproof and moistureproof, so it’s great in areas of your home that tend to have water splashed onto the floor or tracked in by kids or pets. Many people find it faster to install than even LVT.
No matter which flooring you choose, you’ll find that the quality, service, and price at Southside just can’t be beat. Come on in, and find your bargain!
LVT 
SPC 
Laminate