What is SPC flooring? Core, looks and uses
SPC (stone plastic composite) flooring is a rigid-core vinyl plank or tile. A decorative film gives it a wood, marble or patterned-tile look. Inlife shows SPC in all three families of look at the Choolai showroom.
What SPC is
SPC flooring is made from limestone powder, PVC resin and stabilisers, formed into a rigid core. On top sit a printed decorative film and a clear wear layer. The planks and tiles click together edge to edge. It sits beside vinyl flooring and wooden flooring in the Inlife range.
The decorative film is what you see. It carries the grain of an oak or a walnut, the veining of a marble, or the pattern of a Moroccan tile, so the same floor can look like timber, stone or tile.
Sizes and formats
- Planks. About 225 × 1220 mm (8.86 × 48.03 in) or 180 × 1220 mm, for straight-laid wood floors.
- Herringbone. Shorter planks, 625 × 125 mm, laid at right angles for a classic parquet pattern.
- Tiles. Stone-look tiles such as 620 × 310 mm, plus marble-look and patterned designs.
SPC at Inlife is between 4 and 6 mm thick, depending on the collection.
The looks
Wood. Planks in light to dark wood grains, for living rooms, bedrooms and offices.
Marble-look. Tiles with veining that suits lobbies, living rooms and retail floors that want a polished stone feel.
Moroccan. Geometric patterned tiles in monochrome and colour, for cafés, entrances and a single feature room.
Wood tones
- Pale oaks. Light Oak and Coastal Sand Oak, for rooms that should stay light.
- Natural and honey. Natural Oak, Golden Oak, Almond and Teak Brown, the warm middle of the range.
- Grey-wash and smoked. Silver Striped Oak, Iced Oak, Shaker Oak and Cowboy Oak, greyed woods that sit well with white walls and black metal.
- Walnut. Dark Walnut, Brown Elm and Aged Oak, for richer, darker floors.
Marble and stone looks
The stone-look designs recall travertine, sandstone and Indian Kadappa stone: Bianco Travertine, Beige Sand Stone, Ambrosia Cream and Kadappa greys from pale to graphite. They give a living room or a shop floor the look of stone in a lighter, rigid plank or tile.
Moroccan patterns
Moroccan SPC takes its cue from the patterned cement tiles of North Africa. Designs such as Moroccan Crimson, Moroccan Antique Beige and Monarch Ontario Gray run from monochrome greys to crimson and beige. Use a pattern across a whole small room, such as an entrance or a powder room’s anteroom, or as a rug-like panel inside a plain floor.
Where it suits
SPC is suited to dry indoor rooms. In homes that means living rooms, bedrooms, studies and dining areas. In commercial interiors it suits offices, cabins and shops where a wood or stone look is wanted on a rigid, click-together floor.
SPC, vinyl or wood?
Both SPC and vinyl are vinyl floors. SPC has a rigid core and clicks together; vinyl flooring at Inlife comes as glue-down planks and tiles or as sheet rolls, which suits clinics and retail floors that want a continuous surface.
Wooden flooring is laminate or engineered wood, with an HDF core and a wood or wood-look surface, in straight planks and herringbone. Choose it when you want a floor that looks and feels like timber. Compare all three side by side at the showroom.
Questions people ask
What does SPC stand for?
Stone plastic composite: a rigid core made from limestone powder, PVC resin and stabilisers.
What looks does SPC flooring come in?
Wood grains, marble-look tiles and Moroccan patterned tiles, among others. See the full range on the SPC flooring page.
What size are SPC planks?
Straight planks are about 225 × 1220 mm (8.86 × 48.03 in) or 180 × 1220 mm, and herringbone planks 625 × 125 mm. Thickness is 4 to 6 mm, depending on the collection.
Is there herringbone SPC flooring?
Yes. Inlife shows herringbone SPC alongside straight planks and tiles.
Which rooms suit SPC flooring?
Dry indoor rooms: living rooms, bedrooms, studies and dining areas at home, and offices and shops.
Does SPC come in marble-look designs?
Yes. The stone-look range includes travertine, sandstone and Kadappa-style designs as well as marble veining.
What is the difference between SPC and vinyl flooring?
Both are vinyl floors. SPC has a rigid core and clicks together; vinyl at Inlife comes as glue-down planks and tiles or as sheet rolls for a continuous surface.