is hybrid flooring scratch resistant

Since it’s had a sharp rise in popularity, you may have already heard about it – but what is hybrid flooring, how does it work, and why has it been such a hit?

Multilayer hybrid flooring is soaring in demand, as it combines the very best from a wide range of flooring materials: the waterproofness of vinyl, the scratch resistance of laminate, and a hardwood lookalike finish – without the price tag. So how does hybrid flooring work?

WHAT IS HYBRID FLOORING AND WHAT IS IT MADE OF?

Available in a wide range of designs, textures and colours, hybrid flooring solutions are generally all composed of the same four layers pressed together. These include:

Top Layer – A commercial-grade protective coating that gives hybrid floors impact, stain, scratch and UV resistance.

Print Layer – This layer uses advanced printing technology to bring you your desired design. Hybrid floors can easily imitate the look and feel of surfaces such as wood, tile, concrete, and marble.

Core Board – A composite material that allows the floor to feel solid, while withstanding rapid temperature changes. This layer is usually available in two primary types, such as Stone Plastic Composite (SPC) made of limestone, polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) and stabilisers. In comparison, Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) is made of recycled wood and PVC. WPC styles are usually thicker, more comfortable, but fetch a higher cost.

Acoustic Underlay – The vast majority of hybrid floors also have this bottom layer pre-attached, which increases foot comfort, dampens sound, and eliminates the need for any additional underlay.

IS HYBRID FLOORING SCRATCH RESISTANT?

One of the major benefits of SPC Flooring, is its protective wear layer which protects the flooring.

If you have a larger, active dog, you will want to have flooring with thicker wear layer options.

SPC Hybrid Vinyl Plank Flooring comes with either 0.2 mil, 0.3 mil, 0.5 mil and 0.7 mil wear layer options.

We would recommend a minimum of 0.5 mil, which is a light commercial wear rating. (0.7 mil is heavy commercial). All our SPC Hybrid Vinyl Plank Flooring has a 0.5 mil wear layer, which provides very good scratch resistance.

While Vinyl Plank products do have a wear layer, no vinyl product is totally 100% scratch proof. (even stiletto heels will mark concrete). We always recommend that vinyl plank flooring is kept clean and free of dust and debris. With larger, active pets, keep nails trimmed to lessen the chance of them scratching the floor.