What SPC flooring is, and which rooms it suits

SPC has been the most sought-after flooring for bathrooms, kitchens and basements in recent years — and the one most often confused with laminate and with ordinary vinyl. The difference is not in the decor, but in what sits beneath it: a stone-polymer core that does not absorb water and does not move. We have been making parquet since 1998 and SPC is not our main product — which is why we can say honestly where it is better than wood and where it is not. This article explains what SPC is, how the plank is built, which rooms it is the right choice for, and what you need to know before installation.

What SPC stands for

SPC stands for Stone Plastic Composite — a stone-polymer composite. The core of the plank is a mix of stone dust (calcium carbonate) and polymer, pressed into a rigid board. This board does not absorb water, does not swell and does not shrink with humidity — unlike wood, and unlike the HDF board that forms the core of laminate.

On top of the core sits a decorative layer with a wood or stone pattern, and above it a transparent wear layer that takes the footsteps and the scratches. Underneath there is usually a built-in underlay. All of this in a plank a few millimeters thick that clicks together and needs no adhesive.

SPC vs LVT vs laminate

The three are confused constantly, because from above they look the same. The difference is in the core:

• LVT (luxury vinyl tile) — flexible vinyl with no rigid core. It is soft underfoot and follows every unevenness in the subfloor — if the screed has a wave in it, the floor shows it. It is usually glued down.
• Laminate — an HDF board (compressed wood fibers) with a photo print on top. Hard and cheap, but the core is wood — it swells with water and the edges lift at the first flood.
• SPC — a rigid stone-polymer core. As stable as laminate, as waterproof as vinyl. Click installation with no adhesive. This is the category Velvet Stone belongs to.

How the Velvet Stone plank is built

Velvet Stone is our own SPC brand — no other retailer in Bulgaria carries it. Here is what is in a single plank, from top to bottom:

• Wear layer 0.55 mm with an anti-scratch coating — this is the layer that determines the wear class. 0.55 mm is a thickness for heavy traffic.
• Decorative layer with EIR embossing — Embossed in Register: the embossing follows the decor pattern exactly, so the plank feels like wood to the touch, not just to the eye.
• Stone-polymer core 5 mm — the rigid board that carries everything else and does not react to water.
• Built-in underlay 1 mm IXPE foam — it muffles footsteps and makes the floor warmer to the touch.

Total thickness: 6 mm. Plank size: 178 × 1220 mm, straight lay. Wear class 33 — the highest for residential rooms and enough for commercial ones. All specifications, photos from projects and prices — on the page for Velvet Stone.

What “100% waterproof” means

It means exactly that: the plank can stand in water without changing its dimensions. It does not swell, it does not warp, it does not come apart. If the washing machine floods or a child lets the bath overflow, the floor is dried off and keeps working. With laminate the same situation means replacing the floor; with wood parquet — sanding and refinishing at the very least.

One clarification we want to be clear about: it is the plank that is waterproof, not the subfloor beneath it. If water stands for a long time, it passes through the joints between the planks and reaches the screed. That is why with SPC too, after a flood the floor is lifted and the subfloor is dried out — but the planks go back down instead of being thrown away.

Which rooms it is the right choice for

Bathroom and toilet. Here SPC has no competition among floors with a wood look. Natural wood does not belong in wet rooms — we do not offer it for bathrooms and we would not install it there. SPC gives you the look of the wooden floor from the hallway, without the risk.

Kitchen. Engineered oak works in a kitchen if it is lacquered and glued down. But if the kitchen is in constant contact with water — open to the laundry room, with a dishwasher running often, in a rental — SPC is the safer choice.

Basement and ground floor. Moisture from below is the enemy of every wooden floor. SPC does not feel it.

Entrance hall. Sand, salt, water off shoes. Class 33 and the anti-scratch coating hold up, and cleaning is done with a damp cloth.

Office and retail space. Chairs on casters, heavy foot traffic, regular wet cleaning. Class 33 is made for exactly that.

Stairs. We also make SPC stairs in the same decor as the floor, so that the staircase and the entrance hall look like a single surface. The scope — the tread only, or the riser as well — we determine for the specific staircase.

Where wood remains the better choice

We'll be honest here, because we manufacture parquet, not vinyl. In the living room and the bedroom — where the floor is seen and felt every day and there is no moisture — natural oak gives something SPC cannot: real wood underfoot, a grain pattern that never repeats, and the option of sanding and refinishing up to 4 times with a 4 mm top layer. SPC gets replaced; wood gets refinished.

The practical solution we use most often: oak in the living room, the bedrooms and the hallway, SPC in the bathrooms and the laundry room — in a similar decor, so the transition does not stand out. Which parquet for which rooms — in the article a wooden floor for each room.

Underlay — never an additional one

This is the question where we hear the most conflicting information from customers who have read things online. Our position is clear: no additional underlay goes under Velvet Stone. The built-in 1 mm IXPE is enough.

The reason matters: no underlay — for vinyl, laminate or anything else — compensates for unevenness in the subfloor. An underlay cushions the step, but it does not straighten a wave in the screed. If the subfloor has deviations over 2 mm per square meter, the floor is leveled with a self-leveling screed before installation. After leveling, the built-in underlay is enough for a complete result. A thick additional underlay under a click floor does the opposite — the planks flex and the joint between them works loose.

Underfloor heating

Velvet Stone is compatible with water-based underfloor heating. The stone-polymer core is not wood and does not move with temperature, and the 6 mm total thickness lets heat through well. How parquet is installed over underfloor heating and where SPC is the better choice — in the article parquet over underfloor heating.

Installation — click, no glue, ready to use immediately

The planks lock into one another with a click system and lie freely on the subfloor — no glue, no drying time. Installing 50 m² takes 1 to 2 days, and the floor can be used immediately after the last plank. How the planks are cut and with what tools — in the article how SPC flooring is cut.

Three conditions for an installation that lasts: a level subfloor (see the underlay above), a gap along the walls so the floor has somewhere to move as the temperature changes, and skirting boards that cover it. We install as well — with the skirting boards and the finishing profiles included.

The decors

Velvet Stone comes in 11 decors — oak and walnut tones from light to dark, plus grays for minimalist interiors. It is available as a straight plank and as herringbone — the same geometry as in wood parquet, in SPC. Delivery is from stock, usually 1 to 2 weeks.

SPC, engineered oak and laminate — row by row

SPC flooring — frequently asked questions

Not sure whether SPC or wood is right for your room? Send us a photo or a floor plan. We will tell you honestly where we would lay oak and where SPC — we do both and have no reason to talk you into either one.

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