What Is SPC Flooring Made From? Why Quality & Composition Matter
Not all SPC flooring is made the same. Here’s why what’s inside your flooring can be just as important as how it looks.
When you're choosing new flooring, it’s easy to focus on the things you can immediately see - the colour, wood grain, plank size and overall finish.
But with SPC flooring, some of the most important differences are hidden beneath the surface.
At KWIK Floors, we import our flooring directly and carefully select the products we sell, with a strong focus on quality, durability and long-term performance.
One of the areas we pay particularly close attention to is the composition of the SPC core.
What does SPC flooring actually mean?
SPC stands for Stone Plastic Composite (also commonly called Stone Polymer Composite).
The rigid core is typically manufactured using a combination of limestone (calcium carbonate) and PVC, along with stabilisers and other additives.
This creates the dense, rigid core that gives SPC flooring many of the characteristics that make it so popular in modern homes.
But here's the important part:
The ingredients - and the quality of those ingredients can vary between products.
Our preferred SPC composition: 70% limestone + 30% virgin PVC
At KWIK Floors, our preferred SPC formulation uses approximately:
70% limestone
30% virgin PVC
We believe this combination provides an excellent balance between strength, dimensional stability, toughness and long-term durability.
Limestone contributes to the rigidity and stability of the core, while quality PVC provides the flexibility and toughness needed to create a resilient flooring product.
Getting that balance right matters.
Too much emphasis on simply reducing manufacturing costs can potentially compromise the characteristics you actually want from an SPC floor.
Why do we choose virgin PVC?
There is another distinction consumers rarely hear about when shopping for SPC flooring: virgin PVC versus recycled PVC.
Virgin PVC is newly manufactured material that hasn't previously been processed into another plastic product.
Recycled PVC, meanwhile, has already undergone processing during its previous lifecycle. Repeated processing can alter polymer properties, which means the source, quality and consistency of recycled material are important considerations when manufacturing a performance product such as flooring.
That's why we specifically choose SPC flooring manufactured using virgin PVC.
For us, it's about consistency and confidence in the material going into the core.
We're not simply trying to manufacture flooring to the lowest possible price point.
We want flooring that's built to perform.
Why aren't SPC compositions always advertised?
If you've compared different SPC flooring products, you may have noticed that detailed information about the core formulation isn't always easy to find.
SPC can be manufactured using different proportions of limestone, PVC, recycled materials and other fillers.
These differences aren't necessarily obvious when you're looking at a plank online or even holding a flooring sample.
That's why price and thickness alone shouldn't be the only considerations when comparing SPC flooring.
Two products described as “6mm SPC flooring”, for example, aren't automatically identical in quality simply because they're the same thickness.
The construction and materials matter too.
How can you tell whether SPC flooring is good quality?
When comparing SPC flooring, look beyond colour and price.
Some useful questions to consider include:
- What is the SPC core made from?
- Does the manufacturer or retailer know the composition?
- Is virgin or recycled PVC used?
- What is the wear layer specification?
- Does it have built-in underlay?
- Is the flooring waterproof?
- What type of click-locking system does it use?
- Who is actually supplying and importing the flooring?
A knowledgeable flooring supplier should understand the product they're selling rather than simply listing a specification provided by somebody further down the supply chain.
We import our flooring directly
This is another important part of the KWIK Floors difference.
We import our flooring directly ourselves.
It means we can be selective about the products we bring into our range and focus on the specifications and quality standards that matter to us.
It also supports something we've always believed in:
Quality flooring doesn't have to mean an inflated price.
By purchasing flooring directly and buying in volume, we can work closely with trusted suppliers and offer high-quality SPC flooring at competitive prices.
So when you see a great price at KWIK Floors, our aim isn't to achieve it by simply compromising on what's inside the plank.
It's about buying smarter and passing that value on to our customers.
Look beyond the surface
A beautiful wood effect might be what first catches your eye.
But what's underneath is what helps determine how your flooring performs day after day.
Kids running through the house. Pets. Spills. Furniture. Busy kitchens. Bathroom splashes. Everyday family life.
That's why we're particular about the flooring we sell.
Quality materials. Carefully selected specifications. Direct importing. Competitive prices.
Because at KWIK Floors, we believe a great floor should look good on day one - and be designed to keep performing long after it's fitted.
Discover KWIK Floors SPC Flooring
Explore our collection of waterproof rigid SPC flooring, available in a wide choice of wood-effect planks and herringbone designs.
Not sure which floor is right for your home? Order up to 3 FREE flooring samples and see the quality, colour and finish for yourself today!