These claims can also give the impression that if the floor gets flooded, there is no problem: that’s certainly not true either. With all the advertising for these products as “waterproof” vinyl floors, one might think vinyl was not always waterproof, which of course is not true. These products do not necessarily make the room you are in quieter, because sound will still bounce back off a smooth surface. While we are on the subject of“reduced noise”, it’s worth noting that this means impact noise such as walking, and ambient noise such as music, which can transmit through the floor into the space below. ![]() Another category that came later is “SPC” (Stone/polymer composite etc.) that RFCI describes as a “solid polymer core, which makes it denser, providing additional benefits due to its hardness.”Most of these products have what ASTM F3261 describes as, “an attached underlay backer for reduced noise and for reducing issues concerning minor subfloor irregularities.*” Today, RFCI defines this as “an expanded polymer core that is light in weight and provides underfoot comfort with excellent acoustical qualities”. The original products in this category are known as WPC (wood/polymer composite, etc), a blend of plastics, limestone, and wood fiber. This creates a floating, glue-less floor, like products such as laminate flooring and some wood and cork floors do. They have a “tongue and groove” construction, allowing tiles or planks to “click and lock” together. The biggest difference between these products is under the print film in the core of the material. For example, per ASTM standards, a 20-mil wear layer is the minimum for commercial applications. ![]() The thickness of the wear layer is an important consideration for the end user in question. The top layer of “rigid core” vinyl has a similar composition to the “LVT” products we discussed in Part 3, a print film under a clear wear layer. ASTM has published the F 3261 Standard Specification for Resilient Flooring in Modular Format with Rigid Polymeric Core and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) has published some useful information as well. Luckily, however, recent industry standards have clarified things a bit. Terms such as “Click LVT”, “WPC”, “SPC”, “Rigid Core”, and “Waterproof” are confusing even to me. These are most often used in residential settings and have become very popular in high-rise buildings like multi-family housing and hotels. These are installed without adhesive and may have an attached underlayment for improved acoustic performance. Multi-layer products are thicker than traditional vinyl tile and plank. ![]() ![]() The most recent growth in the vinyl tile category has been in multi-layer products. READ PART 1 READ PART 2 read part 3 WPC, SPC, Waterproof vinyl…what’s it all about? Continue reading to learn more about waterproof vinyl plank and tile. Industry standards for resilient floorings are set by ASTM, and I’ll reference the appropriate standards as I go. This four-part series clarifies terms like VCT, LVT, SPC and other terms to give specifiers and the trade some language and resources for the correct specification of these products. However, growing popularity comes with confusion in terminology that’s misused and misunderstood. I’ve been in the vinyl tile business since the 1970s and today the category is more popular than ever.
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