Blog

What is LVP, LVT, SPC, WPC … and what’s the difference?

What is LVP, LVT, SPC, WPC … and what’s the difference? 1
LVT Flooring installed in a kitchen, with tile-style ‘decor’ printing.
Luxury Vinyl is a general category of flooring. It is an alternative to other major hard-surface categories such as Wood, or Tile. It is commonly abbreviated as “LVT” or “LVP”.

The abbreviations “LVT” and “LVP” are very often used interchangeably. It can be helpful to think of LVP Flooring as vinyl that is cut into thin strips and looks like wood, and LVT as 12”x24” ‘tiles’ are square, and more often made to look like ceramic or porcelain. (But don’t expect stores or salespeople to match that up so neatly; the two abbreviations really are treated as synonyms.)

Vinyl floors have a thin ‘art’ layer, also known as the ‘decor’ layer, that can mimic the look of wood flooring planks, or look like ceramic tile (or marble, or abstract art patterns…). Some even use 3-D printing to define the ‘ridges’ of wood-style patterns, or to imitate grout lines in tile-style options.

LVT/LVP Styles: Flexible vs. Rigid-Core

Luxury Vinyl floors come in two major categories – flexible vinyl, and rigid-core.

Flexible vinyl floors are, basically, floppy: if you pick one up from the middle, the sides of the ‘plank’ will hang down towards the floor. If the vinyl is cut into strips or rectangles, you may see it referred to as LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank), or sometimes as LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile).

While less common, flexible vinyl can also come in rolls; these styles are known as Vinyl Sheet, or Sheet Roll.

Flexible vinyl can be found with or without attached backing, and is usually installed as a glue-down floor.

What is LVP, LVT, SPC, WPC … and what’s the difference? 2
LVP Flooring installed in an entrance hallway, with wood-style ‘decor’ printing.
Rigid Core flooring options are multi-layer products, with a middle layer that is, well, ‘rigid’ – meaning that the plank (or tile) keeps its shape when you pick it up.

The rigid core layer of SPC floors are made of a stone-and-polymer composite, while the rigid core of a WPC floor is made of a wood-and-polymer composite.

Rigid-core vinyl products like SPC and WPC are usually installed ‘floating’ method, which means they are not attached to the subfloor in any fixed way (like glue, nails, or staples). Rigid core floors typically feature a ‘click-lock’ system around the edges, resulting in a final product composed of interlocking pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle.

Overall, LVT/LVP is a broad category term. Within the LVT/LVP category you will find a wide variety of both looks, construction, and installation method, ranging from flexible glue-down vinyl options to rigid-core floating click-lock products like SPC and WPC.