Looking for a floor that has the look and feels of solid wood while also offering the best technical features of luxury vinyl planks? If you’re looking for a unique flooring option, look no further than hybrid flooring.
This cutting-edge flooring gives you the look of natural wood without the expense and upkeep.
What Is Hybrid Flooring?
Hybrid flooring, dubbed “the future of flooring,” combines the greatest qualities of laminate and vinyl to create a durable, stiff flooring that is both useful and attractive. The result is an exceptionally long-lasting, hard-wearing, and artistically attractive floor made from many layers pushed together.
What Are the Layers in Hybrid Flooring?
Hybrid flooring is made up of multiple layers:
• Pre-adhered acoustic backing — Some designs come with a pre-adhered acoustic backing for superior acoustics and comfort underfoot (it also serves to decrease installation costs)
• Rigid Inner Core – A cutting-edge layer with a limestone composite core board that is watertight and robust in the face of harsh temperature variations.
• Wear Layer – A UV-coated layer that provides durability and resiliency and is designed to replicate the actual textures and designs of authentic timber.
9 Benefits of Hybrid Flooring
Along with its beautiful appearance, hybrid flooring offers a host of benefits:
1. Waterproof
The fact that hybrid flooring is waterproof is one of its best features. In fact, a plank of hybrid flooring might be submerged in water for a week or more without swelling. It would be unaffected by a fast wipe down!
This feature makes it ideal for places with high moisture levels or a high risk of spillages, such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, and entryways. It’s also great for business uses or high-traffic areas of your home.
2. DIY-Friendly Installation
Hybrid flooring is appropriate for DIY installation and requires minimal equipment due to its user-friendly tongue and groove technology.
3. Durability
Do you have children or pets, and need pet-friendly flooring? Then you understand the significance of long-lasting flooring. Hybrid floors are UV-resistant, stain-resistant, dent-resistant, and scratch-resistant thanks to its stiff core technology, making them an excellent choice for busy households or companies.
4. Well-Suited for the Weather Extremes of Australia
The multi-layered composition of hybrid flooring makes it ideal for Australia’s strong sunshine and dramatic temperature swings. While certain flooring types are susceptible to shrinking or expanding in these conditions, hybrid flooring is engineered to keep its integrity.
5. Sound
When walked on, certain floors emit a hollow sound, but hybrid flooring’s stiff core structure helps produce a firm step with minimal noise. Steps can be made even lighter by using an acoustic underlayment.
6. Aesthetic Appeal
Hybrid flooring, which uses sophisticated technology to simulate the edges, variances, and textures found in solid wood, has a gorgeous appearance that is identical to conventional hardwood.
7. Eco-Friendly Composition
Hybrid flooring is one of the most environmentally friendly flooring options, thanks to its core of limestone, virgin PVC, bamboo dust, and recovered wood.
8. Easy Care and Cleaning
There are no special cleaning chemicals, waxes, polishes, or equipment required; a damp mop is about as fancy as it gets when it comes to keeping your floors shining and lovely. Hybrid flooring can last for years and years if properly maintained with frequent sweeping, vacuuming, and spot cleaning as needed.
9. Comfort
It has a robust, comfortable walking surface thanks to its thick rigid core design. Additional cushioning can be obtained by selecting a floor with an attached underlayment or by installing an underlayment.
What Rooms Are Best For Hybrid Flooring?
While hybrid floors can be a lovely addition to any space in your home or office, there are a few areas where hybrid flooring is especially well suited.
The resistant qualities of hybrid flooring will assist any room in danger of unexpected spills, high levels of sun exposure, high traffic, or high amounts of wetness.
Hybrid flooring is ideal for these rooms because of its longevity and waterproof nature:
- Bathrooms
- Dining rooms
- Laundries
- Kitchens
- Entranceways
- Commercial uses
- Areas with considerable foot traffic
- Rooms with excessive sunshine exposure (e.g., a living room with large windows)
What Is the Difference Between Hybrid Flooring and Luxury Vinyl Planks?
- Traditional luxury vinyl planks and hybrid flooring are both waterproof and easy to care for, however there are a few important differences:
- Construction – The key aspect that distinguishes regular luxury vinyl planks and hybrid flooring is the construction. Luxury vinyl planks normally have one main construction part, whereas hybrid flooring has two. The robust floor construction of hybrid flooring provides increased resistance and stability. Luxury vinyl floors feature a more flexible composition than hybrid vinyl, making them softer. The finish on traditional luxury vinyl floors is also less resistant to UV radiation and damages.
- Plank Thickness – Hybrid flooring is generally thicker than luxury vinyl planks, making it more comfortable to walk on as well as more durable.
- Subfloor – Both classic and hybrid luxury vinyl planks can be put over existing flooring, cement, or plywood. Luxury vinyl planks, on the other hand, will not be as tolerant of subfloor faults. Luxury vinyl planks are prone to taking on the shape of any protrusions or imperfections due to their softer nature. Hybrid flooring’s specific core and enhanced thickness allow it to keep its integrity better despite minor faults in the subfloor.
- Installation — Traditional luxury vinyl planks are installed using click lock, loose lay, or glue-down methods. Hybrid vinyl flooring has a floating click lock tongue and groove system, making it ideal for DIY installation at home or in the office.
- Dent Resistance – Because traditional luxury vinyl planks are soft and malleable, they are susceptible to dents from heavy furniture. Dents, scratches, and ordinary wear and tear are less noticeable on hybrid vinyl floors.
• Cost – Hybrid flooring is more expensive than premium vinyl planks due to engineering variances.
Purchase High-Quality Hybrid Flooring
Hybrid flooring has the beautiful appearance of real wood without the cost or commitment. Please contact our pleasant, educated team if you’d like to learn more about this next-generation flooring and see if it’s a good fit for your home or company. It would be an honor to assist you with your project or simply point you in the right direction.
We have a vast knowledge base of all things flooring thanks to our 30 years of expertise in the flooring industry. In addition, we provide the greatest quality flooring at the most competitive pricing in Australia!
