VINYL REVOLUTION
A close-up look at what makes new PRO-TEK WPC different to traditional LVT or laminate and why is it fast becoming the USA’s flooring of choice.
This time last year, The Flooring Show in Harrogate hosted the launch of a new type of engineered vinyl flooring – PRO- TEK WPC. While plenty of new designs, finishes and product updates are unveiled at the show each year, it’s not often that a completely new product enters the marketplace.
Before the doors to the show even opened, PRO-TE WPC had received a Flooring Innovation Award – and since then, it has firmly established itself as the new flooring option. But what is it that makes PRO-TEK WPC different, and how does it compare to traditional LVT and other composite constructions like SPC?
Whilst ‘WPC’ or wood plastic composite flooring is still a fairly new concept in the UK, it is one of the fastest growing surface sectors in the US, where it’s offered as an alternative to LVT and laminate. In essence, PRO-TEK WPC combines an authentic registered embossed vinyl finish with two additional layers - a waterproof, jointed core and an attached acoustic underlay base. These extra layers provide specific features and benefits, to the specifier, flooring contractor and end-user.
In terms of actual feel, the additional layers give PRO- TEK WPC its robustness and enhance its performance on uneven floors. Issues like telegraphing are eliminated, where subfloor irregularities can mirror through to the surface of a thinner vinyl product. But whilst the floor has a substantial feel, it is much lighter, more pliable and easier to cut than SPC composite designs, which have a heavier stone plastic composite core.
During installation, the product’s integral underlay base – which is made from premium IXPE foam - speeds installation and reduces the amount of floor preparation needed. It also provides acoustic sound performance up to 24db. The product’s glueless joint – the Unilin Unifit – then offers the
twitter.com/TContractFloors
best technical performance of all ‘fold-down’ locking systems. Installation is fast and easy in all respects – angling, folding down and snapping - without the need for adhesive.
Underfoot, the combination of the foam underlay and wood- based core provide a softer, more comfortable feel compared to hard materials, like natural stone and SPC composites, which are harder and noisier when walked upon. Not only this, but all materials used are 100% recyclable and phthalate-free.
Visually, PRO-TEK WPC’s natural look is achieved using a registered emboss technique, where the surface texture mirrors the vinyl’s grain pattern, creating depth and authenticity. This technique is used across the range, to create 40 individual floor designs in a variety of finishes, colours and formats. Wood effects are divided into four collections: ‘Excel’ rustic planks; ‘Distressed’ vintage designs; ‘Excel Long Plank’, which includes wider, longer boards and ‘Essential’ — a range designed for new build homes, refurbishment and student accommodation. The fifth collection, ‘Excel Tile’, includes eight designs in marble, slate and travertine effects. A complementary range of WPC accessories also includes five profile designs, with a colour and décor-matched option for every floor.
PRO-TEK WPC’s construction, combined with its design breadth and eco credentials, provides a different type of flooring option. One that is neither an LVT nor a laminate, but something else instead. For both the commercial and domestic sectors, it brings together the features of other materials and offers them in one package. This new floor, with its unique layered construction, provides benefits that literally ‘stack up’.
www.pro-tek-flooring.com VINYL & LVT | 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62
