Hybrid Flooring Melbourne

What is hybrid flooring?

Hybrid flooring is a rigid floating floor. Each plank is made of several layers pressed together. On top is a clear wear layer, which takes the daily traffic. Under it is a printed design layer, which gives the plank its pattern and colour. The middle is a rigid core.

In most ranges the core is a mix of stone powder and plastic, called SPC (stone plastic composite). In some ranges it is a mix of wood fibre and plastic, called WPC (wood plastic composite). Many planks also have an underlay already attached to the back.

The planks click together and lie on top of the subfloor. They are not glued or nailed down. The name hybrid comes from the way the product joins ideas from laminate floors and vinyl floors in one plank. Some people call it hybrid timber flooring, because many ranges are printed with a timber pattern. The plank itself holds no solid timber.

Where hybrid flooring is used in Melbourne homes

Hybrid floors are laid in living areas, kitchens, bedrooms, hallways and rental properties, in houses, units and apartments. Which rooms a floor may be used in depends on the range. Each supplier states the rooms and the conditions its floor is made for. When a range is listed on this site, its page shows that statement. Tell us your rooms in your request.

How to choose a hybrid floor

Five things separate one hybrid range from another.

• Total thickness. This is the whole plank in millimetres, with the attached underlay if it has one.
• Wear layer. This is the clear top layer, also measured in millimetres. Suppliers make thicker wear layers for rooms with more traffic.
• Core. SPC or WPC, as described above. The supplier's sheet for each range names the core.
• Plank size. Longer and wider planks give fewer joins across a room. Shorter planks are used in small rooms and in patterns such as herringbone.
• Pattern and colour. This is the part you see every day, so look at it next to your walls, your cabinets and your light.

Every range we list shows these details in the same order, so you can compare two ranges line by line.

Hybrid flooring next to laminate, vinyl and engineered timber

• Laminate. A laminate plank has a printed layer on a core of pressed wood fibre. A hybrid plank has a printed layer on a rigid plastic composite core.
• Vinyl planks. Many vinyl planks are thin and flexible and are glued to the subfloor. A hybrid plank is rigid and clicks together as a floating floor.
• Engineered timber. An engineered timber board has a top layer of real timber over a layered timber base. A hybrid plank has a printed pattern and holds no solid timber.

Which one fits your home depends on the rooms, the subfloor and the look you want.

Hybrid flooring installation in Melbourne

With supply and installation, our own in-house team lays the floor. We ask about your rooms and the floor you have now, because the floor under the new floor decides what preparation is needed. A hybrid floor installation has four parts.

• The subfloor. A floating floor needs a subfloor that is flat, dry and solid.
• Preparation. An old floor may have to come out, and an uneven subfloor may have to be levelled.
• Laying. The planks are clicked together as a floating floor, following the supplier's installation instructions for the range.
• Finishing. Trims and edge pieces are fitted at walls and doorways.

How long a job takes depends on the floor area, the number of rooms and the preparation needed. If you choose supply only, your own installer follows the same supplier instructions.