Hybrid Flooring

Hybrid flooring is a rigid plank built around a stone-composite core. Depending on the range that core is SPC — stone plastic composite, limestone powder bound with virgin PVC — or a rigid limestone composite. Either way the defining property is the same: there is no organic fibre in the core to absorb water, swell or delaminate.

That makes these floors genuinely waterproof rather than water-resistant, which is a real distinction. A water-resistant floor survives a spill wiped up promptly. A waterproof one survives a washing machine hose letting go while you are at work. It is why hybrid is the only sensible hard floor for a laundry, a bathroom, or a house where the dog comes in wet more often than not.

Above the core sits a high-definition decor layer and a clear wear layer, typically 0.5mm. That wear layer is the specification that determines how long the floor lasts — more than the overall thickness, which mostly affects rigidity and how well the board bridges an imperfect subfloor. Most of our hybrid ranges include an acoustic underlay bonded to the underside, so there is no separate layer to roll out and it cannot shift over time.

Be clear about the trade-off. A hybrid floor is a printed decor, and up close it does not have the depth of a real timber veneer. What it offers instead is total waterproofing, commercial-grade durability, fast floating installation and a lower cost. In the rooms where timber genuinely should not go, it is the better floor. For living areas where you want real wood underfoot, see our engineered timber ranges.

The three hybrid ranges differ mainly in what sits under the board. Our Acoustic Timber Collection uses a natural cork backing, which is noticeably softer underfoot and quieter for the room below — the range to look at for apartments, townhouses and anywhere with a strata acoustic requirement. The Australian Heritage Hybrid and Highland Hybrid ranges use bonded IXPE foam, which performs well and costs less.

Thickness matters for a practical reason rather than a durability one: a slimmer board means less height build-up against existing floor levels, which can be the difference between trimming every internal door and not. All three ranges carry the same 0.5mm wear layer.

If you are weighing a hybrid floor against restoring existing boards, read our note on what can and cannot be sanded first — sometimes the floor already in the house is the better option.