Hybrid flooring: What is it?
The word “hybrid flooring” refers to a cutting-edge new kind of flooring that is made up of many combined materials. Typically, some mixture of plastic, limestone, and/or wood make up these combined materials. 2019 saw the introduction of hybrid flooring, which has been rapidly gaining popularity ever since. Hybrid flooring is among the greatest alternatives for flooring and may even outperform conventional lumber since it is strong, waterproof, inexpensive, and trendy. It is also known as hybrid laminate flooring or hybrid vinyl flooring.
What material makes up hybrid flooring?
Plastic combined with wood or limestone and pressed firmly together into many layers is the material used in hybrid flooring. Following are the layers of hybrid floors:
UV coating or protective layer that resists wear and scratches
Decorative layer (usually stamped to mimic a real timber floor)
Core layer (not susceptible to bending, wetness, or temperature fluctuations)
already-adhered layer (backing – ease of installation and adds underfoot comfort)
Benefits and downsides of hybrid flooring
The advantages of hybrid flooring over competing options are many. Here are a few of hybrid flooring‘s finest features.
1. Resilience
Hybrid flooring are perfect for household or commercial use since they can withstand heavy foot activity without wearing out. Given that it combines the durability of laminate with the aesthetically pleasing qualities of luxury vinyl planks, hybrid flooring is often seen to combine the advantages of both types of flooring. Both temperature and complete waterproofness are features. Even though it has a reasonable level of scratch resistance, it will still scratch when put under pressure, so you should take precautions to make sure your hybrid floors are well-maintained (i.e., cleaning/vacuuming, positioning of furniture/felt pads for movement across floors, etc.) to avoid this.
2. Installation
Because hybrid flooring is pre-adhered, it may be put in place over the underlayment and “floats” over the subfloor without the need for nails or glue. Individual planks may be taken out, fixed, or changed as needed, which makes the installation procedure very rapid and simple. Overall, the ease of hybrid floor installation and maintenance is unmatched.
3.Cleaning
Hybrid flooring, like all floors, need to be cleaned on a regular basis to maintain them looking their best. Effective hybrid floor cleaning calls for fairly frequent sweeping and vacuuming in addition to a weekly wash/mop with water to remove any dirt dragged in from shoes during the week. Hybrid flooring are 100% waterproof, making water cleaning them much simpler than cleaning regular wood floors since there is no risk of excessive water seepage.
4. Accessibility
In addition to being more cost-effective than wood or engineered flooring, hybrid flooring is also more environmentally friendly since it uses less resources, such as slow-growing woods like oak, that have a large carbon footprint. They are among the least expensive flooring solutions both in the near term (because to labour and material savings) and the long term (due to the ease with which individual planks may be repaired).
Of course, there are certain drawbacks to hybrid flooring. The following are the main drawbacks of hybrid flooring:
1. Lack of sincerity
The hybrid floor will resemble genuine wood less closely the less expensive brand you choose. Cheap floorboards will repeat the same pattern often enough to be obvious fakes since the aesthetic layer of the flooring is effectively printed on. Hybrid flooring don’t have the same variety of visuals as actual wood floors, which may diminish their aesthetic appeal. However, hybrid flooring will seem more genuine the better the brand. To read some reviews and get a feel of the top hybrid flooring brands, browse the Titan collection or the Bunnings online product catalogue.
2. Color difference
Hybrid flooring have a reputation for fading after extended exposure to direct sunlight while being fade-resistant. Blinds and/or curtains may stop this. It is a good idea to buy furniture and décor with this in mind since prolonged contact with certain rubber items might lead to discoloration over time.
3. Subflooring specifications
Hybrid floors are likely to be challenging to instal and prone to creaking if the subfloor deviates by more than 3mm/2m. However, this issue is not exclusive to hybrid flooring since all significant kinds of hard floor materials would have difficulties in the event of an uneven subfloor (especially timber). However, floating floors, such as hybrid flooring, will increase the overall height of your floor; therefore, before making a purchase, you should measure the thickness of the planks against your walls to ensure that the change won’t feel too extreme or claustrophobic, depending on the height of the ceilings in your home.
