How to use this
- Every term you'll see on a box, a quote or a warranty, explained in one or two lines.
- Links go to the full article where there is one.
- AC rating
- Abrasion class for laminate, AC1–AC5. AC3 suits most homes, AC4 busy homes and pets. More.
- Acclimation
- Letting flooring adjust to the home's temperature and humidity before install, as the maker specifies.
- Aluminum oxide finish
- Tough factory urethane finish used on most prefinished wood.
- Attached pad
- Underlay already bonded to the back of a plank (IXPE, foam or cork).
- Bevel / micro-bevel
- The slight angled edge on planks that defines each board.
- Click-lock
- Planks that lock together without glue or nails. Used for floating floors.
- Cupping
- Board edges higher than the middle. Usually moisture from below.
- Engineered hardwood
- A real-wood top layer on a stable plywood or composite core. More.
- Expansion gap
- The space left at walls so floating floors can move. Hidden under baseboards.
- Floating floor
- A floor not fastened to the subfloor, held together by its own joints.
- Glue-down
- Floor bonded to the subfloor with adhesive.
- Hardwax oil / UV oil
- Penetrating oil finishes: natural matte look, spot-repairable, needs upkeep.
- HDF
- High-density fibreboard, the core of laminate.
- IIC / STC
- Sound ratings for impact noise and airborne noise. More.
- IXPE
- A closed-cell foam underlay, common on vinyl plank.
- Lot number
- The production batch printed on the box. Match it for consistent colour.
- LVP / LVT
- Luxury vinyl plank / tile.
- Mil
- A thousandth of an inch. Used for vinyl wear layers (20 mil ≈ 0.5 mm).
- Nosing
- The rounded front edge of a stair tread, or a trim piece that creates one.
- Peaking
- Planks pushing up at a joint, usually from no expansion room.
- Pro-rated
- Warranty coverage that shrinks over the years.
- Quarter round / shoe
- Small moulding at the base of baseboards that hides the gap. More.
- Reducer
- A transition strip that steps down to a lower floor.
- RH (relative humidity)
- Moisture in the air, as a percentage. Hardwood warranties set a range.
- Rigid core
- Stiff vinyl core (usually SPC) that resists dents.
- Screen and recoat
- A light abrasion and fresh finish coat on hardwood, without sanding to bare wood.
- SPC
- Stone plastic composite: dense, rigid vinyl core.
- Subfloor
- The plywood, OSB or concrete under your flooring. More.
- T-moulding
- A transition between two floors of the same height.
- Underlay / underlayment
- The layer under a floor for sound, moisture and comfort. More.
- Vapour barrier
- Plastic sheet (often 6-mil poly) that stops slab moisture rising.
- Wear layer
- The protective top layer: mil on vinyl, millimetres of real wood on engineered.
- Wire-brushed
- A light texture that brushes out softer grain and hides wear.
- WPC
- Wood plastic composite: a softer, foamed vinyl core.
Common questions
What does SPC mean in flooring?
Stone plastic composite: a dense, rigid vinyl core made with limestone and PVC, used in most rigid-core vinyl plank.
What does mil mean on vinyl flooring?
A thousandth of an inch. It measures the clear wear layer on vinyl. 20 mil is about 0.5 mm.
What is a floating floor?
A floor that isn't nailed or glued to the subfloor. The planks lock together and the floor rests on an underlay, with an expansion gap at the walls.
Who's writing this: Rose and Thorn Flooring is a flooring company in Surrey, BC. We install floors for a living, so yes, we'd love to do yours. But nobody pays us to say nice things about a product, and we don't earn commission from any brand. If something here is wrong or out of date, text us at 604-716-4160 and we'll fix it.