SPC or homogeneous vinyl for clinics
2026-11-15
Both products are sold into clinics, and the choice is usually made on price or on habit rather than on the room the floor is going into.
Where SPC wins
SPC is a rigid core plank with a click or glue-down fixing: fast, dimensionally stable, no welding, no adhesive cure, and a damaged plank is replaced in minutes.
For consulting rooms, reception, offices and staff areas it is a sensible specification, and the design range is wider than sheet.
Where it does not
SPC joins at the edge. In a treatment room, a sluice or a wet area, that joint is where fluids sit, and the floor's hygiene argument depends on a seamless surface.
Sheet homogeneous vinyl is welded into a continuous membrane, can be coved up the wall, and can be refurbished rather than replaced.
The mixed specification that usually wins
Treat rooms, sluice and wet areas in welded homogeneous sheet; reception, offices and corridors in SPC. One supplier, two systems, and a floor that matches the room's actual risk.
That is also cheaper than specifying homogeneous everywhere, which is what happens when nobody splits the floor plate.
| Room | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment / procedure | Homogeneous sheet, welded | Seamless, coved |
| Sluice / wet | Homogeneous sheet | Water and cleaning |
| Reception / office | SPC | Cost, speed, design |
| Corridor | Either | Depends on trolley traffic |
| Lab | Homogeneous | Chemical resistance |
FAQ
Can SPC be welded?
No. Click and glued plank systems join at the edge; there is no weld rod.
Is SPC suitable over underfloor heating?
Usually yes, within the manufacturer's temperature limit — check it before specifying.
Which lasts longer?
Homogeneous sheet in a clinical area, because it can be refurbished and re-welded rather than replaced.
Send the room schedule and we will split it
Which rooms take welded sheet, which take plank.