Real natural stone versus stone-look PVC — what's the difference?

Stone-look PVC is popular. It's affordable, low-maintenance and available in dozens of designs that imitate natural stone. But is it also the same as real natural stone — or recycled natural stone composite? The short answer: no.

What is stone-look PVC?

Stone-look PVC is a plastic floor and stair material printed with a photo of stone or marble. A transparent wear layer protects the print. Up close — on closer inspection or in raking light — the pattern is visible as a repeating motif, typical of a digital print.

What is recycled natural stone composite?

Recycled natural stone composite contains real recycled stone residual streams in a composite matrix. It is not a print. No repeating pattern, light behaves as it does on real stone, the structure is tangible and the minerals are visible as part of the surface.

More on what the material of overlay treads actually is, is covered separately.

What about anti-slip?

With stone-look PVC, anti-slip sits in the wear layer or is added as a separate strip. Wear layers become thinner as the staircase sees more use. In recycled natural stone composite, the anti-slip is integrated into the material's mineral structure.

What about durability?

Stone-look PVC has a wear class that indicates how long the top layer lasts. Under intensive use on a staircase, that wear layer wears out sooner than on a floor. The in-use performance of recycled natural stone composite stems from the material's composition and the applied finish.

When is stone-look PVC a good choice after all?

Stone-look PVC suits a limited budget, a temporary solution, low-traffic spaces, or situations where a stone look is wanted but investing in real composite doesn't fit.

Why real stone looks different from a stone-look print is covered separately. And which stone look suits you is covered in choosing Stone Naturel, Stone Blend or Terrazzo.