Yes, laminate floors are available as water-resistant and waterproof. The term waterproof is one of the most misunderstood marketing claims you’ll find on flooring products. And different manufacturers use these terms almost interchangeably in some cases. They are not equal terms.
Water-resistant means the laminate floor can withstand or resist water for a period of time. Eventually, it will be damaged by standing liquid or water.
Waterproof flooring is impervious to water. The laminate wood floors will stand up to water indefinitely, and remain in its original shape without damage.
This is where things start getting a little tricky. The flooring itself may be waterproof. But what’s around it may not. If moisture seeps down into the subfloor, which is not waterproof, the damage could occur from the bottom up. With so many products claiming to be waterproof, you’ll be best served looking for products that also warranty your subfloor. That is a great way to determine what companies actually stand behind their waterproof claims.
The trim pieces around the perimeter of your flooring and drywall are also areas where water can also do damage to your home. A point we can’t stress enough is that there is no such thing as flood proof floor.
When clients ask us for durable flooring, we respond with, what does durable mean to you? We get a myriad of answers from scratch resistant to I have young children to dent resistance to we have pets. The great news is laminate floors have you covered; no pun intended.
Laminate flooring is a strong, scratch-resistant, and highly durable flooring surface. Laminate floors are as much as 4X more scratch resistant than a luxury vinyl floor and is protected by a tough external layer and resin coating. It’s great for high traffic areas and houses where there are pets and children. Better quality laminates will have features such as stain resistance, fade resistance and dent resistance.
Laminate floors are highly affordable
Most people learn of laminate flooring due to its cost-effectiveness. Because laminate flooring is made mostly from composite wood fused together at high temperatures, it’s considerably more affordable than hardwood, which can start at twice the price of a mid-range laminate floor. Further propelling the popularity of laminate floors is the continually rising prices of luxury vinyl flooring. Due to the pandemic, shipping and other issues, the price of luxury vinyl floors has nearly doubled since 2019.
Laminate flooring is easy to clean and maintain
Laminate flooring’s moisture and stain resistant surface makes cleaning spills a breeze. There are no special cleaners needed to keep a laminate floor in top shape. Daily sweeping is all you need. Some waterproof laminate floors can even be wet and/or steam mopped, not something you can do on hardwood or luxury vinyl flooring.