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.
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’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.