Water-resistant flooring is a must for water-prone areas of the home. We all know that water and moisture can cause so many problems around the house, especially in areas where water issues and spills are more likely to occur. Kitchen flooring and laundry room flooring come to mind first. Therefore, it’s essential to have water-resistant flooring installed in these rooms to prevent any damage from being done to your home. This blog will cover water-resistant flooring, as well as tile options for those areas of your home in the Fort Collins, CO, or greater Northern Colorado area.
POOR SELECTIONS FOR DAMP AREAS
We’ll start our explanation with a few flooring choices you don’t want to have anywhere near a wet area. These may seem rather obvious, but it’s worth noting these choices nonetheless.
You do not want to have hardwood flooring installed in water-prone areas of the home. The water and humidity found near these damp spots can cause warping, swelling, or even severe irreparable water damage to your hardwood flooring.
Carpeting is also not a good choice for any area where water spillage is likely to occur, but it’s especially bad when you have high humidity levels (kitchen and laundry room) around too! Carpets are notorious for holding moisture between their fibers, so they do not dry out very quickly after absorbing spills or water from rain/snow that’s come in through open windows or when it’s tracked in by boots. This means moisture stays trapped inside the fiber pile, potentially leading to rotting floor underlayments below if homeowners don’t take quick and adequate measures.
GREAT SELECTIONS FOR WATER-PRONE AREAS
Porcelain tile, LVP, sheet vinyl, and concrete are all superb options when looking for flooring that will be water-resistant in damp areas of your home. Here’s a little bit more about each one:
While all tile is naturally water-resistant, porcelain tile stands up to water and moisture better than other tiles because it has a much harder glaze over the top that keeps spills from seeping into pores throughout the material. Porcelain is also very robust, so even if water does get beneath its surface, there’s minimal risk of damage occurring quickly or easily.
LVP (Luxury Vinyl Planks) is perhaps the most elegant of these choices. It uses a lock-and-fold connection between planks that creates a powerful water-resistant seal. In addition, most, if not all, individual layers of LVP are highly water-resistant, making this another excellent choice.
Sheet vinyl flooring is another excellent choice for water-prone areas. It can handle being constantly exposed to water without warping or swelling like hardwood floors might when faced with this exposure daily through many years. In addition, it has minimal seams, and the vinyl’s surface is completely waterproof.
Concrete flooring is an increasingly attractive choice for modern homes. Its sleek and industrial style is an attractive draw for laundry and utility rooms. Concrete is also highly resistant to water, and many new installation methods can allow for beautiful coloring and a wide variety of textures.
MODERATELY WATER-RESISTANT FLOORING OPTIONS
Laminate, engineered hardwood, and linoleum tile are not waterproof, but they hold up decently when exposed to water. This is especially true when compared with carpeting and hardwood. These flooring types are water-resistant but not waterproof. They are often made with a protective finish that resists water penetration and can withstand regular exposure to water and moisture in damp areas such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, etc. However, they still need to be wiped up quickly to avoid damage.
ELEMENT CAN HELP YOU SELECT FLOORING IN FORT COLLINS THAT WILL SUIT YOUR NEEDS
Our team of flooring and design professionals in Fort Collins is happy to help you find water-resistant flooring that will work perfectly for any water-prone area of your home. For a free estimate, call Element today at (970) 548-8533 or visit our showroom!
