Spills, pet incidents, water sports in the nearby lakes…moisture poses a constant threat to our home’s flooring. In the short-term, this means annoyances like stains swelling. In the long-term, it can impact your home’s integrity and even air quality.
Dangers of Moisture Exposure
When we spill a glass of water on the carpet, we tend to hardly think of it as more than a quick nuisance. Simply place a towel over it, leave for a few minutes, then pull it away, and it’s dry! However, while it may seem that simple on the surface, there’s a little more to it underneath. And in reality, it’s not just carpet that suffers from this problem.
Whether it soaks through a carpet’s backing or seeps between the cracks in hardwood panels, it’s very difficult (sometimes virtually impossible) to remove moisture once it reaches the subfloor without taking drastic measures.
Depending on the installation process used for hard surface flooring, those locking mechanisms may not fully prevent moisture from seeping through to the subfloor. In fact, this once proved disastrous for a family in (hopefully a news story nearby). If moisture does seep through your hardwood floors, it could lead to swelling within the panels.
Wateproof Flooring Options
Fortunately, modern flooring options make easing and even eliminating the threat of moisture easy! In fact, most of the work is now done for you; moisture is kept on the flooring’s surface until it can be wiped way in seconds. Here’s a quick look at waterproof flooring and the many options available.
Tile Flooring
Tile flooring is the original waterproof flooring. It’s become a tradition in both bathrooms and kitchens for that very reason. After all, tile offers the versatility of selecting any waterproof material and combining in a dizzying array of colors and styles with waterproof grout.
In recent years, tile has become available in a wider range of styles, arrangements and colors. In fact, it’s frequently used to perfectly replicate the aesthetics of hardwood flooring without the vulnerability to moisture (or, for that matter, scratches and dents).
Here’s a quick look at some of our most luxurious waterproof tile flooring:
Carpet
When we think of waterproof flooring, carpet is usually the last thing that comes to mind. After all, one reason we look to hard surface flooring is to avoid the headache of cleaning spills from carpet flooring. Fortunately, new innovations in carpet make these problems a thing of the past.
One of them is the newly developed LifeGuard® backing. With it, selections such as Reprise prevent moisture from soaking through to the subfloor, thereby preventing long-term damage to/and mold growth. Even better, it all comes in a beautiful selection featuring unique patterns and a variety of colors. Its R2X® fiber construction also repels stains and soiling.
Here are a few other selections with similar benefits:
Vinyl Plank Flooring
Luxury vinyl (LVT & LVP) flooring has taken off in recent years for its multi-faceted versatility. Yes, it’s waterproof. But even better, it can be designed to perfectly replicate other hardwood materials that aren’t – all without compromising its durable and waterproof construction.
Here are a few of our favorite waterproof vinyl flooring selections:
Learn More About Waterproof Flooring
These are only a few of the many waterproof flooring selections available. To view more styles and selections, or to speak with an expert about the best solution for your home, be sure to visit our showroom in Hutchinson, MN or give us a call at 320-587-6070 today!
