What are The Best Flooring Choices For Moisture Prone Areas

Getting a new flooring system installed within your places, being a major home improvement project, always comes with various concerns and aspects that need to be taken care of. And when the treatment needs to be done for some moisture-prone space, things are meant to become somewhat tricky as you can’t use just about anything within such areas.

Besides, a flooring that gets installed within a moisture prone space asks for a different and more of a careful maintenance, so that it can stay functional and durable. Now, this moisture-prone space could be anywhere, however, within residential settings, it’s mostly kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms. And another major example is the basement area which is usually highly moisture-prone too, due to being below ground level and in immediate contact with groundwater.

The Safest Flooring Options To Choose For Humid Spaces

Flooring treatment within a wet space has to fulfill certain criteria and the foremost one of them, is of course a greater resistance to water. Or more preferably you should get a flooring that is waterproof. Moreover, it must be easy to clean, maintain and should withstand all the occasional (and frequent) exposure to water, essentially spills and splashes.

So next up, comes those potential options which can be considered for such areas of the house. And to make this very selection the easiest for you, we’ve come up with a useful info compilation of a bunch of suitable options.

1. Ceramic Tile

number 1 Ceramic Tile

For sure, it’s an option that doesn’t need any introduction and chances are that you already own one (or more!) ceramic tile floor(s) in your place. It’s a particularly best choice for areas with puddling or standing water, given the extent of resilience. What makes the ceramic tile flooring even handy is the affordability factor and of course the durability is totally unquestionable, too.

Here is a comprehensive overview of the pros and cons of this flooring treatment:

Pros

  • Maintaining Ceramic floor tiles is a legit breeze and it can be easily maintained under all usage conditions.
  • The highest resilience of ceramic floor tiles includes toughness against flames and allergens too, which makes it the safest choice of all.
  • You get multiple design options of ceramic floor tiles, which can go well with just about any interior or exterior decor.

Cons

  • Non-porcelain ceramic tiles have somewhat of a tendency of water absorption, which is likely to become a problem at times.
  • The grouted lines or seams between the ceramic tiles get accumulated and dirty very often and can get difficult to deal with.

2. Porcelain Tile

Porcelain Tile in Home

Porcelain is widely used in the construction of swimming pools, bathtubs, shower stalls and similar spaces, depicting the fact that it’s a foolproof choice when it comes to moisture resistance. So it goes without saying that porcelain tiles make the best flooring system that is completely waterproof, and you can easily adorn all your desired spaces without any concern. Moreover, these tiles are also available with wood or stone looks, which is to say that interior styling is never a problem with this flooring treatment.

An to help you decide on this choice with ease, we’ve got you both the advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

  • Porcelain tile floors are ideally low-maintenance and can easily stand up to all sorts of wear and tear
  • This flooring treatment is the best choice for areas with higher levels of foot fall
  • Beauty and versatility are the most undeniable plus points of porcelain tiles as they offer the widest ornamental options

Cons

  • Porcelain tile flooring is a pricey treatment, though are perks are totally worth it
  • The tiles are very heavy and the installation isn’t easy at all, so you anyway have to spend on professional services

3. Vinyl Tile Flooring

Vinyl Tile Flooring ideas

LVT or Luxury vinyl tile flooring, being a PVC product, comes with the highest resistance to moisture, which explains the fact that quality LVT floors have lately been the most popular choice for kitchens, bathrooms and even dining spaces. It also features a number of plasticizers and stabilizing agents which add to the overall strength. Moreover, the backing prevents moisture damage and also protects the floor. Besides, as for the aesthetic aspect, these LVT floors can most efficiently mimic the appearance of the most high-end floor choices, such as stone or wood looks.

Take a look at the bright as well as the downside of this flooring treatment, so as to make your mind without any trouble:

Pros

  • Vinyl Tile is a 100% waterproof flooring treatment and it can be installed at any ground level and atop any kind of subfloor
  • These tiles make the most long-lasting flooring treatment, which is easier to care for, as well
  • Investing in LVT floor is a really affordable and cost-effective alternative to spending on pricey floors, since you can get any and every kind of beautiful pattern with this choice

Cons

  • LVT floors are likely to discolor at times
  • This flooring treatment is difficult to remove, specifically with the glue-down installation

4. Vinyl Plank Flooring

Vinyl Plank Flooring tiles

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring or LVP is yet another high-end version of the vinyl flooring and a smart choice to settle for. The planks in this flooring system get installed in a lock-and-fold adjoining style, which creates an impermeable seal against moisture and is resilient enough to outlast standing water, as well. You get the most realistic visuals with this flooring and can therefore acquire any surface styling of your choice.

Let’s explore the positives and the negatives of LVP flooring at a glance:

Pros

  • LVP Floors offer the highest levels of durability, which makes them a really cost-effective flooring treatment.
  • You can easily clean LVP floors, considering the usage within kitchen and bathroom spaces, where spills and splashes take place frequently
  • LVP flooring is supremely DIY friendly, which means you can easily install it yourself and so goes for the floor maintenance too

Cons

  • LVP Flooring has a likelihood of fading under sunlight
  • Once installed, this flooring is quite difficult to remove

5. Concrete

Best Concrete tiles

Concrete, by all means, is one fundamentally resilient flooring option which works wonders for all spaces, either as indoor or outdoor flooring treatment and can be installed at any given ground level. Once sealed properly, concrete floors are totally impermeable, which is to say that neither occasional nor even standing water will be a hazard for this heavy-duty flooring system. The purposeful functionality isn’t just confined to moisture-resistance, rather concrete floors remain ideally tough against all other forms of damage too.

Up ahead is a brief description of pros and cons of concrete flooring which will put an end to all of your indecisiveness:

Pros

  • Besides being waterproof, concrete flooring is highly resistant to stains, bacterial accumulation, lingering odors and even fire
  • Concrete flooring can be easily colored or textured, just according to one’s requirements, making it a perfect ornamental option
  • Concrete flooring system is a foolproof approach to reducing your energy bills, given the higher extents of energy-efficiency

Cons

  • Concrete floors don’t feel comfortable/ soft underfoot since they are extremely sturdy and hard
  • These floors can’t retain any heat and become cold very soon, which can be a potential no-no for many people

6. Stone

Stone flooring tiles

Stone, for sure, is the sturdiest and therefore the most long-lasting flooring treatment, and it does have our under consideration ability, i.e. waterproofing to the fullest, as well. In addition to being flawlessly waterproof, stone flooring is free from nearly all other damages, as well, like splintering, warping, scratching, swelling or chipping. While having a stone floor treatment might not be a walk in the park for everyone, the investment absolutely is worth all the benefits and the longevity.

For some more convincing, let’s take a look at the merits and demerits of stone flooring:

Pros

  • Stone flooring is simply the most ideal floor system of all, which is completely resistant to water and therefore can be used under all circumstances like rain, extreme Sunlight, etc.
  • This flooring choice does fulfill all the ornamental purposes really well, and is versatile enough to be used in any space.
  • Maintaining stone floors is really convenient and these floors don’t show any signs of damage or dullness either.

Cons

  • Stone flooring system, being extremely heavy, is highly time-consuming when it comes to construction.
  • Stone flooring installation is of course a costly project, though it’s a completely cost-effective choice.

Some Less Sturdy Yet Acceptable Flooring Ideas For Moisture-prone Areas

Other than the completely “waterproof” flooring treatment choices, here are a bunch of other options for you, which although aren’t waterproof, yet can show an agreeable performance when installed in moisture-prone areas.

  • Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring comes with water resistance up to some extent and various flooring manufacturers have come up with incredible technologies for making their laminate floors nearly waterproof, so this can be an acceptable choice.

  • Engineered Wood Flooring

Good quality wood flooring having the engineered version is a useful choice when it comes to the usage in moisture-prone areas, since it isn’t made completely out of wood, unlike solid hardwood flooring. Besides, the aesthetic versatility is a great added perk.

  • Bamboo Flooring

While bamboo itself is an organic flooring material, its construction involves a whole lot of resins and chemicals, which make it considerably water-resistant and therefore a suitable option. However, you need to be careful about the amount of water and address spills and splashes ASAP.

  • Linoleum Flooring

Linoleum comes in tile or sheet format and it features a number of organic materials which make it resistant to moisture damage. When sealed properly and at regular intervals, linoleum shows quite a good performance, however the seams can be a problem at times.

Conclusion

This was our take on the list of the best water-resistant or essentially waterproof flooring options which you can consider for your kitchens, bathrooms and basements. A good tip to remember here is to stick to a completely waterproof flooring in case you can’t manage to maintain your home floors or a lot or they keep getting subjected to moisture damage frequently. And if you can regulate the amount of water (spills/splashes/groundwater) and care for your floors adequately, then you can opt for the rather less resistant choices. Of course, in the end, it all comes down to how you utilize your home floors and how well you upkeep them.

Happy new flooring projects!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Carpet flooring and solid hardwood flooring (both pre-finished and site-finished) are the two major worst flooring options when it comes to water resistance. That’s because these flooring treatments have no tendency to withstand moisture and doing so can give rise to various potential troubles.

The insufficient movement of moisture under the surface is the major cause of laminate floorings getting swelled. This usually happens due to lack of moisture barrier underneath the floorboards which does not let the proper movement of moisture take place.

Moisture diffusion through the concrete slab can be reduced by the application of vapor barrier atop the concrete slab as well as making use of a suitable underlayment. Doing so will reduce or completely prevent water present in the concrete from causing damage to the floors.

Placing mats, rugs and carpets all across the home is the best way to prevent moisture damage. These floor coverings tend to absorb all the moisture as well as dirt and dust particles, which is otherwise the most likely to be carried to living spaces along with footwear.

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