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Everything You Should Know About Waterproof Hardwood Flooring

August 16, 2021

two dogs lying on the floor

Hardwood flooring is a great asset to any home and the classic look will never go out of style. But we do understand that many of us live busy lifestyles with kids, pets, and daily messes that may not be conducive to maintaining traditional hardwood floors. If this is sounding all-too-familiar, you’ll likely benefit from a waterproof flooring choice. However, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the look of beautiful hardwood floors. Real waterproof hardwood flooring exists, but it’s rare. Here’s everything you should know about waterproof hardwood flooring. 

Real Waterproof Hardwood Flooring 

Real waterproof hardwood flooring might sound too good to be true, but it can be done! Areas in your home like the kitchen and bathrooms are great places to install this particular kind of flooring and it’s really not as complex as you might think. To create real waterproof hardwood flooring, the process is fairly simple. Special waterproof coatings are applied to engineered hardwoods and voila– you now have waterproof hardwoods!

Engineered Hardwoods

It’s important to note that this process can only be done to engineered hardwoods, which are still considered real. As we mentioned earlier, a special waterproof coating is applied to the top floor of the engineered wood planks. Engineered hardwoods are layered and promote strength within the flooring. It’s normally constructed with solid hardwood such as oak that lies on top of layers of plywood. So yes, engineered hardwoods are still considered real and are your only option when it comes to making them waterproof.

Waterproof Laminate

If you’re looking for something that costs less, is waterproof, and gives a similar look and feel to hardwoods, we suggest waterproof laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is not real wood but it’s extremely durable and can be very beautiful. Its generally made up of a fiberboard base, wood-like imaging, and a plasticate wear layer. Don’t let your budget stop you from getting the look you’ve been dreaming of while still being totally functional in a high-energy home. 
Now that you know the ins and outs of waterproof hardwood flooring, we hope your flooring decision can be made a little easier. Have questions or want to schedule an appointment? Fill out our contact form.