Waterproof Flooring for Wet Areas of the Home

Nearly every floor in your home will encounter water or moisture at some stage. While it isn’t necessary to waterproof every single room, areas like kitchens, laundries, and other moisture-prone spaces do require extra care. Without suitable flooring, water exposure can lead to swelling, buckling, and long-term damage.

To prevent these issues, it’s important to choose flooring that is designed to perform well in wet conditions. Below, we compare the most popular waterproof and water-resistant flooring options to help you decide which best suits your home.

What are the best waterproof flooring options?

When it comes to waterproof flooring, there are several excellent options to suit different needs and styles. Hybrid flooring is one of the most popular choices, combining the durability of vinyl with the look of timber. Vinyl plank flooring is another reliable solution, offering complete waterproofing and easy maintenance. Even newer water-resistant laminates and engineered timber ranges provide strong protection against everyday spills.

These products can be used confidently in kitchens, laundries, and other moisture-prone areas. Bathrooms, however, remain the exception—where constant and heavy water exposure means most flooring types are not recommended.

Is hybrid flooring waterproof?

Yes, hybrid flooring is 100% waterproof, making it suitable for almost every room in the home. However, we don’t recommend it for bathrooms due to constant and heavy water exposure.

Hybrid flooring combines the best features of vinyl and laminate to create a durable floating floor. Each plank is made of multiple layers:

• A tough wear layer that resists scratches and heavy traffic

• A decorative layer that replicates the look of natural timber

• A rigid composite core that provides waterproofing and stability

When installing hybrid or vinyl flooring in kitchens or laundries, FloorVenue’s installers follow Australian Standard 1884 (Resilient flooring installation), ensuring subfloors are prepared to the correct tolerance (up to 4mm over 2 metres).

You can browse FloorVenue’s very large range of hybrid flooring. We have a huge collection of over a thousand different styles and colours that are sure to meet your preference.

You also have a choice between three different styles of hybrid flooring:

1. Stone Plastic Composite hybrid flooring, is made up of a natural limestone core and tends to be thinner, denser, and more affordable than the alternative.
2. Wood Plastic Composite hybrid flooring, on the other hand, uses a core made from recycled wood and plastic. While it may be more expensive than its stone counterpart, it offers more comfort underfoot.
3. Stone Wood Composite hybrid flooring gives an extremely robust surface that achieves a commercial-grade performance. Furthermore, they tend to be more stable under temperature and direct sunlight because they have no plastic.

Is vinyl flooring waterproof?

Vinyl flooring is 100 percent waterproof and using vinyl for flooring in wet and moisture prone areas is always a great choice. One of the significant benefits of choosing vinyl floorboards for wet areas is that they are incredibly durable while also being very easy to maintain.

Vinyl floors are often considered the older version of hybrid flooring, and hence is often called a “hybrid vinyl floor”. They use a flexible plastic core as opposed to the rigid composite core found in hybrid flooring. You can browse FloorVenue’s range of vinyl flooring (note: vinyl flooring are combined with hybrid flooring as they are similar products). If you wish to learn all about the different types of vinyl flooring, check out our complete guide to vinyl flooring.

FloorVenue’s vinyl flooring options come in two main types:

1. Vinyl Plank Flooring – This type of vinyl flooring is very popular in both commercial and residential areas. They replicate natural timber planks, except are waterproof and much more durable. Vinyl plank flooring should be glued down during installation.
2. Vinyl Sheet Flooring – These come in large rolls that are very common in commercial and industrial applications. Sheet vinyl flooring is designed to allow no moisture or chemical spillages to escape because the sheets are welded together with no gaps during installation.

Is laminate flooring waterproof?

No, on the whole, laminate floorboards are not waterproof (although some are water-resistant). This shouldn’t be cause for panic though, as a laminate floor in 2023 and beyond is well-equipped to deal with specific situations where water will be present. While not waterproof, you will find plenty of water-resistant laminate flooring products on our shelves.

More innovative laminate floors produce water-resistant laminate options. They mix high amounts of resin into their fibreboards and wax-seal edges and water-repellent cores, allowing the laminate to better withstand any liquid it comes into contact with.

While laminate flooring is not recommended for rooms such as your laundry or bathroom, where water will be flowing constantly, you can safely use laminate floorboards in kitchens or basements, where water is still present but far less frequently and in fewer amounts.

You can browse FloorVenue’s range of laminate floorboards, or discover more about “waterproof” laminate flooring through our expert guide.

Is engineered timber flooring waterproof?

While engineered timber flooring generally isn’t waterproof, you’re not completely out of luck if you want a real timber that can withstand moisture. Our HydroPro Timber and HydroPro Oak are revolutionary water-resistant engineered timber flooring products. They combine the best of real oak and hardwood timber species with a 100% waterproof base. to create flooring solutions never seen before.

HydroPro Timber floors are designed with a waterproof multilayer core combined with a top layer made of genuine timber. This design process allows you to keep the look and feel of a natural timber product, while still offering all of the necessary physical characteristics under the hood to allow its use in areas such as your kitchen. You can browse FloorVenue’s range of engineered hardwood flooring or engineered oak flooring here.

When installed by our experts in line with Australian Standard 3740 (Waterproofing of domestic wet areas), it provides excellent protection for kitchens and moisture-prone spaces.

HydroPro Water-Resistant Engineered Flooring comes in three ranges:

1. HydroPro Timber Flooring – The first brand introduced that combined our favourite Australian hardwood timber with a 100% waterproof core. This comes in the popular Blackbutt and Spotted Gum timber.
2. HydroPro Oak Flooring – The second edition of HydroPro waterproof flooring comes in a selection of gorgeous natural oak flooring. European oak flooring gives light, creamy beige colours that Australian timbers cannot achieve.
3. HydroPro Bamboo Flooring – The newest range of HydroPro flooring comes in a veneer of real bamboo, which is beautiful and up to two to three times harder than oak or hardwood flooring. HydroPro is durable and water-resistant!

Is solid timber flooring waterproof?

Solid timber flooring is not waterproof, but it can still be used in parts of the home where moisture exposure is minimal. With proper sealing and regular maintenance, it performs well in kitchens, dining areas, and basements.

That said, solid timber is more vulnerable to water than other flooring types. If moisture resistance is a priority, engineered timber or hybrid flooring are better long-term options.

You can browse FloorVenue’s range of pre-finished and raw solid timber flooring.

Conclusion: Top Waterproof Flooring for Wet Areas

Porcelain & Ceramic Tiles

Nothing beats the trusty tiles as they are 100% waterproof and fully sealed. We see them in the bathrooms and kitchens, and we will continue to see them in bathrooms and kitchens for many years to come. Porcelain tiles are a little softer and slightly more affordable than ceramic tiles. Both do the job well, and FloorVenue can definitely supply you with what you need for the wet areas.

SPC & WPC Hybrid Flooring

Hybrid flooring has been all the rage in the flooring industry as of late. The fully waterproof AND wood-looking flooring has drawn a lot of attention. They are suitable in kitchens as well as bathrooms if fully sealed during installation.

We have a huge range of hybrid floors, ranging from SPC, WPC and SWC composites. All our hybrids are 100% waterproof flooring and can look just like real timber with modern embossing et

Luxury Vinyl Planks

Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP) are often used more for commercial areas, which have lots of traffic and moisture. They are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is a type of plastic. Aside from being completely waterproof and often sealed, they are quite hardwearing. Vinyl planks can be used in offices and homes alike in wet areas. Like hybrid floors, they can adopt a wood look.

HydroPro Waterproof Flooring (Engineered)

HydroPro Waterproof Flooring is the pinnacle of modern technology which combines real wood with a 100% waterproof base. You can now have real wood and worry-free living in one package. The drawback? HydroPro Timber is dearer than most of the other synthetic waterproof flooring options. You can learn more about hydropro flooring by exploring our waterproof timber flooring guide.