Waterproof Flooring for Wet Areas of the Home

Nearly every floor on the face of the planet will come into contact with water or moisture at some point. Despite this, making sure every floor in your house has been 100 per cent waterproofed can obviously be overkill, particularly if the only moisture it’s coming into contact with is the occasional spill of a glass. However, it’s crucial to not forget about waterproofing when it comes to specific areas, some of which are found throughout every household. There’s no point having stunning flooring, only for it to be destroyed because of exposure to moisture and liquid!

Whether it’s your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, the area around your swimming pool, or any situation where water is ever-present, making sure your flooring is waterproof is the most important choice you will make. Without adequate waterproofing, your flooring will soon become a major headache as they expand and buckle before your very eyes — not to mention how much of an eyesore it will eventually become!

To avoid this disaster situation, you need to select a flooring product that is certified and guaranteed to last under these conditions. Thankfully, we have compared a number of waterproof flooring options below to help you pick the right product for your home.

What are the best waterproof flooring options?

The undisputed best and most reliable choice when it comes waterproof flooring options is tiles. By utilising tiles throughout the moisture-prone areas in your house you can rest easy, knowing they can handle whatever you throw at them. As long as they are installed properly with a waterproofed sub floor, ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles will withstand any water problem they face.

While tiles are a superb choice for ensuring liquids don’t seep through your flooring, not everyone will be a fan of the look, feel, or overall aesthetic. Luckily, if you prefer a different style you’re not out of luck. Hybrid flooring, vinyl plank flooring, and even newer water-resistant laminate flooring can be installed in specific areas where moisture is present.

When it comes to waterproofing your flooring, you’re able to use any of these options throughout your house. The one exception is when it comes to bathrooms. The volume and frequency of water exposure in bathrooms is too great for most flooring solutions to handle, which is why the only flooring product we highly recommend in your bathroom is tiles.

Is hybrid flooring waterproof?

Yes, hybrid flooring is 100% waterproof. This means you can install hybrid flooring in practically any room or environment and be safe from the unsightly damages of water. Having said that, we still do not recommend using hybrid floorboards for bathrooms.

For the uninitiated, hybrid flooring is an exciting new type of flooring that combines the best characteristics of vinyl and laminate floors to create a floating floor with so many innovative benefits. Each hybrid floor is made up of multiple layers of materials pressed together. The surface is a durable wear layer built to withstand heavy traffic, while the second layer features a decorative print with your desired design. Finally, at the centre of it all you’ll find a composite core board that provides a waterproof flooring solution as well as increased stability.

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% waterpoof 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.

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 that 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 not only beautiful, but also 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 you can still utilise it in some areas of your home where water is present. As long as you take adequate care of the surface, we recommend its use in kitchens, dining areas, and basements. In general, solid timber has a harder time handling exposure to water, so if waterproofing is of the utmost importance we’d recommend a number of other flooring products — like engineered timber floors or hybrid flooring — over a solid timber floor.

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 between 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.