Flooring Con'd Water Resistant & Waterproof flooring

Even if you’re installing flooring in a room that’s not supposed to get wet, water-tolerant flooring will expand and contract much less (or none at all) than regular stuff with seasonal changes in humidity. And of course, this kind of flooring also withstands spills or leaks better than anything, should they ever happen. Using water-tolerant flooring is a no-brainer in bathrooms and kitchens, of course, but it’s also an excellent choice for basements. Water-tolerant flooring can be installed in any room or level of a home, it will look better for longer (all else being equal) and is much less likely to develop raised abutting edges over time from moisture absorption.

When it comes to finished flooring, waterproof options won’t absorb moisture or swell, even when submerged for long periods of time. Water-resistant flooring, by contrast, is similar in that it remains unaffected by moisture but only in the short run. Water-resistant flooring can absorb enough moisture over a period of hours or days of being submerged to cause problems. 

One important part of waterproof flooring is the internal core used to make the flooring. WPC (wood polymer composite), SPC (stone plastic composite) and LVT/LVP (luxury vinyl tile/luxury vinyl plank) are all examples of water-resistant and waterproof internal cores around which flooring is built. In recent times the waterproof resilient category of flooring has seen the biggest growth in sales.

Stone plastic composite (SPC) cores are one of the newest and most waterproof options going so you need to know about it. SPC cores are rigid, very dense and made mostly of limestone held together with binding materials though none of the foaming agents that cause consumer concern in other types of flooring. From time to time, you’ll encounter people who believe that WPC stands for “waterproof core”, but this isn’t true. WPC is only water resistant because it’s based on wood, so not quite up to the standards of SPC. You need to be able to explain this distinction. 

In terms of finished flooring, SPC is used as a substrate for a class of rigid vinyl that typically looks like stone or hardwood, though much tougher thanks to the durable printed visible surfaces. Combined with waterproof cork or foam underlay, SPC delivers impressive results but only on truly flat subfloors because it’s rigid.

Home Hardware has put together one of the best collections of waterproof flooring in Canada. Learn about the leading product types in this category and you’ll have better results helping your clients choose.