Is Hardwood Flooring Waterproof?
Have you ever thought about installing hardwood floors in your house, but worried about whether it is waterproof? What if by chance the main pipe explodes or your house becomes flooded, will that affect the hardwood flooring?
Hardwood flooring is stylish, durable, and top quality in terms of flooring, but unfortunately, it is not entirely waterproof.
The main types of hardwood floorings:
1. Solid hardwood flooring
This type of hardwood flooring exhibits strength and solidness. It’s usually made of solid wood, such as oak, walnut, and maple. It is very durable, due to it being refinished multiple times over its lifespan. It has a lifespan from 30 to 100 years and has good resistance to heat.
You can choose from a vast variety of colors and species when it comes to solid hardwood flooring. In other words, customization is at the top level.
The best thing is that it is very handy when we’re talking about cleaning and maintaining it. Cleaning consists of sweeping and vacuuming, and finishing off by a quick mop.
2. Engineered hardwood flooring
The engineered hardwood flooring is very similar to solid, but they have their differences. Engineered hardwood is cheaper and it is made of a thin layer of hardwood bonded over a substrate of the finest plywood.
It is easy for the specialist to install it and can last from 20 to 40 years. One of the interesting things about Engineered hardwood flooring is that it is almost always sold pre-finished and there are a few colors and species to choose from, unlike the solid hardwood.
Another difference from solid hardwood flooring is that this type of flooring can be refinished only once before the surface layer is exhausted.
3. Parquet hardwood flooring
The Parquet hardwood flooring is like solid hardwood flooring, but with a pattern. It is carefully made out of small pieces of hardwood into geometric patterns, which are very attractive to people and gives your home a specific design.
It became popular in 1960, and until today they remain in many houses. It comes in a vast variety of complex patterns that will make your house beautiful.
All these hardwood flooring types are not designed to be at places where the water is present all the time, for example, in the bathroom. It will certainly damage them.
Hardwood floor: Engineered or solid?
People forever run the dilemma of which to choose from these two types of flooring. The difference is clear, but there is no right answer to the question. It just depends on the people buying it and their preferences.
Whether you like a cheaper variant or the one that can last longer, whatever hardwood flooring you choose you won’t regret it.
Can we actually protect hardwood floors from water?
Hardwood flooring, or in general flooring, is called hygroscopic, which essentially means that it absorbs water and then expels it after it dries out. Hardwood flooring is in a relatively dried state when you install it, it’s called kiln dried.
They basically put it in the oven and bake it to a very dry state. They put a protective codding on the top to protect the water from falling on it, but if water floods the area, it will definitely be effected
Huge amounts of water next to the flooring is not compatible. Wood flooring, unlike ceramic tiles, is not waterproof. There is no such thing as waterproof in hardwood flooring.
Everyone that tries to sell you the story of 100% waterproof flooring, is just trying to sell the job. They are just putting forward the dogma and propaganda. The best thing you can do is protect it or prevent it.
What can you do to reduce the flooding damage?
Hardwood flooring can handle many things, but when it comes to the water you must be very precocious. You must know how to prevent damage to your hardwood flooring and protect it. There are a few things you can do:
Adding an extra layer of protection with wax or Polyurethane
By adding wax or Polyurethane, you can’t entirely make your hardwood flooring waterproof, but you can increase your time to wipe it all clean as soon as possible.
Regularly check your plumbing
You must inspect your plumbing before you install hardwood floors. Pipe floods are a common thing that destroy floors, and one way of keeping it secure is regularly checking your plumbing. If you can’t do it alone, give a call to a plumber and have him look and fix the plumbing if required.
Intense cleaning
One of the best things you can do to prevent the damage to your floors is to regularly clean and vacuum your house. When you spill something on the floor, react fast, and wipe it. If you intend to clean the hardwood floors, make sure you use the right products. A high-quality product can make a lot of difference when it comes to cleaning.
If a flood happens inside the home, what are the next steps?
If by any chance your house does flood, you must immediately call a flood remediation company. They have special equipment, which they use to extract out the water. Do not attempt to do it yourself. If you are not an expert, you will probably only make it worse.
In the end, we advise all our customers to not take anyone's word for it. Always do the research yourself. It will save you time and money and the quote we love to use is: knowledge will set you free.