By Annamarie Amore
Just Floored
Annamarie Mastrangelo.
Waterproof floors are very effective at standing up to spills and many offer warranties that cover surface spills that sit for up to as much as 72 hours. The protection is so good that several extend that protection to cover pet accidents as well. Even a waterproof floor may not hold up against flooding, but some actually have. Rest assured that for day-to-day activities, your waterproof floor will hold up against almost all spills and accidents.
Easy-click installations have rigid cores and click locking systems that provide protection against spills and also makes them a favorite amount the crowd. They literally fit with a snap. You can walk on the new floor immediately after installation, which means faster installation times with less disruption.
Luxury vinyl tile, or LVT, has more realistic visuals than ever: high-definition printing, in-register embossing, longer board lengths and wider planks. These features make today’s waterproof floors practically indistinguishable from the natural products they emulate. With better styling also comes greater design flexibility throughout more rooms, in the home or in commercial settings.
LVT can be installed over existing floors. Most waterproof floors are approved for installation over existing flooring, though it cannot be installed over carpeting. That’s because the rigid cores do not telegraph subfloor imperfections. Less subfloor prep also means quicker installation times.
There are two different kinds of waterproof floors. Today’s waterproof floors are made primarily of vinyl but in distinct construction methods – solid polymer core or rigid core and wood plastic composite. WPC’s foamed polymer core allows for deeper embossing that can often result in more realistic visuals. SPC’s claim to fame is outstanding performance and its ability to withstand dents and heavy loads, even in commercial settings.
Both WPC and SPC floors offer lots of other benefits besides waterproofing: enhanced style and design allows them to be used throughout the home, including in signature spaces: they are perfect for wet environments like bathrooms, kitchens entryways and more. Increased dimensional stability eliminates the need to have moldings to break up large installations. Sound abatement and moisture mitigation underlayments are also available.
Waterproof flooring manufacturers have recently formed an industry association to establish and ensure safety, quality, performance and sustainability standards for these products.
Initially limited mostly to residential settings, waterproof flooring has gotten so good that it is now being developed for high-demand commercial spaces. SPC in particular, because of its ability to bear heavier loads, has found its way into retail and hospitality settings. Multifamily housing and healthcare facilities are two other markets where waterproof flooring is growing.
SPC and WPC both already provide better sound absorption qualities than many other hard surface flooring, but they are also warmer and more comfortable underfoot than ceramic tile or hardwood floors.
Waterproof floors have one more distinct advantage over most other floors: ease of maintenance. They’re so easy to clean, in fact, that a damp mop is about all it takes.
Annamarie Mastrangelo is the founder/owner of A.A.I. Flooring Specialist. She can be reached at amoreinteriorsllc@gmail.com.