Waterproof laminate

The modern construction market offers a huge assortment of flooring with a wide variety of properties and characteristics. Among all this diversity, laminate is considered the most popular and demanded. And this is not surprising, because not a single floor material is capable of comparing with a laminate in decorative qualities, reliability and durability. Laminate flooring is considered a universal floor covering, because it is suitable for almost any surface. Despite the versatility of the material, in rooms with high humidity it is necessary to use a moisture-resistant or waterproof material. Most often used in the kitchen and in the bathroom.

How is a waterproof laminate different from a waterproof one?

Moisture resistant. Most manufacturers of flooring in their collections offer the so-called moisture-resistant laminate. Such material is highly resistant to intense moisture. This is achieved due to the fact that the basis of such a material is an HDF board, which is treated with special moisture-resistant substances. In addition, high moisture resistance is also achieved due to the additional processing of the locking mechanism by silicone or wax substances, which eliminates the ingress of moisture into the joints between the plates.

Water resistant. A feature of waterproof laminate is resistance to direct exposure to water. Resistance to water is ensured by using not a HDF board as a base, but a strong and durable base made of PVC material. It should be noted that special air chambers are made at the base of the PVC, which significantly increase the soundproofing and heat-insulating properties of the entire floor covering. Due to this, the floor from the waterproof laminate does not seem cold even when the "warm floor" system is not equipped under it.

The main and perhaps the only drawback of a waterproof laminated coating is its rather high cost. It is in this that the waterproof laminate loses to its main competitor - the moisture resistant laminate.

To summarize

The waterproof laminate is of better quality. The material includes polyvinyl chloride, due to which it has greater resistance to direct contact with water. Moisture resistant laminate, in turn, is cheaper.