Hey everyone,

I live in the bottom floor of a condominium high rise. There is nothing below me, so concrete below my carpet/tile. I want to get nice waterproof laminate flooring throughout my unit.

I don't think the concrete is inherently a problem (though it might be) I am more worried about what happens when water intrusion happens. It's the worst part of living below 11 floors of people who seem to have leaks all the time. It all comes down to my unit. I tend to have a water intrusion problem a couple times a year. It happens so often I am used to it to a fault, (pull back carpets, borrow a blower from the building, dry it out, continue on with my life). What do I do in the case of laminate flooring?

Will the water float on top? Will it sit underneath and rot out the floors if I don't know it's there? Should I not get hard flooring?

What do the experts here recommend?

 

Maybe I should just do the wood tile or a nice concrete finish

 

Waterproof laminate flooring is exactly that. The flooring is waterproof but not anything else. If you get flooded out you will still need to remove flooring and dry out underneath it. But you can put the flooring back in place. We sell this type of flooring in our store. One of the sales pitches it that it can be reused in case of flooding and you can take it with you if you move. Kind of a stupid statement, but there it is.

 

Should look at LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) laminate is really a cheap flooring material, LVP will also solve ANY water concert!

 

Just be aware if you have any back, feet or leg problems, hard flooring will make it worse.

 

That's what area rugs are for.

 

Area rugs won't always take care of it.

 

Personally I prefer wall to wall carpet. Wife wants to get hardwood. Constant battle!

 

I just finished up installing oak flooring in the great room with new area rugs, it is such an amazing transformation, I think I'm over ever having carpet again.

Now that the entire first floor is done I have to consider what to do upstairs??

 

We have the original oak hardwood from 1910 when this place was built. But it bothers my feet.

 

I'm with Marq1. We installed vinyl plank in our kitchen several years ago and liked it so much we yanked carpet up in our living area and son's bedroom and used it. Still have carpet in our #3 bedroom (aka the Parent cave), but that's it. I do NOT miss carpet. We have a big area rug in middle of living room and smaller ones in son's bedroom.