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Waterfront Home Flooring

Waterfront Home Flooring

What are the best options for waterfront home flooring? Many people live on the coast, on a lake waterfront, or near enough to enjoy the outdoor benefits of beaches and boating. The flooring needs to be a top consideration.

Living along the coast means your flooring choices should ideally be water resistance, easy to clean, and have a strong wear layer that will hold up to sand. We believe in having the beach as an extension of our home, not just a view. Opening up the windows, allowing the salty air and humidity in is part of coastal living.

Waterfront Home Flooring

Non-Organic Materials Work Best for Waterfront Home Flooring

Beachfront or lakefront homes are sometimes enjoyed for the scenery alone. If that’s the case, waterfront home flooring can be the same as any other home. But often they are great for outdoor sports like boating, fishing, swimming, and beach activities. Obviously, the usage must be taken into account when considering flooring options.

  1. Porcelain and Ceramic Tiles are very resistant to water. That’s why they are often used in bathrooms. The water absorption rate is only 0.5%. The thing to be careful about is the seams between the tile and the grout. The grouting needs to be done properly to fully seal the seams in-between the tiles.
  2. Sheet Vinyl has no seams and is 100% waterproof.
  3. Vinyl Tile or Vinyl Planks are 100% waterproof depending on the seams with the tiles. The planks use lock-and-fold joinery which provides a tighter seal.
  4. Concrete is excellent but not often used in homes. It must be properly sealed upon installation.

Bathrooms floors are similar because of the high presence of moisture.

Will your new bathroom flooring hold up to water, heat, moisture and wear? There are also the less obvious questions like, how will the new bathroom floor feel to bare feet on a cold morning?

A waterfront home has similar needs. Planning ahead is the best way to ensure the best flooring for your location. It will look nicer, perform better, and last longer.

Organic Materials in Waterfront Home Flooring Need Special Protection

Organic wooden floors do not necessarily have to be taboo, but you need to consider the way they handle water. For example, in a summer home on the beach there will be high-traffic activity with water and sand. At some point the absorbency of the wood will erode the flooring and need repair or replacement.

Engineered wood is better than solid wood because of the manufacturing process. The base is sturdier and more water resistant. If solid wood floors are used, extra treatment and finishing can help protect the wood.

Our installers are experts in helping you select the perfect flooring for your waterfront home. Give us a call today and we will answer all of your questions. There are countless waterfront homes in the Tampa Bay area that we serve. Contact us 7 Days a Week — (813) 605-1849.

engineered wood

Get to Know Your Flooring: Engineered Hardwood

engineered wood

Engineered hardwood goes beyond the limitations of solid plank wood.

Along with its practicality and durability, Hardwood’s iconic look makes it one of the most valuable and desirable flooring products in the world.  But with the corroding effects of moisture-prone climates, bringing its charm into every home hasn’t always been simple.  Today, engineered hardwood goes beyond the limitations of solid plank wood, making it possible to implement both the beauty and long-lasting value of wood flooring just about anywhere.

Making Wood Accessible

Whether your ground floor is built on a concrete slab or you wish to install hardwood flooring in your basement, engineered hardwood makes it possible.  Even more, engineered hardwood is far more flexible, less expensive and much easier to install than traditional wood.   Engineered hardwood is specifically designed to reduce the wood’s rate of natural expansion and contraction, offering protection from the elements in regions with difficult, humid weather.  While wood can never be impervious to water, engineered wood floors are significantly more resistant to moisture than the alternative, allowing for below-grade applications and offering greater, continued stability than solid wood is able to provide in such environments.

How Engineered Wood Behaves

Engineered hardwood behaves differently from solid wood.  Though made of 100% wood product, the engineered plank consists of several layers.  The top veneer is the desired wood type while the remaining layers consist of plywood and unfinished white wood.  The greater the thickness of the veneer (and overall plank) the more expensive the wood will be.  The key to getting the most out of your engineered hardwood flooring is to be aware of how the material will fit and interact within your project’s setting.  Top quality should be priority for high traffic environments.

The Benefits of Engineered

Engineered wood can be inexpensive but as with most things, paying a little extra for quality can go a long way.  Top quality engineered hardwood has a thick top layer veneer that gives you the same reassurance of solid wood and saves you money over the long term, allowing you to refinish your floors more often over time.  From exotic Brazilian Cherry to American Ash and Oak, there are no limitations to the species and grade of engineered hardwood products available so feel free to explore.  And perhaps best of all, top quality engineered hardwood is virtually indistinguishable from solid wood and with proper care it will last a lifetime.

This post was written by Thais Sousa. Follow Thais on Google.