Waterproof flooring
549 waterproof floors from 6 makers — SPC rigid core, luxury vinyl and waterproof laminate — for the rooms where water reaches the floor.
The short answer
Waterproof flooring is flooring whose core is unaffected by water standing on it — in practice SPC, WPC, luxury vinyl, or a laminate built on a waterproof core. That is a stronger claim than water-resistant, which only means a spill can be wiped up in time. A waterproof plank protects the plank; it does not waterproof the room, so bathrooms and basements still depend on how the perimeter and subfloor are handled.
Waterproof vs water-resistant
These are not two words for the same thing, and the difference is the whole decision in a bathroom. Water-resistant describes a surface that survives a spill you notice. Waterproof describes a core that is unaffected by water that stands on it.
We keep the two apart in the catalogue rather than in the marketing. A floor is listed here when our catalogue classifies its line as waterproof, and a line recorded as water-resistant is excluded even when it is the same material family — so that nobody fits a water-resistant floor in a bathroom on the strength of a badge we applied. That classification is our reading of the line, not a manufacturer's warranty: for a full bathroom or a basement, check the floor's own page and the maker's documentation before you commit.
The main types
SPC rigid core
366 floorsA stone-plastic composite core that does not swell when it gets wet. The most common waterproof construction we carry, and the one most often specified for kitchens and basements.
Waterproof laminate
97 floorsLaminate built on a core rated for standing water, with sealed edges. Lines recorded as water-resistant are kept out: that is the weaker claim, and the two are not interchangeable.
Luxury vinyl tile
56 floorsTile-format vinyl, usually chosen for a stone or ceramic look without a grout line to seal.
Luxury vinyl plank
24 floorsPlank-format vinyl in wood looks, flexible or rigid depending on the line.
WPC
6 floorsA wood-plastic composite core — softer underfoot than SPC, and thicker.
Which room you are flooring
Kitchens
Spills, dropped pans and chairs rather than standing water. An SPC rigid core or a waterproof laminate both suit; the rigid core dents less. If the kitchen is busy, the wear layer matters more than the core.
Bathrooms
The hardest case: water stands, and humidity never really leaves. A waterproof core is the minimum, and the perimeter and shower transition decide the rest. Tile-format vinyl is a common choice. Check the individual floor's rating before committing it to a full bathroom.
Basements
Below grade the slab is the problem, not the plank — concrete releases moisture, so lines set a subfloor moisture limit and usually ask for a barrier. A waterproof core also tolerates the humidity swings that move a solid wood floor.
Laundry and mudrooms
Appliance leaks and wet boots, on a floor that is usually small enough that the better material costs little more.
Rentals and high-traffic rooms
Here the wear layer, not the water rating, is what decides how the floor looks in five years. A waterproof core simply removes one way for a tenant's spill to become a repair.
Waterproof floors with a published price
66 of the 549 carry an owner-approved price you can see and order against; the 12 below are a sample of them. The rest are priced on request — ask and we will quote them.
What to check before you buy
- The label, not the family. Vinyl and laminate both come in waterproof and water-resistant versions. The material does not tell you which one you are holding; the line's own rating does.
- The wear layer. This is what takes the traffic and the scratches. Two floors with the same waterproof core can wear very differently.
- The core. SPC is dense and dimensionally stable; WPC is thicker and softer underfoot. Both are waterproof cores — they feel different, not safer.
- The subfloor. Especially on concrete. Moisture limits and preparation are set by the manufacturer and are the most common reason an install goes wrong.
- The room, honestly. A floor that is ideal in a kitchen is not automatically right for a full bathroom. The wetter the room, the more the install detail matters.
Common mistakes
- Reading water-resistant as waterproof and fitting it in a bathroom.
- Treating a waterproof plank as a waterproof room, and skipping the perimeter detail.
- Laying over a concrete slab without checking its moisture against the line's limit.
- Choosing on core alone in a busy room, where the wear layer decides the outcome.
- Ordering the exact square footage, with nothing for cuts, waste or a later repair.
Go deeper
Three guides that take the harder questions on this page further.
Questions people ask
Is waterproof flooring really waterproof?
The plank is. A waterproof core will not swell or delaminate when water sits on it, which is the difference that matters against a laminate or an engineered board. What it does not do is make the room waterproof: water still travels through the seams, around the perimeter and under the skirting to the subfloor. For a full bathroom or a basement, the floor is one part of the detail and the manufacturer's own installation instructions cover the rest.
What is the difference between waterproof and water-resistant flooring?
Water-resistant means the surface will survive a spill you wipe up. Waterproof means the core itself is unaffected by water that stands on it. The gap matters most in bathrooms, where water reaches the floor and stays. We treat the two as different claims: a line is only listed as waterproof here when the manufacturer labels it waterproof, and lines labelled water-resistant are deliberately excluded even when they are the same material family.
What flooring is best for a kitchen?
A kitchen takes spills, dropped pans and chair movement rather than standing water, so the usual choice is an SPC rigid core or a waterproof laminate: both handle water at the sink and dishwasher, and the rigid core resists denting better than a flexible vinyl. Check the wear layer if the kitchen is busy — it is the part that takes the traffic, not the core.
What flooring is best for a bathroom?
A full bathroom is the hardest case, because water stands and humidity is constant. A waterproof core is the minimum; beyond that the install detail decides the outcome, particularly the perimeter and any transition at the shower. Tile-format luxury vinyl is often chosen here for the look. Read the specific floor's own rating before committing it to a bathroom — ratings differ line by line.
Can waterproof flooring be installed in a basement?
Usually yes, and it is one of the main reasons people choose it: a waterproof core tolerates the humidity swings below grade that would move a solid wood floor. The deciding factor is the slab, not the plank — concrete gives off moisture, so most lines set a limit for subfloor moisture and ask for a barrier. Those limits are on each product's page, and our guide on waterproof laminate versus SPC on a damp slab works through the trade-off.
Is waterproof laminate better than vinyl?
Neither is better outright; they fail differently. Laminate's printed layer under a hard wear coat usually looks sharper and feels harder underfoot, and it tends to resist scratching well. Vinyl and SPC are more forgiving of an uneven subfloor and of standing water at the seams. For a bathroom most people choose vinyl or SPC; for a kitchen or a living space either works.
Brands we carry
Next steps
See a floor in your own room before you decide, order samples where a line offers them, or have us measure and quote the job.