In some cases, yes, but not always. Some laminate products on the market that advertise themselves as waterproof but typically laminate floors are not. More common laminate water can cause significant damage, mainly if the water soaks into the wood pulp core, causing it to expand and damage the rest of the plank and those planks around it. There are many waterproof vinyl plank alternatives to laminate that will perform similar or better than laminate and resist water damage at the same price point.

Laminate is an affordable, multilayered flooring product made from tightly compressed wood fiber and designed to look like wood, tile, or stone. Laminate flooring products typically have four layers: the backing layer, the core layer, the image layer, and the wear layer. The backing can vary depending on the product but is often made of cork, felt, or another soft product to allow the laminate to sit comfortably on the floor. The core layer is comprised of recycled wood fibers tightly compressed into a dense wood-like core, sometimes referred to as a high-density fiber (HDF) core. The image layer is where we print the desired look (e.g., wood, stone) onto the product, and texture is added through a process called ‘embossing’ to make it feel similar to the material that laminate is supposed to look like it. The wear layer is a transparent protective layer manufactured on top of the image layer. The wear layer is often made from aluminum oxide and designed to prevent the floor from scratching or showing excessive wear over time. Higher quality laminate products often boast an extra resilient wear layer that makes the product scratch, dent, and fade resistant.

Laminate can be the right choice for many different customers because it offers an affordable way to achieve the desired look, such as hardwood or stone, without having to pay the high material and labor costs for those products. Laminate can be installed at all grades and with a variety of installation methods, including glue down and floating installations, making it a versatile hard surface option.

Because laminate is an artificial product made from recycled wood fiber and not real wood, it often does not have the same level of performance as the wood, stone, or tile products. It is imitating. Laminate is also a relatively lightweight product and, as a result, can sometimes feel hollow underfoot. Lower quality laminate can sometimes sound hollow underfoot when walking across it.