Laying laminate in a damp room can quickly become very risky, especially if it is not water-repellent! Discover our tips for laying water-repellent laminate flooring in wet rooms.
Laying laminate flooring
A question often comes up in decoration shops: "Can I use this floor glued down (i.e. with real natural wood) in my wet rooms (bathroom, toilet, kitchen...)? Honest salespeople will answer that no, because real flooring, even when protected, sealed or oiled, is very sensitive to humidity and stagnant humidity (a water residue on a chamfer for example) will always lead to the same problems.
This means that a room that is exposed to water must have a protected floor that is suitable to receive more or less important projections. Until now, no laminate flooring has had the realism (matt effect, ribbed...) of a laminate floor. However, a hydro laminate floor with a realism unequalled to date on the market has just been created by Quick Step, the new Signature range.
Characteristics of the laminated floor
Note that this floor is guaranteed against water for 10 years but should be installed according to the manufacturer's standards. That is to say on an undercoat of their brand (which will guarantee against capillary rise) and with a protection on the dilatations exposed to humidity. When you lay your laminate floor you always leave some expansion to allow the wood panel that composes the laminate floor to expand, i.e. to move (depending mainly on heat and humidity). However, this expansion is a risk to allow water to infiltrate (behind the skirting boards of your shower outlet for example!). To ensure the floor is safe, it is therefore advisable to put a PE foam in the expansion covered with a transparent silicone to ensure that water cannot enter the edges of your room (washing machines, shower outlet, toilet bowl...). The PE foam will allow the floor to keep moving and the silicone will block the water. Find all this information directly on their website or call them for more information!