Home & Lifestyle Autumn 2018

L et’s put ‘waterproof’ into perspective. Yes, a degree of water resistance is useful but that is not the whole story. In a worst case scenario (eg: failure of a Dish Washer) a substantial amount of water will be in contact with the underneath of your flooring for an extended period. Is there any point in the flooring surviving, but the subfloor having to be taken up and replaced? In either case your flooring would need to be taken up to allow the subfloor to dry. In most cases, boards would be damaged in the taking up process or destroyed it if it was glued together. There are a number of other structures that could be compromised too. Kitchen kickboards and units, walls and skirting may also be damaged by water and need replacing. In some products your flooring would have been glued together and the water would compromise the glue. The danger of not getting all areas dry is the quick development of mould which is considered a substantial health risk. The point is in these cases the damage is covered by insurance and the degree of ‘water-proofness’ is irrelevant. Waterproof is not a defined word and there are degrees of water resistance that at some point can start to be called waterproof. Your ‘waterproof’ torch or camera might be ok for being splashed but can you take it underwater Why do you need a waterproof floor? by Guy Thornycroft

surface water while a mid-priced laminate will be fine after 48 hours. A top end one can be steam cleaned! How much water-resistance do you really need? Look at colour and texture first or call for advice on the different options – Proflooring Ph: 4342 6666.

to 5m, 10m or 50m? The marketing still calls it ‘water-proof’. Do you need a floor that adequately deals with the normal spills in a Kitchen? Perhaps you have a swimming pool and need a floor that will deal with kids running in wet? For these applications you don’t need a water- proof floor as much as a water resistant one. A cheap laminate will damage after an hour of

Quality

Bamboo Timber & Laminate Flooring

Large Showroom Free Measure and Quote www.proflooring.com.au

258 West Street, Umina Beach | P:4342 6666 | email:info@proflooring.com.au

& Lifestyle Magazine | Autumn 2018 7

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