Laminated Flooring in "Wet" Areas: Professionals' Opinions

Will it peel off, swell up, or get soaked? Are fears about laying laminated flooring in areas where drops and puddles are inevitable justified? Let's explore whether it's possible to install laminated flooring in "wet" zones and what Russian designers think about it.

Quadrum Studio: "Laminated flooring in a 'wet' area is a great solution if you don't want to divide the space"

The clients of Quadrum Studio, a young family from Saratov, were against very bright colors in the interior, so they chose a gray color palette which they diluted with blue and navy shades. The moisture-resistant laminated flooring with a grayish tone fit the task perfectly: it was laid throughout the apartment, including the kitchen, to make the floor look seamless.

INT2 ARCHITECTURE Studio: "Laminated flooring is a practical choice for a compact kitchen or hallway"

Despite the small size of the apartment, designers at INT2 ARCHITECTURE used a variety of materials in this project for a young couple. For the floor, they chose light laminated flooring: according to the designers, this material creates an effect of natural wooden planks.

By the way, it was laid in the hallway and the "wet" zone of the kitchen: moisture-resistant laminated flooring has proven itself well in everyday life and withstands periodic contact with water.

What you should know about laminated flooring in "wet" areas?

Regular laminated flooring designed for living rooms truly fears moisture. If water is spilled on it and not wiped up in time, the material may swell.

For rooms where contact with liquids is inevitable, there is special moisture-resistant laminated flooring. It can be identified by its green color in the cross-section.

Moisture-resistant laminated flooring can be installed in the working area of the kitchen, hallway, and bathrooms.

Despite the fact that its moisture protection is slightly lower than that of ceramic granite, moisture-resistant laminated flooring is much more practical. For example, a plate dropped on ceramic granite floor has less chance of surviving than one dropped on laminated flooring.

However, in rooms with high humidity, such as saunas, laundry areas, and showers, it is better to replace laminated flooring with ceramic granite.

Design: Irina Petrova

9 Projects where Russian designers used moisture-resistant laminated flooring in "wet" zones:

In a four-room apartment in Vsevolozhsk, designer Olga Vasileva did not opt to divide the compact space. Laminated flooring was laid everywhere, including on the floor of a tiny kitchen. Designers from Make Design Studio are also in favor of uniform floor design. Laminated flooring was laid in the kitchen workspace as well, especially since the accent in the interior is a brick wall and everything else is neutral and minimalist.

When the kitchen is extremely small, as in a studio apartment in Moscow, laminated flooring in a "wet" zone is a reasonable solution.

Laminated flooring seemed to designer Anna Kovalchenko an affordable and practical choice for a kitchen floor in an apartment intended for rental through the Airbnb service.

Uniform flooring in all zones is a common solution in minimalist interiors. For example, in this project designed by the architectural bureau "Total Area".

"Laminated flooring is budget-friendly and functional," - believes designer Elena Potemkina. Therefore, she chose it for a 30-square-meter studio project in Moscow. It was also chosen for the "wet" zone on the kitchen floor.

This apartment was designed by designer Malika Boranbaeva for a chef who lives there and also holds masterclasses. The kitchen, where a lot of cooking will take place, also had laminated flooring installed.

In the project of a studio in the "Art" residential complex, designers from Studio 3.14 chose laminated flooring of dark oak color as the unified floor finish, including in the kitchen.

In the "wet" zone of the kitchen in Olga Kulykovskaya-Eshbi's project, laminated flooring simulating weathered planks was laid and complemented with a round classic rug.

On the cover: Anna Kovalchenko's Design Project