My condo has a concrete slab. We put down engineered wood flooring. There has been some flooding in neighboring condos, which has damaged the flooring. Does anyone have a suggestion for flooring that would resist the water damage? Would ceramic tile work ? There are cracks in the slab that we have repaired. the building was built in 1950.
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vinyl tile is an option. how much flooding/water damage are we talking?– deppermCommented Sep 5, 2019 at 16:30
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Some photos would be helpful, in my experience all concrete cracks with time. I have tiled shopping malls in my early years that had cracks the tile held up fine for many years. Haven’t been back there in 20 but it was still almost that many years, they probably have remodeled since then.– Ed BealCommented Sep 7, 2019 at 4:34
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yea, pics would be nice, does it flood often ? if concrete was the concern, yes leveler then flooring but if it floods often then other options would be best..– EdwardCommented Jun 25, 2020 at 1:20
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3 Answers
You may want to look into floating tile floors. These are tiles with a rubber or foam backing and snap together like puzzle pieces, instead of being secured to the subfloor with grout. You still need to grout the tiles, but these are made for DIY installation, instead of professional installers. It's more expensive to buy and have other issues, but if you have another crack in the concrete, it won't destroy the tile. Also, if you do find out about a crack you need to fix or have to clean up after a flood, these will be easier to remove and should even be able to be reinstalled.
For more info:
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/floating-tile-floor/
answered Sep 5, 2019 at 16:50
If you are concerned about future floods it could be an idea to look into decking floor tiles. As its generally used for outdoor purposes it should handle a flood without issue.
Another benefit would be that it will leave some air gaps letting the concrete breathe, trapped moisture after a flood can create some real issues.
If I had a floor with cracks and known water issues I would do one of the following:
- Cover the floor in something like - DRIcore Subfloor Membrane (not recommendation just example). Then add either engineered wood or carpet on top (if carpet you probably do rigid insulation panels.
- Pure vinyl click lock. Don't confuse these with run-of-the-mill vinyl flooring that comes in sheets or has a vinyl top with some other (usually padding plus mdf) type of backing. These are pure rubber click locks. This would be the quickest, easiest, and cheapest solution. If they get wet you spray them off or just let them be.
I would not suggest putting down tile even though it is a pliable option. If you do you will need a membrane on the entire floor. This is expensive and these membranes are hard to install right in huge areas. The other issue is membrane or not, if there is enough concrete movement your tiles will buckle/crack.
