Curious what anyone thinks about engineered hardwood in a kitchen. Am I asking for trouble with water damage?

Question

We have had water damage twice(dishwasher---ice maker supply) in the last 3 years, bad luck each time. We have had laminate down both and it has buckled the laminate pretty good. We thought we had decided to lay tile in the kitchen, and hardwood throughout the rest of the house, but now we are conisdering going with the engineered hardwood everywhere. Our concern is possible water damage in the future. I know it is a freak thing, but we really don't want to go through this again. The hardwood would be cheaper than the tile because of installation prices, and we would like the look a lot better. Please let me know any suggestions. I have heard that the hardwood will not buckle as much and sometimes if you catch it in time it will dry out, or at worst you can refinish. Is that true?

Answer 1

That's what we have insurance for. Lots of people have hardwood floors in the kitchen and even the bathroom.

Answer 2

Engineered Hardwood In Kitchen

Answer 3

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RE:
Curious what anyone thinks about engineered hardwood in a kitchen. Am I asking for trouble with water damage?
We have had water damage twice(dishwasher---ice maker supply) in the last 3 years, bad luck each time. We have had laminate down both and it has buckled the laminate pretty good. We thought we had decided to lay tile in the kitchen, and hardwood throughout the rest of the house, but now we are...

Answer 4

Engineered hardwood looks a lot better than laminate but that's about the only difference in my book.

In a kitchen, I would put down bare hardwood and finish it. This way, the junctions are sealed. And today's finishes are of a much higher quality than the old ones. Pre-finished hardwood doesn't do this and is fine in other parts of a house but not in the kitchen.

If you're ever going to sell the house though, I would go with tiles. A lot of people are scared of wood in kitchens.

Answer 5

You haven't spent enough yet? Why use something that could get damaged by water. Tile costs what it costs then that's it. If the hardwood is damaged from enough water it may need to be replaced. Cost plus more cost etc. If you don't want anymore hassles from the kitchen then use tile even if it cost a little more upfront. If you want to risk more problems then go with hardwood.

Yeah, Dogzilla is right, you can go through your insurance to keep having hardwood replaced until the insurance company drops you or raises your premiums.

Answer 6

I have had hardwood in the kitchen for the last 13 yrs and am putting them in my new home as well. The floors are pre-finished Bruce floors and they have held up beautifully. We did have a washer hose break that flooded the floors in the kitchen and breakfast room with about 2 inches of hot water before we got home to find it. We thought the floors wouldn't recover and filed an insurance claim to have them replaced but days later they had dried and tightened and looked as if nothing had happened. The pre-finished floors are so much more resilient to just about everything. I wouldn't hesitate to put them in.

Answer 7

20 + years in the flooring industry starting with installation and now I am a Flooring Inspector. The engineered wood will act in a similar manner to the laminate floor after all it is really just plywood with a finished veneer on the top. While it is somewhat more resilient you still have the the possibility of delamination and permenant damage. I think your best option is the ceramic tile, you can even heat the ceramic tile if cold floors are an issue. Real wood with a sand and finish would give slightly more protection but the water would still find its way to the underside of the floor. Prefinished is not sealed but it does have more resilience to water the engineered. Prefinished and sand/finish both willl dry out and return to normal but not under extreme cases of standing water/continiuos exposure. good luck with your decision

Answer 8

All engineered hardwood floors are not made alike. If you do not choose one with the proper 'substrate', you will have the same buckling issues as you had with the laminate flooring.

Do remember that all wood products are organic and nature, and tend to absorb moisture. While engineered is more resistant to buckling due to its nature, it's not going to withstand the types of 'floods' you are describing. Your best bet, if water is your concern, is ceramic tile installed over a base such as Durock or similar.