Whether you are choosing flooring for the laundry room at your home or your store, picking the right laundry room flooring is crucial. The flooring of this room sees your dirty laundry—quite literally—along with spills, water and heavy machines. And the material you choose to clad your laundry room flooring in needs to be able to stand it.
Other than utility and practicality, aesthetics is also important here. Think about it—you will be spending a great deal of time in this room. So, why not spruce up this place to bring a little fun to your laundry duties?
This article will give you the top six flooring options that fill all the boxes for a good laundry room floor. And we will not stop there—we will also give you the floorings to avoid in a laundry room. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What Are the Characteristics of A Good Laundry Floor?
Choosing a good laundry floor can be challenging as it needs to put up with all that goes on in a laundry room. If you aren’t meticulous enough, you will end up with a floor that will not put up with your laundry room’s heavy load—eventually leading to premature replacements. So, we have curated a checklist of the must-have characteristics of a good laundry floor.
Waterproof
You probably know this already, but a good laundry floor must be waterproof or at least highly water resistant. Unfortunately, the water doesn’t always stay inside the washing machine. You will frequently run into water issues, whether from an overflowing washing machine, clogged drain pipe or even a cracked water pipe. Also, spills are pretty common as you’re pre-soaking or deep in elbow grease fighting a tough stain. So, you need a floor that’s ready to hold off the water as you do your job with peace of mind!
Moisture resistant
Laundry rooms are naturally very humid from the constant flow of water and the dryer running almost daily. Also, most laundry rooms aren’t well-ventilated, creating even more humidity issues. If the floor you pick for this area is sensitive to moisture and humidity fluctuations, it might buckle or swell. The floor should also resist mold and mildew growth from excess humidity.
Durable
This goes without saying that your laundry room floors need to be tough! In addition to housing the heavy machines that weigh a ton when filled with water, these floors also take quite a beating. Dropping a tub of detergent or a heavy bucket or even you stomping on the floor can damage the floor. So, you need a floor that won’t scratch or dent easily.
Aesthetic
Now, this might not cross your mind, but the look of your laundry room is just as important as all the other qualities. Why, you may ask. Well, you’re going to be spending quite a significant amount of time in this room. And if it’s dull and dingy, you might keep putting off your next load longer than you want. So, choose a flooring that will brighten up the place and make this mundane chore a bit more fun for you. Cohesion with the rest of the house is also something you should consider.
Stain resistant
Spilling laundry detergent, softener or even bleach on the floor happens more frequently than we’d like to admit. A stain-resistant floor with a protective coating will prevent the chemicals from soaking into the floor and retain its color.
Fire resistant
You might be surprised why we’re looking for fire resistance in a room more likely to see more water than fire. But did you know that dryers cause more than 3,000 house fires in the United States yearly in laundry rooms? Most people don’t clean their dryer pipes every 6-9 months as per recommendation. A good laundry floor should not ignite and add to the fire even if it doesn’t actively stop the spreading.
Easy to maintain
Doing laundry is enough of a chore. No one wants to spend a ton of time and energy cleaning their laundry room flooring. Also, you should avoid materials that require special tools and cleaners to clean. Floorings that you can simply mop with water are the best way to go.
Top 6 Laundry Room Flooring Options
1. Luxury Vinyl Plank & Luxury Vinyl Tile
Luxury vinyl plank (aka LVP) and luxury vinyl tile (aka LVT) are incredibly durable and affordable flooring choices that are popular for imitating pricier floorings perfectly. They are pretty much the same except for appearance—one mimicking solid hardwood to its very core while the other looks up to tiles for inspiration. The installation costs for these floors are also similar.
One incredible advantage of luxury vinyl planks and tiles is they are waterproof! Vinyl is essentially plastic, which gives it a natural immunity to water. However, the main waterproofing qualities come from its core. For laundry rooms, look for an SPC or WPC product (SPC and WPC are types of rigid core). These products typically come with an attached underlayment to give them extra insulation and protection from moisture damage.
2. Porcelain Tile
Tiles are undoubtedly the most popular choice for laundry rooms. In fact, they are so popular you will find them in most laundry rooms. Now, why does porcelain make for such excellent laundry room flooring? Well, because they possess all the qualities you need in a good laundry room floor: they are 100% waterproof, super durable, effortless to clean and maintain, and on top of that—they are moisture, stain, and fire resistant.
The one downside of porcelain tile for the laundry room is its cold and hard surface, which is great for the washer and dryer but not so great for your feet. But you can tackle this with radiant heating and mats.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to clean and requires minimal maintenance | Requires professional installation |
| Completely waterproof | Feels cold and hard underfoot |
| Heat-resistant | High-quality porcelain tiles can be relatively expensive |
| Offers a vast array of designs | |
| Durable |
3. Sheet Vinyl
Sheet vinyl is an unseamed waterproof flooring material that is a top choice for laundry rooms. As long as the vinyl floor and the wall base molding are sealed, it can even contain a tiny flood. Sheet vinyl offers all the benefits of vinyl planks and tiles minus the seams for incredible moisture-proofing.
Sheet vinyl also holds well to foot traffic. However, one concern with sheet vinyl is it lacks the backing layer, which provides vinyl with structural stability. So, dropping sharp objects or heavy furniture can puncture or tear the sheet.
4. Natural Stone
The natural water resistance and rigidness of natural stone make it an excellent choice for laundry room flooring options. These floorings will last you a lifetime without any water or moisture damage. Stone floors have a super tough surface that is nearly impossible to dent and can take heavy loads like a champ. Depending on the seal and the type of stone, these floors can also resist stains.
However, you should avoid natural stones with uneven surfaces as they can make the washer and dryer wobbly. Also, dirt can hide in the grooves, making upkeep difficult.
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly water and moisture-resistant | It might get slippery when wet |
| Incredibly durable | Feels uncomfortable underfoot |
| Stain resistant | More expensive |
| Heat- and fire-resistant |
5. Concrete
You probably have concrete in your laundry room already. Why not give it a makeover and turn it into the perfect laundry room flooring? It already possesses all the qualities to become a top contestant in this category: concrete is stupendously durable, completely waterproof, and moisture and heat won’t even budge it.
But what about the cold and hard surface? Just place a waterproof rug for comfort and insulation. Don’t like the look of concrete? Spruce it up with a bit of stains and paints!
| Pros | Cons |
| Completely waterproof | Might get slippery when wet |
| Incredibly durable | Cold and hard underfoot |
| Stain resistant | |
| Heat- and fire-resistant | |
| Very affordable |
6. Waterproof Laminate
Waterproof laminate flooring makes a fantastic choice for laundry room flooring. It combines affordability and ease of maintenance. Similar to tile, it’s resistant to dents and scratches. However, the crucial distinction lies in its waterproofing capability. Unlike tile, standard laminate is not inherently waterproof.
Hence, when opting for laminate in your laundry room, choosing the waterproof variety is imperative, as regular laminate isn’t suitable for wet environments.
| Pros | Cons |
| Resistant to dents and scratches | Limited repair options |
| Easy to clean and maintain | It doesn’t last as long as some other options |
| Comfortable to walk on | |
| Budget-friendly | |
| Offers a wide range of styles and designs |
3 Worst Laundry Room Flooring Options
1. Carpet
You probably saw this coming, but the fluffy fibers and water do not go together. The soft, plush carpet takes forever to dry once you spill water on it. Not only are wet carpets gross, but also a health hazard. Wet carpets harbor bacteria and grow mold and mildew.
Additionally, carpets are very difficult to clean. They stain easily, and they do not work well with humidity. Also, carpets are a fire hazard you don’t want in your laundry room.
2. Solid Hardwood
Although a lot of people prefer solid hardwood for laundry rooms for cohesion with the rest of the home, it’s simply not worth it. You may also find that a lot of articles in your internet research suggesting solid hardwood as a fair laundry room flooring option. Or even mentioning so-called “waterproof hardwood floors.” But can hardwood truly be waterproof? Here is what we found.
Solid hardwood and engineered hardwood floors can resist small water droplets, but excessive water exposure can lead to issues like swelling, warping, and bloating, causing structural damage. Wood and water aren’t good companions. It can even result in rot and mold issues in severe cases, demanding a full floor replacement.
If you lack the time to promptly clean every spill, address accidents, or manage moisture, hardwood flooring might not be the ideal choice for your laundry room.
3. Cork
Cork is not typically recommended for laundry room flooring due to its inherent characteristics. While cork flooring is renowned for its natural insulation properties and eco-friendliness, it is not well-suited to the laundry room environment. Cork is porous, making it vulnerable to moisture and water exposure, a common occurrence in laundry areas. The material can absorb moisture, leading to swelling and potential damage.
Additionally, the softness of cork makes it susceptible to indentation and damage from heavy appliances, laundry baskets, and other objects commonly found in laundry rooms. For these reasons, it’s advisable to opt for flooring materials that are more water-resistant and durable for the laundry room, such as tile, vinyl, or laminate.
Best Laundry Room Flooring Option: Our Pick
Even though the six laundry room flooring options we mentioned are all worthy choices, we have picked tiles, more specifically porcelain tiles, as our favorite. After all, there is a reason they are the crowd favorite and are adorned in most laundry rooms.
Porcelain tiles possess all the qualities of a great laundry room floor if you have the budget for it. They are completely waterproof (as long as the seams are properly sealed) and exceptionally durable. They can handle the weight of a loaded washing machine like a champ. The pros don’t stop there—stain, heat and fire resistance add to why porcelain tile is the best laundry room flooring. Their only major flaw, lack of insulation and comfort, can be easily tackled with a washable rug.
