Funny you mention that—I actually tried something similar in my laundry room last year. Thought I was being super clever by pairing cork flooring with a waterproof barrier underneath. Worked great...until my washer decided to flood the place (thanks, appliance gods). Honestly though, the cork held up surprisingly well, and cleanup wasn't nearly as traumatic as previous floods. So yeah, I'd say you're onto something there—definitely worth giving it a shot if moisture's a concern.
Did you notice any swelling or warping at all with the cork afterward? I've been curious about cork flooring myself, but after dealing with laminate that buckled badly post-flood, I'm a bit cautious about softer materials...
"Did you notice any swelling or warping at all with the cork afterward?"
I had a client who installed cork flooring in their basement after a minor flood, and surprisingly, it held up pretty well. There was some slight swelling initially, but once everything dried out, it mostly went back to normal. Definitely nothing like the laminate disaster you're describing—I've seen that buckle badly too, and it's not pretty. Cork seems more forgiving, but I'd still recommend proper sealing and moisture barriers just to be safe...
Interesting to hear cork bounced back that well. I've mostly stuck with tile in my old place—it's survived a few basement floods without any drama. Curious though, anyone tried bamboo flooring in damp areas? Heard mixed things about it...
I actually put bamboo flooring in my laundry room a few years back—figured it'd be fine since it's supposed to handle moisture decently. Well, turns out "decently" doesn't exactly cover a washing machine leak that went unnoticed for a weekend... It warped pretty badly and never really recovered. Maybe I just had bad luck, but I'd probably stick with tile or something more foolproof next time. Anyone else had better luck with bamboo?
