How to Waterproof Laminate Flooring

Today’s laminate flooring options are modern marvels of ingenuity.

Giving homeowners an opportunity to dramatically improve and customize the look of their floors without having to spend a mountain of money on traditional hardwood options, it’s not hard to see why this flooring material is so popular today.

At the same time, though, there is one huge downside and drawback to using laminate floors – and that’s the trouble that these floors have with water damage.

Remember, laminate flooring is an engineered wood made (almost entirely) of MDF substrates. This material can get really “thirsty” when even just a little bit of water has been dripped onto it, and it doesn’t take much moisture for these floors to bow, to crack, to bubble, and to basically come apart at the seams.

Thankfully, though, waterproofing your laminate flooring is a whole lot easier than most people expect.

In fact, it’s something that every homeowner can tackle all on their own – all without spending a mountain of money along the way.

Let’s dive right in!

How to Waterproof Laminate Flooring

Benefits of Waterproofing Laminate Flooring

The biggest and most obvious benefit of waterproofing your laminate flooring is keeping it safe from water damage, something that these engineered materials are particularly prone to.

There’s a lot of peace of mind putting laminate flooring in your kitchen or your dining room (or an entryway with there’s going to be a lot of foot traffic with wet, muddy shoes) when you know that it is armored against water damage.

Another big benefit of waterproofing laminate flooring is that it provides a more secure and more “locked in” flooring solution.

Laminate floors are famous for their ability to “float” in a way that traditional hardwood floors cannot, but that also opens them up to shifting and seams becoming wider and wider. The right waterproofing solutions lock those laminate pieces in place while still allowing the entire floor structure to float at the same time.

Finally, waterproofed laminate flooring is a whole lot easier to clean and maintain but also looks brand-new a lot longer than laminate flooring that hasn’t been protected.

This makes household chores a lot easier to tackle but it also improves the value of your home. Laminate flooring that looks like it was put down yesterday but is really years old is a huge selling point!

Waterproofing Options for Laminate Flooring

Waterproofing your laminate flooring requires you to use different products on different parts of your floor. Below we run through how to protect the three main components of your laminate flooring system as best you can!

Polyurethane Top Coats

Short of installing laminate flooring materials that are fully waterproofed themselves (usually impregnated with waterproofing chemicals), a polyurethane topcoat is the next best thing.

The beautiful thing about using polyurethane, off course, is that it isn’t just going to protect your laminate floors from water damage. It’s also going to add an extra layer of “armor” to your laminate floors, too.

This is going to help them retain their brand-new look for much longer than they would have otherwise.

Of course, some laminate flooring materials include a hard resin layer on top of the laminate that makes polyurethane top coats struggle to adhere. The trick in these situations is to apply thin layers of polyurethane with a mop, allowing that layer to dry completely before applying another one – and maybe two or three more – until you get the results you’re looking for.

Products to Try:

Minwax Wipe-On Poly

Minwax Wipe-On Poly


  • Excellent Durability.
  • Ultra Fast-Drying.
  • Low Odor, Easy Water Clean-Up.
General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat

General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat


  • Do not apply clear topcoats over bright white paint, as yellowing may occur due to a reaction to the substrate.
  • The hardest, most durable consumer polyurethane top coat on the market today.
  • Dry Time Between Coats is only 1 to 2 Hours.
Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish

Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish


  • Protects and adds beauty to interior wood surfaces including woodwork, furniture, doors and cabinets.
  • Crystal clear finish is ideal for use over light woods like maple, ash and birch as well as over Minwax Water-Based Wood Stains.
  • Ultra fast-drying formula allows for quick recoats in 2 hours.

Seam Sealant

Polyurethane does a great job at protecting the exposed, plank components of your laminate flooring system – but it isn’t going to penetrate into the seams and locking systems of your floor.

No, to protect these vulnerable areas from water damage (and to guarantee that your laminate floor doesn’t start to bow, expand, or “creep” on you) you’ll want to use seam sealant products that double as seam adhesives.

These flexible glue-like substances are going to keep water out of the seams and away from the exposed MDF material of your laminate floor. They’ll also keep these floor components locked into place, too.

Talk about a win-win solution!

Products to Try:

Cal-Flor Eurobond D3 Floating Floor Glue

Cal-Flor Eurobond D3 Floating Floor Glue


  • More effective barrier to water damage than other glues.
  • Perfect for wet areas such as bathrooms, kitchens.
  • Flexible when dry, resulting in stronger bond.
Titebond 2104 Tongue and Groove Glue

Titebond 2104 Tongue and Groove Glue


  • Recommended for all types of laminate floors and floating floors, even over radiant heat systems.
  • Superior bond strength.
  • Resists solvents & water when dry.

Silicone Caulk

High-quality silicone caulk should be used on the expansion joints of your laminate floors to protect them from water and moisture damage, too.

These joints (at the terminal ends of your floor) often go overlooked because they are usually tucked underneath molding or another finishing material.

Don’t ignore them, though!

Silicone caulk allows you to apply a thin, even layer of waterproof material that dries completely clear without restricting the movement of the floating floor at the same time. That’s hugely important for this kind of installation.

Products to Try:

Gorilla Clear 100 Percent Silicone Sealant

Gorilla Clear 100 Percent Silicone Sealant


  • Incredibly versatile 100% silicone sealant that dries translucent clear.
  • Indoor/outdoor; 100% waterproof.
  • Won't yellow, shrink or crack.
DAP 18898 Silicone-Caulk

DAP 18898 Silicone-Caulk


  • Item Weight: 0.64 lb.
  • Country of Origin: United States.
  • Capacity: 10.1 fluid_ounces.
GE GE012A Silicone 1 All Purpose Sealant Caulk

GE GE012A Silicone 1 All Purpose Sealant Caulk


  • Permanently weatherproof.
  • 100% Silicone.
  • Typical Uses: windows, doors, siding, trim, molding, baseboards, vents, around wires/pipes and other attic/basement applications.
How to Waterproof Laminate Flooring

Tips For Waterproofing Laminate Flooring

Seal Your Seams

As highlighted above, it is hugely important that you seal your seams and the locking system on your laminate floors – not just to protect against water damage, but to really cement your floor components in place as well.

Professional installers know just how important it is to seal seams with waterproof adhesive, but homeowners that choose to DIY this approach may not be clued into the importance of this step.

Make sure that you don’t skip it if you’re going to be tackling your own laminate floor installation.

Hit Your Floors with a Top Coat

A polyurethane coating on your laminate floor is an absolute must, even if you’ve been told from the installer or the manufacturer that the floors are already waterproof.

Sure, each and every individual piece of laminate that you use may be protected with a bit of waterproofing material (until you cut into it to fit it into place, anyway) – but there are still going to be gaps and spots on your finished floor that aren’t as well protected.

Mopping on a couple of thin layers of polyurethane (allowing each layer to dry completely before applying another one) is an easy, inexpensive, and quick solution that just adds that extra layer of armor and protection.

It also makes your job of cleaning these floors a whole lot easier, too. Dirt, dust, and grime slides right off of a hardened polyurethane finish!

Refinish Floors Every Year or So

No matter what you do to waterproof your laminate floors it’s not a bad idea to reassess and refinish the tops with another layer or two of polyurethane protection every year or so.

Deeply clean the surface as much as you can before you apply your new polyurethane topcoat, though.

Anything left on the surface is going to dry and harden in place. If it isn’t squeaky clean (if there’s even just a little bit of dust and debris) your finished polyurethane protective layer is going to be cloudy, murky, and your floors are going to look a little dirty.

Scrub things clean, allow the floor to dry completely, run a clean towel over the entirety of the surface to pick up any leftover dust and debris and then get down to business with your new polyurethane coat!