A vinyl plank can be waterproof while the floor it belongs to still lets water through. The waterproof claim on an SPC (stone plastic composite) plank describes the board: its core does not take on water. The floor is that board plus the gap left at every wall, the click joints between planks, the subfloor underneath and whatever stands on top, and those are the places water reaches when a "waterproof" floor ends up damaged. All 95 SPC products in our vinyl plank collection have their waterproof field set to Yes, so the more useful question is which part of the floor the label is talking about, and the sections below answer that from our product pages and the manufacturers' installation guides.
What "waterproof" covers on an SPC vinyl plank
Start with the Riche Flooring Heavy-Duty 8mm SPC Vinyl Plank in Driftwood Mist. Its product page lists the material as "Waterproof Stone Plastic Composite (SPC)". It has a 20mil wear layer and comes in boxes of 16.55 sq ft at $59.00, which works out to $3.56 per sq ft. Further down the same page, the click joint is described in different words: the planks lock together into "a tight, water-resistant seal". So the board is called waterproof, and the seam between two boards is called water-resistant, on the product's own page.
The Riche Greige Oak SPC Vinyl Plank is the thicker option from the same brand. Its product page gives the build as "10mm (8mm SPC core + 2mm EVA pad)", and its title lists it as 5.9" wide. The page says its rigid core "will not swell, warp, or buckle from moisture exposure", again a statement about the core. A box covers 11.82 sq ft at $59.00, or $4.99 per sq ft, so the same box price buys less floor than the Driftwood Mist plank. For how Riche compares with the other SPC ranges we carry, see our guide to SPC vinyl plank brands in Toronto.
Where water still gets into a floor sold as waterproof
A click-lock vinyl floor floats. Shaw Contract's SPC installation guidelines tell installers to "Make sure that no plank will be secured in any way to the subfloor." Leaving the floor able to move is part of a correct installation, and it also means the floor is not sealed to the room. Three places matter most.
The expansion gap at the walls
Both Goodfellow guides ask for an open gap at the perimeter. The guide for its Kelowna SPC collection says to leave a gap of minimum 10 mm (3/8") around walls, kitchen islands, staircases and columns, and the guide for its Floorpan Elite XL 72-hour laminate asks for 12 mm to 15 mm (1/2" to 5/8"). Baseboards and quarter round then hide the gap, and the laminate guide has them installed "ensuring they are not fixed to the flooring itself". The result is a channel around the room that is covered but not sealed. Water that reaches the wall, from an overflowing tub or a leaking dishwasher, can run into that channel and under the planks, where the waterproof face of the board does nothing for it.
Shaw's guidelines add one step for wet rooms: "For wet areas such as bathrooms caulk the perimeter of the floor with a flexible silicone caulk." That bead is a separate job from choosing the plank.
The subfloor below the planks
Goodfellow's laminate guide says the water-resistant description "refers to the product itself. It should not be used as a moisture barrier." A waterproof SPC core is in the same position: it does not stop moisture rising from a concrete slab or a damp plywood deck. The Goodfellow SPC guide sets a concrete moisture limit of RH up to 85% and lists "Concrete with a 6-mil vapour barrier" as an accepted subfloor. Shaw's guidelines go further for slabs that are not cured, saying a barrier "like 6 mil poly should be considered" to keep the material from being damaged by vapour from the subfloor. Our posts on waterproof flooring options for basements and bathrooms and on SPC and hybrid planks over concrete slabs go further into slab conditions.
Cabinets, islands and appliance lines
Goodfellow's SPC and laminate guides carry the same sentence: "Heavy objects (e.g., kitchen islands, cabinets) should not be placed directly on floating floors." Shaw's guidelines say that if cabinets or islands do go on top of the flooring, that area must be fully adhered to the subfloor, including an additional 2 ft beyond them. A plank pinned under a cabinet can no longer float, and the cut edge at the toe kick becomes one more seam. Dishwasher and fridge water lines, toilet flanges and floor registers are all edges or openings rather than the face of a plank, so a leak at any of them meets the gap, the cut or the subfloor first. For kitchen layouts, our article on waterproof LVP in kitchens and on main floors covers the room itself.
Waterproof vs water-resistant: what our laminate pages say
Laminate in our range is labelled differently. None of our 60 laminate listings has the waterproof field set, and the two laminates featured here describe their water performance in their own terms.
The Goodfellow Prag No.028 Laminate belongs to Goodfellow's Floorpan Elite XL collection, which the manufacturer's spec sheet headlines as "Water-Resistant Laminate - 72h" and lists with "72 h of water resistance". Our product page gives the same figure as a 72-hour water resistance rating. It is a 12mm plank, 7-5/8" wide per its title, rated AC5, and boxed at 20.18 sq ft for $60.54, which is $3.00 per sq ft. A rating stated in hours is a time window rather than a permanent property, and the Goodfellow guide quoted above limits it to the product itself.
The Sandy Driftwood plank from the Riche Flooring Toronto Collection takes a third approach. Its page describes a high-density fiberboard (HDF) core and says "Each plank includes a waxed locking system for improved moisture protection". The wax treatment targets the joints, not the core, and the page makes no waterproof or hours-based claim. It is a 12mm laminate listed as AC 3 on its page, at $69.99 for 15.40 sq ft, or $4.54 per sq ft.
For a fuller material comparison, including how each type behaves on concrete, see our article on SPC vinyl compared with laminate.
What each water label costs per square foot today
The waterproof label is not a premium tier in our range. Across the 95 SPC vinyl products, all marked waterproof, prices run from $2.66 to $5.08 per sq ft, and 87 of them are in stock. Goodfellow's 7 laminate SKUs, all in stock, run from $3.00 to $3.47 per sq ft. The water claim and the price move independently, so settle the claim you need first and compare prices second.
| Plank | Box price | Coverage per box | Price per sq ft | Water wording on the product page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Driftwood Mist 8mm SPC | $59.00 | 16.55 sq ft | $3.56 | Waterproof SPC material; water-resistant seal at the joints |
| Riche Greige Oak 10mm SPC | $59.00 | 11.82 sq ft | $4.99 | Waterproof: Yes, rigid SPC core |
| Goodfellow Prag No.028 AC5 12mm laminate | $60.54 | 20.18 sq ft | $3.00 | 72-hour water resistance rating |
| Sandy Driftwood 12mm EIR laminate | $69.99 | 15.40 sq ft | $4.54 | Waxed locking system for moisture protection |
Prices checked October 6, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue.
The price per sq ft is the figure to compare, because box sizes differ: Greige Oak and Driftwood Mist share a $59.00 box price, yet at 11.82 sq ft against 16.55 sq ft per box they land $1.43 apart per sq ft. Price also says nothing about water performance here: the Sandy Driftwood laminate, with no waterproof claim, costs more per sq ft than the waterproof Driftwood Mist plank, and the lowest figure in the table belongs to the 72-hour Goodfellow laminate.
Four checks before you rely on a waterproof label
- Find what the claim is attached to. Check whether the page applies "waterproof" to the core, the joint or the installed floor. The Driftwood Mist page words the board and the seam differently.
- Test the subfloor, not the plank. On concrete, the Goodfellow SPC guide asks for a moisture test before installation, and a slab above its limit is outside what the guide allows, whatever the plank is made of.
- Plan the edges. Decide where the perimeter will be caulked, how the floor meets the tub, toilet and doorways, and keep cabinets and islands off a floating floor unless the installation method allows for them.
- Match the label to the water you expect. The Greige Oak page names bathrooms and laundry rooms among the rooms for its waterproof core. A 72-hour rating or waxed joints suit rooms where spills are wiped up promptly.
A waterproof board over a damp slab, with an open perimeter beside a tub, is still a waterproof board. It is just not a waterproof floor.
Questions about waterproof and water-resistant floors
Is LVP flooring really waterproof?
The plank is; the installed floor depends on its edges and on what lies underneath. Our SPC pages describe the core as waterproof, while the Goodfellow and Shaw installation documents treat the perimeter, cabinets and subfloor as separate things to manage.
If my vinyl plank is waterproof, why did water still damage my floor?
Usually because the water did not stay on top of the planks. Liquid that reaches a wall can drop into the expansion gap behind the baseboard, a leak at an appliance line meets a cut edge, and vapour from a slab arrives from below. In each case the water ends up beside or beneath the boards, where a waterproof core cannot help.
Is SPC vinyl flooring waterproof?
As our product pages state it, yes. Every SPC listing in our catalogue has its waterproof field set to Yes, including planks at the low end of the price range, so you do not have to pay more for the label itself.
Is AC5 laminate flooring waterproof?
AC5 does not answer that question. Goodfellow's spec sheet for the collection our Prag plank belongs to lists AC5 and the water resistance as separate items and calls the product a water-resistant laminate. An AC5 laminate can therefore be water-resistant without being waterproof.
Is laminate flooring waterproof?
Not on our pages. No laminate we list carries the waterproof field; the two shown above state either an hours-based water resistance or waxed joints. For a bathroom or laundry room, look at SPC planks whose pages name those rooms.
Get a quote for a waterproof floor in Toronto and the GTA
If you are choosing between a waterproof SPC plank and a water-resistant laminate for a particular room, request a quote with your room sizes and the type of subfloor, and we will price the planks you are considering.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819