Make sure you look for a water resistant laminate because most laminates don’t like water. We were looking at AtroGuard laminate by Lamett, but have since decided to install SPC (stone polymer composite) rigid plank SuperCore flooring from WeShipFloors.com. It’s not bothered by moisture and humidity, and living in Mississippi that’s a real plus. With the laminate we would have to run dehumidifiers 24/7 to maintain the 40-60% humidity to keep it happy during the summer and humidifiers in winter to maintain the humidity during cold weather when the heat has to be on. Most of the water resistant laminates are surface water protected for up to 72 hours, but if water gets under it the floor can be ruined. The Flooret Modin SPC plank has some colors you might like and so does SuperCore. It’s definitely worth reading up on the newcomer SPC since it can take temps much higher than LVP and WPC (wood polymer composite) vinyl plank flooring and is much more stable in sunlight. I also suggest you read a lot about laminate since you stated you are looking for flooring that will be durable with water. IMHO, the SPC flooring will fit your needs better. There are some companies that have a tile look SPC if that interest you. It may take some research to find them, but they’re out there. Good luck in your flooring search. I really suggest you do some reading on both types of flooring and then decide what you think will work best on a concrete slab in Florida that needs to stand up well to water with humidity, kids and a dog in the picture.

@parehm, We have Flooret Modin in Arbor in our entire house (actually just laying our living room and kitchen planks today!). We did extensive research and got samples of the Flooret, Provenza, Coretec Plus, Mannington Adura Max and Kardean. We chose the Flooret because it felt and looked the best, and we especially liked the extra wide and long planks, attached underlayment and 40mil wear layer. Some people don't like the bevel but we love it. The next best choice for us was the Coretec Plus, but it was $2 more per sq.ft and didn't look as good. We have a beach house and two 90-lb dogs that constantly bring gritty sand in on their paws. We've had the Modin in our master bedroom/bath and high traffic hallway for 9 months. This floor takes a beating and cleans up beautifully. The main negatives are the shipping cost plus having to deal with a freight company for delivery. But the company has been great to work with by phone with excellent response times and customer service. I always prefer to work with local dealers, but in the case, we have no regrets going with Flooret.

OK...a little education for you. 1. Laminate sits in a LOWER category BUT it overlaps with vinyl once it gets into the higher value range. 2. Vinyl is technically a higher category but it a cheap vinyl is less durable (more problematic) than a higher end laminate. This is commonly seen in the flooring industry. A high-end product in a lower category will OUT PERFORM a cheap product in a higher category. Like purchasing a top of the line HYUNDAI ($80K vehicle) will out perform an entry level Volkswagen ($23K). Technically VW is a better brand but their entry level products have no hope of competing with an $80K Hyundai. Right. So a $3.50/sf EUROPEAN laminate will OUTPERFORM a $3.50/sf vinyl. I can guarantee it. If you must have vinyl you want: 1. total thickness to be MORE than 7mm - rigid is better 2. Wear layer = 20mil minimum (the 12mil wear layers = not good enough for American households) 3. SPC core or WPC core - in your price range this is going to be STUPID TOUGH...you can try for it but be aware $2.99/sf vinyl isn't going to have this option. And remember: floors are you most ABUSED finish. Like your roof, it must do WORK. Gravity works which means your floor is working every second of every minute of every day. Like your roof, you should be prepared to spend money on a quality product. If you don't it will show up VERY QUICKLY (would you purchase shingles on clearance for $0.99/sf??? I hope to h3ll not!). If you cannot afford the good stuff in the category you have chosen, then go down one category and purchase the HIGHEST LEVEL product in that category. Which is why I suggested going with a $3.50/sf laminate instead of a $2.99/sf vinyl.

I don't like the idea of LVP because of the environmental impact. I have been hoping that with technology there might be a super water resistant coating for hardwood floors. I have looked at Vermont Natural Coatings Super Whey 3500 which is used in commercial buildings, hotels, & restaurants. Vermont Natural Coating Whey water-based poly coating has been used on many sports/ basketball floors which do get lots of wear but not much water/ liquid spills that sit for at least 8 hours. I would never put wood in a bathroom. I have a semi-open concept home. The kitchen is open to the family/ great room so matching flooring makes the room look bigger and more elegant. The entryway flows into the back great room area so I prefer the main floor being the same flooring. I have seen how the water-based poly coatings on solid hardwood wears quite terribly over the years especially in front of the sinks, stoves, and refrigerators. Every design show makes the main floor all wood now unless it's in Florida where they use tile or LVP. The exception is the mudroom/ primary entrance from the garage being tile IF the main floor is hardwood/ engineered wood flooring. I have been looking at the new waterproof engineered flooring but many reviews show many brands have poor scratch resistance. See: https://www.flooringstores.com/blog/waterproof-hardwood-flooring/