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Humidity and Flooring: What It Means for Your Delaware Floors

Posted: August 12, 2025

Discover the Best Flooring for a Humid Climate

Living in a humid climate can take a toll on your floors. Warping, swelling, and mold are real concerns that can affect your home in Middletown, DE. So, how can you avoid unnecessary damage to your home? And what is the best flooring for high-humidity areas?

Read on as we discuss the best and worst flooring options for high-moisture environments.

How Does Humidity Affect Your Floors?

High humidity (moisture in the air) can cause various levels of damage to your floors. But how can you tell if the damage is already done?

Here are signs of moisture damage to watch out for in your Delaware floors:

Sticky floors. Does humidity make floors sticky? It can. Wood and laminate floors can feel tacky in high humidity because the humidity alters the floor finish. Tile can sometimes also feel sticky, though this is often because of a cleaning product that wasn’t fully washed off.

Moisture absorption. When wood or laminate floors absorb moisture, it causes the wood floor or the wood-based fiberboard core in laminate to swell, causing the floors to warp. Carpet also expands and contracts with moisture absorption and can start rippling or buckling.

Mold. Another common issue in highly humid areas is mold or mildew growth. If the mold is on the surface of most floors, you can often see and clean it away. Carpet fibers, on the other hand, can easily hide mold spores, making it nearly impossible to see until it’s a major problem. Mold can also grow beneath the flooring in the subfloor, which causes more complications.

Adhesive failure. Moisture can cause a barrier between the glue and the subfloor, allowing laminate floors to curl and carpet to become loose and saggy. Not only does the loose floor become uncomfortable to walk on, but it also creates a pocket to trap more moisture and encourage more mold growth.

These Are the Best Floorings for High Humidity

To avoid damage to your floors, you can choose flooring types that work well in high-humidity areas of your home. Here are the three best high-humidity flooring options:

Tile. Both porcelain and ceramic tile are non-porous, waterproof floors that work wonderfully in both dry and humid areas of your home. The smooth, hard surface is easy to clean and won’t grow mold. Homeowners in Middletown and beyond love to use tile in the bathroom, kitchen, and any other humid or mess-prone rooms.

Luxury vinyl. With entirely waterproof options, luxury vinyl flooring avoids swelling, buckling, and mold. You can easily style your humid home with the look of wood, stone, or other high-end natural flooring materials.

Engineered hardwood. With its multiple layers, engineered wood is more resistant to moisture damage than traditional solid wood floors. Choosing engineered wood gives you the natural look and feel of hardwood with less risk of warping.

While choosing the best flooring for a humid climate is an important first step, selecting the right material is only one piece of the puzzle. You also want to make sure the floors are properly installed. Poor installation can undo all your efforts to have floors without moisture damage.

Floors to Avoid in Humid Areas

We've discussed floors that work well in humid regions, but there are also some floors to avoid if you have a particularly humid home. Let's talk about the worst flooring for high-humidity areas.

Wood. We don’t recommend solid hardwood for highly humid areas because wood floors are notorious for absorbing moisture and swelling, cupping, or warping. Unless you have humidity control in your home, it’s better to avoid solid wood floors.

Laminate. Laminate has a compressed wood-based core that can be very strong and durable, but with long exposure to liquid or moisture, the outer seal can fail. Once moisture starts to soak into the core, the planks will swell and warp. While there are a few highly rated waterproof options for laminate, even these have limits.

Carpet. Besides feeling damp, carpeting isn’t good for humid areas because it traps moisture and can harbor mold, mildew, or other allergens. If you live in humid regions and already have carpet, you may need to manage indoor moisture with ventilation and dehumidification equipment.

Humid conditions can cause irreparable damage to your floors. That's why it’s important to choose floors like tile, luxury vinyl, or engineered wood that can handle moisture. Proper installation also plays an essential role in helping your floors withstand high humidity.

Ready to Update Your Floors?

Thinking of new floors for your humid coastal home? Our team at Floor Coverings International® of Middletown, DE, can help you find the best flooring for high humidity, and we’ll expertly install your floors using professional techniques to prevent moisture damage.