Non-Porous vs. Porous Floor: What Are the Differences?
When homeowners are talking about porous vs. non-porous surfaces, they’re usually discussing kitchen countertops. There are some countertops, like granite countertops, that are porous and will need to be sealed. There are other countertops, like quartz countertops, that are non-porous and won’t need to be sealed.
But it’s worth noting that countertops are not the only surfaces in your home that will be either porous or non-porous. You can also have a porous floor or a non-porous floor in your home.
You should know the differences between porous and non-porous floors before you ever have flooring installation performed in your home. You should also know what sets porous surfaces and non-porous surfaces apart so that you understand how to take care of them.
Learn about the differences between porous and non-porous floors below.
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What Is a Porous Floor?
As its name would suggest, a porous floor is a floor that has pores. These pores can allow water, oil, and more to get beneath a floor’s surface.
For this reason, it’ll be important to clean up any spills that might take place on a porous floor ASAP. Otherwise, you might potentially be left with stains all over a porous floor over time.
There are many different types of porous floors you might have situated throughout your home. Everything from a wood floor to a concrete floor can be porous.
What Should You Keep in Mind With a Porous Floor?
The key thing you’ll need to remember when it comes to porous floors is that any liquid could potentially affect them. If a liquid sits on the surface of a porous floor for even just a few minutes, it can seep down into it and change its appearance forever.
If you ever look at, say, a garage floor that doesn’t have any kind of floor coating over time, you’ll notice that it’ll have stains here and there. These stains are a direct result of concrete being as porous as it is.
What Is a Non-Porous Floor?
Now that you know what a porous floor is, let’s get into talking about what non-porous floors are. Unlike porous floors, they don’t have pores, so you won’t have to be concerned about any liquids seeping down into them and causing stains and other imperfections.
Believe it or not, many of the types of floors found in homes are porous. But there are some kinds of flooring, like those made out of vinyl, that will be non-porous. They’ll be able to have liquids sit on top of them for minutes or even hours on end without showing any ill effects.
Non-porous floors have increased in popularity in recent years because of how easy they are to clean and maintain. They might be the best option for you the next time you need to take on a flooring installation project.
What Should You Keep in Mind With a Non-Porous Floor?
The beauty of buying non-porous floors for your home is that they’ll be very easy to take care of over the years. You won’t have to constantly be on the lookout for any liquids that might be sitting on the surface of them.
Unfortunately, most non-porous floors aren’t going to be constructed out of the most natural materials in the world. But that’s a big part of what makes them so easy to maintain. They won’t be susceptible to many of the issues that can come along with flooring made out of natural materials that are porous.
Is a Non-Porous Floor Better Than a Porous Floor?
At the end of the day, only you can decide whether porous floors or non-porous floors are the better option for your home. You’ll need to scope out all the different options that are out there before coming to a conclusion on which ones you’d like to invest in for your house.
But generally speaking, non-porous floors are going to be an excellent choice for anyone who doesn’t want to have to spend too much time cleaning their floors. You’ll find that these types of floors will be so much easier to clean thanks to their non-porous surfaces.
Can You Make a Porous Floor Non-Porous?
If you already have porous floors in your home that you would like to make non-porous, you’ll be happy to hear that you’ll have this option. You can put a floor coating on a wood floor, a concrete floor, or another kind of floor to make it non-porous for at least a few years, if not longer.
Many homeowners have started to make the decision to add a coating over their existing garage floor materials to make them non-porous. You can improve the appearance of your garage floor and make it so much simpler to maintain with the right floor coating.
Read more about why a polyurea floor coating might be the best option for your garage flooring.
Care for the Floors Throughout Your Home Properly
You should have a general idea as to whether you have a porous floor or a non-porous floor in every room in your house. It’ll help you take better care of your floors as a whole.
You should also attempt to install as many non-porous floors in your home as you can. You’ll have a much easier time maintaining your home’s floors when you don’t have to worry about anything seeping into them.
Would you like to get some more useful home improvement hacks? Find them in the other articles published on our blog.
Last Updated on July 3, 2023
