# Aquarium leaks on engineered wood floor...??



## Iain Sutherland (15 Dec 2015)

Hey all, yes, im still thinking about this flooring!!!  Please bare with me.

Having had 2 big leaks on a concrete and carpet floor i fully appreciate the mess a tank can make if it dumps so am wondering if anyone has had a leak on an engineered wood floor??

What were the consequences and are their any precautions i should take while at the fitting stage?

Because of the type of substrate we are laying ply board across the whole area then gluing the floor to that.... would it be worth the expense to get marine grade ply??

Is the engineered floor likely to be a write off if the worst happened?

If you have any experience,  im all ears


----------



## Greenfinger2 (15 Dec 2015)

Hi Iain, This is the best info I could Find.

http://www.woodflooringguy.com/category/repairs/spills-flooding/


----------



## Tim Harrison (15 Dec 2015)

I had a minor radiator leak on to an engineered wood floor and it blew slightly...but dried out and didn't look too bad afterwards. However, I'd guess that a more significant leak would be a disaster. I doubt what's underneath, marine ply or otherwise, would make any difference, its the surface layer that'll sustain the damage.
But then I wouldn't base my decision solely of what might happen...I'd go ahead regardless, the worst probably won't happen anyway.


----------



## ian_m (16 Dec 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Is the engineered floor likely to be a write off if the worst happened?


Yes, write off if really bad, but really depends on what the layer under the top surface is made of. Cheaper engineered wood floors are hardwood layer on top of MDF, the MDF just soaks up water like a sponge and expands, this would be the worst type, however may recover after a week or two (or longer). Better quality (and more expensive) engineered floors are laminated or block board construction (expand less, so suitable to be glued) so should be less susceptible to water ingress, but again can blow and expand but may recover better than MDF once dried.

You can always get the gaps sealed, during installation, which should help, after all people do fit wooden floors in their utility rooms where they have wet appliances. I wouldn't bother with the expensive marine ply, as you are gluing the floor down, so hopefully any water/moisture shouldn't get through to the underfloor, if glued fully. You can get water resistant ply/chipboard designed for bathroom flooring, if really worried, though check it can be glued to. This is only £5 off for 8x2 sheet as compared to maybe £40 for marine ply.

However solid wood is really the way to go, if there is possibility of water leakage. I have solid oak in tank room...sorry lounge and yes have suffered numerous ""wet incidents" eg syphoning water onto floor rather than bucket, overflowing the bucket, disconnecting the external filter piping and starting to syphon the tank onto the floor, filling hose pipe leaking...to be honest my floor protecting cloth I cover the floor when tank fiddling is usually quite damp/wet after every water change. After water change incidents I just wipe the floor with a towel and so far absolutely nothing, floor as good as new.


----------



## PARAGUAY (16 Dec 2015)

I would agree with what Ian   as said.In hindsight I would have fitted proper hardwood flooring and probably haved tiled base for tank in the living room. My laminate is ok-ish with no major disasters but showing slight signs of "lifting and minor movement".Once didnt put head on external filter after a WC flooding floor,luckily I was present and general splashes through weekly WCs etc are only real negatives. Its more cost but better value. British Standards recommend marine ply for good reason


----------



## ian_m (17 Dec 2015)

The other thing with floating laminate floors (which luckily you say yours won't be) is a heavy object ie tank/bookcase can prevent the floor moving and collapse the foam underlay. My mate moved into a house with laminate floor (hated it as slippery) and he plonked a large full bookcase at one end of the room. Within 6 months a huge bulge appeared in the centre of the room, probably couple of inches high, squashed back when you walked on it, but looked really weird....dead body under floor ??? When he had the floor replaced with solid wood, fitter said "yep completely normal & expected with cheap floating flooring, especially if you put a heavy weight on it".


----------



## Iain Sutherland (17 Dec 2015)

This all sounds quite horrible!

I guess i knew the outcome wouldnt be great but it seems like its a right off if a tank was to dump 
The flooring is a good quality18mm with 6mm hardwood top, no MDF involved so maybe small incidents may go unnoticed.??
Think i had best just check my home contents insurance to see if aquariums are in the small print.... and buy some more jubilee clips.

thanks guys... hopefully the last flooring question


----------



## ian_m (17 Dec 2015)

Of course you have the issue of moving the tank whilst the floor is fitted....and moving back.

I got the floor fitters to start laying the solid oak floor under the tank area first so the glue had 3-4 days to dry.

I emptied the tank into 40l tubs (£3 Asda) to get water as low as I dared, with fish still in, and managed to move the 180l tank and stand (sliding on existing carpet) into the centre of the room. I then put all the water back and connected electrics via an extension lead. Was weird seeing a large room where the only object in it was a fish tank in the middle. I then cut the carpet & underlay around the tank, leaving it standing on an island of carpet. In fact kept some large pieces of carpet to make "ramp" from temporary position to new floor so I wouldn't have to drag the stand across the exposed concrete floor and lift up onto the new floor.

Floor fitters fitted the floor first in tank area, actually of course starting in centre of the room, spreading out to the edge. I also had to chisel out a groove in the concrete floor for surround sound rear speaker cable(s) that ran in the now not fitted carpet grippers across a doorway. They also oiled the tank area first, just after fitting.

After 3-4 days repeated the tank moving process and moved the tank back. Done.


----------



## Tim Harrison (17 Dec 2015)

Bloomin' Heck Ian...that's a lot of work, I'm worn out reading about it.

Iain have you considered Amtico http://www.amtico.com/?
I had it laid in my last house and in this one, looks and feels like real wood (people always assume it is, and when I tell them it isn't they're amazed) and is pretty much impervious to anything and everything; good for light industrial use, and tank dumps


----------



## ian_m (17 Dec 2015)

To be honest, regardless of the floor, just putting a blanket/sheet down whilst tank fiddling and this will protect the floor extremely well. If you have an "accident" just change the cloth, so floor is not exposed to moisture too long.

If you are going to have a major spillage as bad as this http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/why-you-should-use-jubilee-clips.23451/ then wood flooring will allow the water to spread further, damaging skirting board, plaster walls, furniture, so floor might survive but not other items.


----------

