Suggestions for waterproof barriers on hardwood flooring.

[crazyfishlady]

Hey all! I haven’t been on here in a while as I have been browsing for new housing and I finally found one! My husband and I have been working on it for the past week now. We have ripped up all the carpeting on the first level and are planning on installing hardwood floors. Does anyone have suggestions on a type of barrier I could put in between the hardwood and my fish tanks in order to protect the wood? I was thinking possibly some cutouts of cork flooring. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please excuse me if this question has already been answered in another thread I am experiencing errors any time I try to search.

[emc7]

If you have iron stands, you will want something hard and wide under the feet to spread out the weight and avoid dents. If you are talking about keeping the floors dry if case of a leak, I don't really have a clue. Anything absorbent or an impervious barrier is likely to get water under it and keep it from drying, making any issues worse. The only fool-proof things I can think of are very ugly. A dryer pan with a pump attach to the drain, for example. I would just put a screeching water alarm beneath the tank and wipe anything up quickly.

For everyday sticking your hands in the tank type splashes, an absorbent mat that will catch any splatters, use it when you are working in the tank. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...=0025777001000

Buy some extra flooring so you can patch if you ever need to. Modern pre-coated hardwood floors and pretty water-resistant compared to the old finish in place ones, but water can go between the boards so be mindful of whats beneath.

To search this board, click the down arrow next to search and select advanced search. That works, but the basic search doesn't.

[crazyfishlady]

The tank stands that will be residing on the hardwood are all made of particle board and have a flat base. The reason I ask is because I spill water just about every change I perform and I'm not sure if my 46 gallon has a leak because when we moved it from our old place the rug was damp underneath the stand. It could have also been from the under gravel filter system I had. The bubbles would spray water up on the light fixture and since there wasn't a lid on that part the water would slowly drip down the light fixture and continue down the rest of the tank. Thanks for your input EMC7.

[ron v]

You need to watch the particle board also. It will deteriorate when wet.