Timber floors in wet areas on a resale home
Floating timber floors run through laundries and bathrooms look modern and fail predictably. What a pre-purchase inspection records.
In short: Renovated homes sometimes carry timber flooring straight through wet areas without water stops. We recorded exactly that on a Narre Warren South pre-purchase inspection.
The problem
Timber and laminate floors are not waterproof. In a bathroom or laundry, water from a shower, a washing machine hose or a mop reaches the joints and the boards swell. Wet areas need a waterproof floor and water stops at the doorways.
What we found
In February 2026 a Narre Warren South house had timber floorboards laid through its wet areas, with no water stops at the openings. It was recorded as a major defect because it does not meet the NCC's wet area requirements.
Why buyers miss it
A new floor looks good at an open inspection. Swelling at the edges and lifting at the joints take months to appear, and by then the buyer owns it.
Related wet area items
On resale inspections across the south-east we also commonly record deteriorated grout and sealant in showers and small leaks at tap and pipe fittings. Each lets water into places it should not be.
What to do
Price in replacing the wet area floor with a proper waterproofing system, or negotiate it with the seller. Ask whether the work was done with a permit or by a registered builder.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Clyde North. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
