Help with fish room flooring decision

[bh750]

I want to cover the bare concrete floor in my fish room. Always have random spills that sometimes creep under the wall to the carpet. Also want to protect the cement. About 64 square feet to work with. Also my 250g display tank will be up and running at this time. Plan is to separate the tank and back room with a wall(s) of plastic and use my ceiling exhaust fan. From all of my research I'm down to two options

1) Two-part epoxy. Expensive. Also worry about the toxins in the air, even with plastic separation and a fan. Also heard it could be slippery.

2) Waterproof, interlocking vinyl planks. Saw this on BRS TV (Ryan's dream tank) and instantly thought no way b/c of the chance for water to get in the gaps. But it keeps coming up as a viable option. If I seal the edges around the whole 8x8 floor will the seals between the planks keep water out? Looking at "waterproof" vs "water resistant"

Am leaning towards the epoxy since the price is about the same just need to be sure about toxins in my display tank

 

[Bucs20fan]

Number 2 is a form of what is called LVP flooring. It is what I have in my fish room. It looks wonderful and is incredibly tough. If professionally installed it is water proof. Nothing wrong with epoxy after its cured and the fumes are gone.

 

[bh750]

Number 2 is a form of what is called LVP flooring. It is what I have in my fish room. It looks wonderful and is incredibly tough. If professionally installed it is water proof. Nothing wrong with epoxy after its cured and the fumes are gone.

Thanks Bucs20fan. I would install myself preferably. So the water cant get through the seams? What do you have around the outside perimeter to seal that?

 

[bh750]

Also: watching epoxy installation videos looks like there's alot of surface prep, washing and rinsing involved. Not impossible but def a challenge for me in this room b/c there is no drain. So I'd have to find a way to vacuum up water with my shop vac. Sounds like a PIA and now leaning towards LVP.

 

[homer1475]

I just had LVP flooring replaced with, different LVP.

I have definitely spilled some water over the years, but the sub floor under and around the tank was bone dry.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Thanks Bucs20fan. I would install myself preferably. So the water cant get through the seams? What do you have around the outside perimeter to seal that?

I used a similar epoxy on my garage floor, it is also very hard work, the hardest is using acid on the floor to prep and scrubbing over and over. In my fish room, before I put the trim on over the floor, attached to the wall, I used a clear waterproof silicone. Nothing fancy, and its not 100% needed, but I would recommend a silicone the same color as your trim on the seam between the wall and the trim. Its personal preference but I didnt want water getting under the trim and then under the floor.

 

[bh750]

I used a similar epoxy on my garage floor, it is also very hard work, the hardest is using acid on the floor to prep and scrubbing over and over. In my fish room, before I put the trim on over the floor, attached to the wall, I used a clear waterproof silicone. Nothing fancy, and its not 100% needed, but I would recommend a silicone the same color as your trim on the seam between the wall and the trim. Its personal preference but I didnt want water getting under the trim and then under the floor.

Awesome insight. thanks!

 

[homer1475]

I used a similar epoxy on my garage floor, it is also very hard work, the hardest is using acid on the floor to prep and scrubbing over and over. In my fish room, before I put the trim on over the floor, attached to the wall, I used a clear waterproof silicone. Nothing fancy, and its not 100% needed, but I would recommend a silicone the same color as your trim on the seam between the wall and the trim. Its personal preference but I didnt want water getting under the trim and then under the floor.

Did the same with the LVP. Siliconed around the room before the trim went on.

No water got under my LVP. Had some salt creep between the planks, but the sub floor was bone dry with 0 evidence of a salt tank anywhere.

 

[Bucs20fan]

I cant recommend LVP enough and its pretty popular now, so you can find it in almost any color and it goes on sale all the time.

 

[bh750]

awesome. thanks for the insight and votes of confidence on the LVP. I think this is the way I'll go!