Will they replace all the flooring if there's water damage? How do I make the 'like for like' argument?

We had a problem with our toilet in the master bedroom. It overflowed, causing water to spread into the bathroom and the master bedroom, which has laminate flooring. Insurance will likely cover the flooring in the master bedroom, but my question is, since it’s hard to find an exact match for the flooring, can we argue that they should replace all the flooring upstairs since it’s the same laminate throughout?

Would this be a reasonable argument? Any advice on how to approach this?

I’m fairly sure the flooring has been discontinued, and even if they find something similar, it won’t be an exact match, which might hurt our resale value if we ever sell.

Also, our bathroom has nice tile, so how can I make sure the replacement tile is of equal quality? Should I get estimates from a few flooring contractors before the insurance adjuster comes?

In general, homeowner policies cover “direct physical loss from a covered event.” They owe you for what’s damaged, and they owe you the same quality of materials you had before, like the tile or laminate. But they don’t owe you to match undamaged materials—just like they wouldn’t replace all your kitchen cabinets if only one was damaged. If there’s a door separating the damaged area, that’s likely where they’ll stop. You can use the payout to replace everything if you want, but insurance probably won’t cover the entire upstairs.

@Zora
I had hail damage once, and they only painted certain parts of my house. I found a cheaper painter and had the whole house done for a bit more out of pocket.

@Zora
That’s interesting. When I had water damage, my insurance replaced the entire floor even though only 30% was damaged. The flooring ran through multiple rooms, and one was completely unaffected.

Rowe said:
@Zora
That’s interesting. When I had water damage, my insurance replaced the entire floor even though only 30% was damaged. The flooring ran through multiple rooms, and one was completely unaffected.

It could depend on a lot of factors, like if the flooring was glued together, the type of water involved (black water, for example), or how easily they can repair the damage. If it’s complicated or expensive to repair just a part of it, they may go for a full replacement.

@Zora
That makes sense. My floor was glued together, so that’s probably why they replaced the whole thing. Thanks for explaining!

Rowe said:
@Zora
That’s interesting. When I had water damage, my insurance replaced the entire floor even though only 30% was damaged. The flooring ran through multiple rooms, and one was completely unaffected.

It also matters if the flooring is continuous into other rooms. If it connects with no breaks, they’ll often replace it all since they can’t match it properly.

I work in insurance now, but I used to sell tile. It’s going to be nearly impossible to match the flooring, even if they still make the same tile. It might come from a different part of the quarry, and the color or texture could be different. Insurance will try to get close, but it may look off. You could take this as an opportunity to get creative and make the space look new with different flooring.

They’ll probably send a sample of your flooring to a company like ITEL, which specializes in finding matches. If they can’t find a match, they’ll determine a cost for similar flooring. It’s unlikely they’ll replace the entire upstairs, though—usually, they’ll stop at doorways or natural breaks. But it doesn’t hurt to ask!

It depends on whether there’s a break in the flooring, like a transition strip between the rooms. If the flooring is continuous, they might replace more of it. If there’s a natural break, they’ll probably stop there.

@Gale
I’m dealing with a similar issue. Since all my flooring is connected with no breaks, they’re replacing everything.

I’m in Canada, so it might be slightly different, but if there’s a break between rooms, like a transition strip, they’ll only replace the damaged room. But if there’s no break, you have a good argument for getting the whole floor replaced.

It depends on your policy. If you’re with a reputable insurance company, you might have a better chance. If you’re not happy with what the adjuster offers, you can always ask for a claims manager or hire a public adjuster. But hiring one will slow down the process.