When Sandy came ashore near Brigantine on October 29, 2012, it put the ocean and the bay into thousands of homes from Sea Bright to Long Beach Island. The shore rebuilt by going up. Drive through Ortley Beach, Mantoloking or Beach Haven today and most new houses sit high on pilings, with a garage, an entry and storage on the ground level and the living space above.
That layout changes how you should choose floors. A shore house really has two kinds of floor: the part that is allowed to flood and the part that must stay dry. Getting the words right is the first step.
Waterproof is not the same as flood-resistant
- Waterproof describes a product. A waterproof floor like SPC does not absorb water, swell or rot. Spills, wet feet, a dripping outdoor shower and a leaking ice maker do it no harm.
- Flood damage-resistant is FEMA's standard for building materials. It means a material can sit in floodwater for at least 72 hours and need only cosmetic repair, such as cleaning, sanitizing or resurfacing, afterward.
FEMA's January 2025 bulletin on flood damage-resistant materials lists which floors pass. Porcelain and ceramic tile set in mortar pass. So do concrete, terrazzo and formed-in-place epoxy. Carpet, laminate, engineered wood and solid wood fail. Click-together vinyl plank is not on the list, so we do not sell SPC as a floor for space that is designed to flood.
In short: porcelain or concrete below the flood line, SPC above it.
New Jersey's rules raised the line
New Jersey's Resilient Environments and Landscapes (REAL) rules took effect in January 2026. For new construction, redevelopment and substantial improvements in coastal flood hazard areas, they use a Climate Adjusted Flood Elevation: FEMA's 100-year flood level plus four feet. In practice, many rebuilt and renovated shore homes will have more space below the line and a higher first living floor than their neighbors.
Under the National Flood Insurance Program, enclosed space below the flood elevation can be used only for parking, building access and storage, and has to be built with flood damage-resistant materials. That is your garage, ground-level entry and storage room. Confirm your flood elevation and the allowed uses with your architect or your town's floodplain administrator.
Below the flood line: garages, entries and storage
- Porcelain set in mortar for a finished ground-level entry or stair landing. Our 24 × 48 in porcelain comes in marble and stone looks. Large tiles mean fewer grout lines to clean after sand and salt water.
- Sealed concrete or epoxy for garages and storage.
- No carpet, laminate, wood or floating floors down here, even if the space looks dry for years at a time.
Our high-gloss porcelain faces are slippery when wet. At a ground-level door that sees beach traffic, use a heavy mat or keep the gloss tile on walls and in dry interior areas.
Above the flood line: what a shore floor actually fights
Once you are above the flood elevation, water is mostly the everyday kind: wet swimsuits, tracked-in rain, a dog back from the beach. SPC handles all of that. The bigger enemies at the shore are sand, sun and empty months.
Sand
Beach sand is an abrasive, and it gets carried across every floor in the house. The wear layer is what stops it. Our Montclair and Harper lines carry a 22 mil wear layer. For weekly summer rentals, where a dozen or more families a season walk sand through the house, we recommend Citadel 8mm with a 32 mil wear layer. More on that in our post on what a 32 mil wear layer does for rentals.
Sun
Shore houses are built for the view, which means big glass on the ocean or bay side. SPC's mineral core is more stable in heat than flexible vinyl, but our installation guide still says not to install it where floor temperatures can pass 140°F. Use shades on the hottest windows and leave the expansion gap the guide calls for.
Empty months
Our installation guide assumes a temperature-controlled home, between 55°F and 85°F, with the heat or air running. If you winterize the house and shut the heat off, talk to us before you buy. Keep a minimum heat setting through the winter or choose porcelain for the rooms you close up.
Town notes
- Long Beach Island (Barnegat Light, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven): heavy weekly-rental traffic. Citadel upstairs, porcelain or concrete on the ground level.
- Northern Ocean County barrier towns (Mantoloking, Lavallette, Seaside Heights, Ortley Beach in Toms River): many homes rebuilt after Sandy already sit above the flood line. Match new floors to the elevation, not the age of the house.
- Bay and lagoon homes (Toms River, Brick, Point Pleasant, Little Egg Harbor): water often comes from the back bay, not the ocean. Check your flood zone before you finish a ground-level room.
- Monmouth County shore (Sea Bright, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Belmar): older year-round homes, many with low first floors. Treat any floor near grade as a flood floor.
Shore checklist
- Find your flood zone and your home's elevation certificate before you choose a floor.
- Use porcelain, concrete or epoxy anywhere below the flood elevation.
- Use SPC with at least a 22 mil wear layer on living floors, and 32 mil for rentals.
- Put a walk-off mat at every door.
- Keep the heat on through the winter, or ask us first.
- Store two spare boxes from the same batch upstairs for future repairs.
The floors in this guide
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between waterproof and flood-resistant flooring?
Waterproof describes a product that does not absorb water, like SPC vinyl plank. Flood damage-resistant is FEMA's standard for materials that can sit in floodwater for at least 72 hours and need only cosmetic repair, such as cleaning or sanitizing, afterward. Porcelain tile set in mortar, concrete and epoxy meet it; carpet, laminate and wood do not; click vinyl plank is not on FEMA's list.
Can I put vinyl plank on the ground level of a shore house?
Not below the flood elevation. Under the National Flood Insurance Program, enclosed space below the flood line is limited to parking, building access and storage and must use flood damage-resistant materials; confirm the details with your architect or floodplain administrator. Use porcelain set in mortar, sealed concrete or epoxy there, and SPC on the living floors above.
What is the best flooring for a Jersey Shore summer rental?
SPC with a heavy wear layer. Sand is an abrasive and rentals see constant traffic, so we recommend Citadel 8mm with a 32 mil wear layer for weekly rentals, plus walk-off mats at every door.
Does SPC flooring work in a shore house that is closed for the winter?
Our installation guide assumes a temperature-controlled home between 55 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you winterize and shut the heat off, talk to us before you buy, keep a minimum heat setting, or use porcelain in the rooms you close up.
Building or renovating at the shore?
Homeowners: order samples to see the colors in your own light, or talk to our team about your project.
Contractors and dealers: order in the Pro Shop by 2 PM for delivery in 24–48 hours, or apply for a trade account.
