Ultimately, you will need a floor that will resist water, endure high traffic, and look great with your bathroom design theme. You must also consider your home?s value which could increase after a successful bathroom remodel.
There is a floor to suit every taste, and each has their own unique characteristics, drawbacks, and strengths. Overall, you can choose from these materials:
- Tile
- Hardwood
- Vinyl
- Bamboo
- Rubber
- Linoleum
- Laminate
- Cork
Read on to find out how they ranked!
Great for Bathrooms: Tile
The go-to favorite for bathroom flooring are tiles made of natural or engineered stone. Porcelain tile, inparticular, is a popular choice. There is a reason why it is so desirable for bathrooms. It has a timeless look while being waterproof, durable, and stain-resistant.
One thing to keep in mind when you are choosing your tiles to make sure they are certified slip-resistant. These tiles are designed with a texture, unlike wall tiles, so no one slips.
Since tiles are cold, it would be ideal to have a radiant floor heating system in your bathroom. This may involve professional help because of the complicated nature of the installation, but it's worth it!
Heated floors are excellent for your home?s resale value, and is a very efficient way to heat your home.
The heat source, in many cases uses low voltage to power the heating elements, and through the use of programmable thermostats, you?re able to call for heat only when you require it.
Good for Bathrooms: Vinyl
Vinyl is affordable and easy to clean. It is also good against water and can look decent for your bathroom?s design. Just make sure the edges are well-sealed and it is installed correctly so moisture doesn?t get underneath and ?bubble? up.Using a good sheet vinyl as opposed to the peel-and-stick tiles will lessen the chances of water damage.
Good for Bathrooms: Cork
A surprisingly good material for your bathroom is cork. Not only is it warm and soft underfoot, it is also mold and water-resistant. Cork flooring topped with a polyurethane topcoat will be more than enough to guard this floor against the water spilled on it.If you go with cork, be sure to re-finish this surface every 3-4 years. We recommend installing either prefinished or unfinished cork that you can finish on-site. Both will give your bathroom?s floor the great water-resistant surface it needs.
Good, but not conventional for Bathrooms: Rubber
This unique material is mainly used in gyms, preschools, and basements, but it can also be great for a bathroom due to its softness, warmth, and water-resistant nature. Its look is rather unusual but it can look good with the right design theme.Overall, it would suit a basement bathroom and should not be the showcased floor for the master bathroom because its presence won?t do much for your home?s resale value.
Fair for Bathrooms: Laminate
Laminate is built on a HDF core. We recommend a good quality laminate from Europe or North America that offers a high quality HDF core, since not all HDF cores are created equal. We do not recommend laminate for heavy use bathrooms. We generally limit our recommendation to use in a powder room only.Fair for Bathrooms: Bamboo
Bamboo generally is more durable and better with moist environments than hardwoods. They, however, run the same risk of water damage. So you should think carefully before investing in this material for your bathroom.Fair for Bathrooms: Linoleum
Similar to vinyl in its price, durability, and nature, linoleum is only rated ?fair? here because of its cheaper look. A bathroom with a linoleum floor is less likely to raise your home?s value.In all honesty, linoleum should be restricted to a utility closet, laundry room, basement bathroom, or a mud room.
Bad for Bathrooms: Hardwood
If you would like to provide uniformity with the rest of your home?s flooring, it is possible to extend your hardwood floors into your bathroom. Again, we would only ever recommend it for use in a powder room.Even then, it is best to opt for more water-resistant materials like tile, or Luxury vinyl. One leak can cause expensive damage so investing in this floor for your bathroom ultimately is a risk.
Bad for Bathrooms: Carpet
This is the last material you should think of using for your bathroom. However, if you prefer a softer and warmer surface to step on after a shower, then you can choose some water/mildew/stain resistant backed carpets that will not let water sink into its padding. You can also order carpet ?tiles? which can be removed and cleaned individually.As a design option, you can carpet a section of your bathroom. However, since these carpets will still be likely to need regular cleaning and kept free of moisture, we suggest that you avoid doing this altogether. Leave carpets for the rest of your house.
About Shawn Farina: Flooring Expert at Diverse Flooring
Shawn Farina operates Diverse Flooring, a family-run business in Maple Ridge, with his younger brother, Todd. He has been in the flooring industry for 18 years. Shawn and Todd are passionate about design. They feel flooring has been a great avenue to help others make the best decisions for their homes.When you come to Diverse Flooring, there's a strong chance the person you interact with is either Shawn or Todd. There's nothing better than dealing with the owners themselves.
Flooring is something we all will at one time or another have to purchase. It's really satisfying feeling to see when a client is truly happy with their choice in both the new flooring and our company. Shawn Farina
The post Bathroom Floors: What Should You Choose? appeared first on Diverse Flooring.
