With a myriad of materials, patterns and styles out there, it’s fair to say that it can take time to sift through and settle on your favourite bathroom flooring ideas. Ceramic tiles are always in, LVT is a classic and carpet, of course, is a no-no. Throw stylistic preferences, colours and patterns into the mix and choosing your new floor can feel like a burden.
Luckily, we’ve anticipated the hassle. So, before you go making a mountain out of a molehill, know that we’ve compiled all the information you could possibly need to make your decision and, best of all, cut through the noise.
Here’s a breakdown of the factors you should deliberate on, the materials for the job and then 10 bathroom floor style ideas to help you with the aesthetics. ¡Vamos!
Prior considerations
As we all know, not all floors operate the same. Some are better suited to high-traffic areas and can withstand moisture effectively, which you absolutely need for an area like a bathroom, and then there’s the wide differences in appearance. To get a good idea of which bathroom floor type to choose, you should begin by getting familiar with the various factors that will shape your experience. Below are the main ones.
Waterproofing
Like we said, if you’re refurbing a bathroom, you’ll need a floor that can do well under conditions of constant moisture. After all, you don’t want any warping, discolouration or mould growth ruining your painstakingly designed décor.
Durability / longevity
As with the flooring for any room, be it a living room or office, you should take the estimated lifespan and durability of the product into account. Floors like engineered wood and LVT excel in this arena, but you can also find cheaper options like regular vinyl and scratch-resistant laminate that do a reasonable job too.
Maintenance
Life is busy, so low maintenance is up there when it comes to the qualities of a good bathroom floor. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are easily wipeable, stain-proof and simple to look after as is LVT, whereas you need to be a bit more careful with solid hardwood and some types of laminate. The former can warp if left wet for too long and may need refinishing. The latter? Well, some types of laminate are unsuitable to moisture: the trick here is to look for laminate with glued-in seams – locked-in laminate, though, avoid it at all costs!
Expense
Budget is the central pillar of all home renovation projects and can be a real barrier to certain style achievements – not when it comes to flooring! Thanks to today’s advanced flooring technology you can get your hands on pretty much any aesthetic at a reasonable expense, and there is an abundance of replicas of more expensive flooring types in the mid-price range.
For example, if you want the opulent feel of solid hardwood without needing to do the upkeep or shell out that much money, you can always opt for one of the many solid wood alternatives, which are just as durable.
Installation
If you’re DIYing it, installation might also be on your mind. Lucky for you, many flooring types are easy to fit. When we say this, we’re thinking about vinyl click flooring installation and laying engineered wood. Both can be handled by a competent DIYer with a good eye, but if you want a professional fit guaranteed to last you, it’s a good idea to get the experts on board.
On selecting your material
Armed with the considerations we’ve laid out above, picking out your new flooring will be a hell of a lot smoother. Now, it’s just about finding one that ticks all of your boxes. If you already have an idea of which material you’re after, skip right on to our bathroom floor style ideas.
LVT
For bathrooms, LVT tends to have an edge over materials like laminate due to its superior water resistance. Click luxury vinyl tiles are 100% waterproof, so they are practically foolproof. While it may be more expensive, it’s definitely worth the extra expense as you get up to 25 years of good use, a plethora of design options and then compatibility with underfloor heating up to 27 degrees C. You can also choose between a loose lay / floating installation and glue-down varieties, one of our favourite floating products being Coretec.
Domestic sheet vinyl
Usually the most budget-friendly option is domestic sheet vinyl. With this product, there are hundreds of designs to choose from, but be aware that your subfloor needs to be in good condition otherwise every nail head or gap in a floorboard will eventually show through. A plyboard base with feathered joins or a smoothing compound will give you a perfect base to lay your sheet vinyl on. Finish it off with a perimeter seal and this flooring option will last for many years, looking lovely as can be.
Laminate
Laminate flooring doesn’t typically like water either so make sure you get a waterproof range suitable for bathrooms. In short, this material is a type of high-density fibre board around 6-12mm thick. It’s known for being fairly durable and scratch-resistant, and can be installed via the floating floor method. Here, your main priority should be checking out all the specs to ensure that it can withstand the moisture.
Porcelain and ceramic tiles
Possibly the most popular bathroom flooring type in the world, tiles do a great job of fighting off moisture and protecting your room from damage. They can command a higher price tag as a material and the installation is more complex, therefore, more expensive, but it’s hard to beat the aesthetic, especially knowing that they’ll last for generations if fitted well.
Solid wood
We wouldn’t usually recommend solid hardwood for bathroom floors. Bathrooms get wet and solid wood really doesn’t like water; the humidity created by steam from a hot shower or bath can affect your solid wood’s performance and cause your flooring to fail.
But if you’re stuck on the beauty, longevity and warmth of real wood, you can protect it with regular maintenance, using thick mat mats and installing tubs and shower surrounds to keep the water away from the flooring. Painting the floorboards also creates a protective layer. But as you can see, this takes a lot more effort than other options.
Engineered wood
Engineered wood flooring is designed specifically to replicate real wood. With a core made from multiple layers, this makes for a much more stable, environmentally friendly product, and is very strong, so suitable for dogs and other pets too. It is also suitable to go over underfloor heating which is a big bathroom favourite at the moment.
One of the best advantages is its price; compared to real wood, you don’t have to shell out extra cash for maintenance as long as you treat it well. Still be careful with those overflowing baths though and try to go for an oiled finish as that can help repel the water a little bit more.
What about floating floors?
There are only a few floating products on the market that we would be happy to fit in such a wet area as a bathroom. When we say floating, we mean the likes of laminate flooring or click luxury vinyl tiles. As with any floating floor, there needs to be an expansion gap left around any fixed units and this can leave an unsightly gap around the toilet and sink pedestal that not too many homeowners like to put up with.
10 bathroom flooring style ideas
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1. Nod towards a Mediterranean landscape with warm checkerboard
Bathrooms are notorious for being cold underfoot, so why not bring in heaps of visual warmth? We love this example that incorporates warm orange Rosso marble with white. Unlike the more formal black and white checkerboard, this rich variation is wonderfully grounding and makes us think of holidays in the Med.
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2. Introduce a restful tone with slate-look vinyl
There’s something so special about how a slate-look flooring can turn an otherwise unremarkable space into a restful one. It’s timeless and has an authentic sense of calm that makes having your morning shower the most therapeutic experience.
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3. Create an air of opulence with herringbone
We’ve talked about how much we love herringbone in our parquet guide, but how about herringbone in a bathroom? While it’s a bit of a pricier option due to the trickier fit, it’s well worth going the extra mile as the pattern really is a showstopper! The exciting part is that you can choose either tiles or LVT – check out this example from digital creator Jessica Daines.
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4. Try a maximalist pattern for visual intrigue
We loved fitting this ornamental LVT flooring for one of our customers! They’ve got a real energy – not just their sleek monochromatic scheme colour, but also their sense of movement.
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5. Get the spa look with a marble pattern
Who doesn’t love a spa day? You can make it feel like it every day with the right marble pattern. Whether a laminate, LVT or tile replica, it’s so easy to instil a sense of opulence in the bathroom.
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6. Bathe in a youthful energy with bright tiles
When it comes to flooring for a small bathroom, we have plenty of ideas up our sleeves. In these tiny spaces, like understairs toilets or pint-sized en suites, we say go for colour! After all, it’s the perfect opportunity to experiment with intriguing patterns and primary shades. Something like these Harvey Maria LVT florals would work a treat.
7. Exude vintage charm with a painted hardwood floor
If you’re up for a challenge and indeed extra maintenance, a painted wood floor could be just the ticket to the period-property charm you were looking for. Ideal for traditional aesthetics and beautifully paired with vintage tiles and a freestanding tub, you can haul the hotel feel into your home. Here’s a lovely example in a large London home.
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8. Zone sections of the bathroom with a tile x wood combo
If choosing between two types of flooring is like pulling teeth, why not combine them? In this example, you can see how the designer has zoned the bathroom into disparate sections for bathing and then washing your hands, and it achieves such a chic result.
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9. Add a sparkle to your bathroom design with a star pattern
Star patterned flooring is a crowd-pleaser that kills two birds with one stone: creating a sense of sophistication into the room and then introducing a light-hearted sense of fun. Whether you opt for something a bit more playful or edging towards ornate and austere, there are plenty of options to play with.
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10. Throw yourself into minimalism
Finally, minimalism is always a good shout if you want to maintain a more neutral space. Here, engineered wood is a lovely choice, as is a tile-look LVT. Take this Coretec floating flooring we fitted to this bathroom – it’s light and sleek and combines perfectly with the emerald-toned wall.
Which bathroom flooring ideas speak to you?
Have you found these bathroom flooring ideas inspiring? We sure do hope so! For more juicy insights into what makes the flooring types we mentioned here tick, you can traipse through the rest of our blog, or if you’re ready to get started on that well-awaited bathroom floor makeover, give us a call to chat about getting it fitted.
