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Best Flooring for Bathrooms

Best Flooring for Bathroom – The Various Options

by Dylan Johnson

What is the best flooring for bathroom?

Installing the right floor for the bathroom can be a challenge. It’s because moisture is the biggest issue for all types of floor and yet the room has high level of moisture.

There are different kinds of types of flooring out there, and narrowing down your option can be a challenge.

So, what kind of floor should you choose?

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile Flooring for Bathroom

When it comes to the best flooring for bathroom, the porcelain or ceramic tile is definitely one of the best.

Not only the floor is stylish, but it is also waterproof and cost-effective. It has a solid, textured, and rich feel to it.

So, the question is: should you go with ceramic or the porcelain?

Well, ceramic is the general item while porcelain is a part of ceramic family. So, they are relatively the same.

However, porcelain has better waterproof quality as it absorb less water.

If you want to choose the right floor for very wet bathroom with spills or splashes, then go with the porcelain tile.

If you have a powder room with very minimal spills and splashes, then you need the ceramic one instead of porcelain.

The benefits of the floor are:

  • The floor comes with many styles and designs
  • You can install radiant heating on it and it won’t create any problem of whatsoever
  • The floor has easy cleaning
  • It offers good resale value

However, on the downsides, the floor is:

  • It is naturally cold and also hard
  • It is slippery

Read Also: Armstrong Rigid Core Luxury Plank Vinyl Flooring Review

Vinyl Flooring for Bathroom

This floor comes in various forms that would offer flexible installation. Feel free to choose the tiles, planks, or sheets depending on your needs.

The sheet is perfect for small room with a lot of water or moisture, like in laundry room or kids’ bathroom.

You can install the sheet in bigger rooms, but it is going to take extra efforts. The tiles and planks are great as DIY projects because you can do the installation on your own.

Not to mention that today’s vinyl is looking great with many design and options. No wonder if it is considered one of the best flooring for bathroom.

On the positive side, the floor is:

  • Inexpensive. You don’t have to spend a fortune for it
  • 100% waterproof with also waterproof plank seams
  • The floor is easy to install on your own
  • If you have the floating type, you can easily replace it

However, there are some possible downsides about the floor:

  • It doesn’t affect the property value tend to have poor value
  • If there is any gap or bump on the subfloor or the underlayment, then it can affect the top surface

Natural Stone Flooring for Bathroom

Natural stone is great for bathroom, but it is quite costly. The floor is durable and hard, and the floor itself is beautiful with aesthetic appeal. Stone has valuable resale value.

However, the floor itself is slippery and cold. To prevent slippery issue, you can have the textured stone. You can also install radiant heating to prevent coldness.

But when it comes to aesthetic appeal, there is no doubt that natural stone is gorgeous.

Unfortunately, natural stone is one of the costliest flooring types ever designed and sold in the market.

The material alone is pretty costly. The installation cost is also costly. If you decide to have this floor at home, you will have to dig deeper into your pocket.

But as one of the best flooring for bathroom, you are actually making a worthy investment with this floor.

Some of the benefits of the floor are:

  • The floor is super durable and sturdy. You can expect it to last long, even for decades
  • The floor has excellent resale value that will affect the price of your house

However, expect some downsides too, such as:

  • The floor is super pricey
  • It isn’t exactly easy to install the floor on its own so it isn’t a DIY-friendly floor

Engineered Wood

Whereas hard and solid wood isn’t the most perfect option for bathroom settings, it isn’t so much with engineered wood.

Engineered wood is far greater than solid wood when it comes to dealing with wet or damp areas including high moisture conditions.

It’s because engineered wood has a solid base (from plywood) that can hold up moisture well.

Not only the floor has solid core, the floor itself is aesthetically pleasing.

The floor can imitate the look of real hardwood because the top surface is the hardwood veneer. These are the reasons why this floor is great for wet and damp areas.

The good things about this floor are:

  • It is dimensionally stable because of the solid base and core from plywood
  • It has authentic and beautiful hardwood look on top surface
  • It is the best pick if you do want real wood within the bathroom

Some negative things about the floor are:

  • The floor can be costly. The price tag is from moderate expensive to highly expensive
  • You can sand the floor, but when you oversand it, the veneer layer can be worn and damaged

Laminate Floor for Bathroom

This is another best flooring for bathroom especially when compared to hardwood.

The floor is constructed from wood chip base with resin-incorporated paper on the top. The floor has beautiful finish because the top surface has natural stone or wood photograph.

To protect the surface, there is a clear coat over the top surface.

Laminate will be perfect for bathroom if you can seal the seams tightly. You need to make sure that the seams are tightly sealed.

If you can do this, then you can be sure that the floor will last for many years to come.

The great things about this floor are:

  • It is pretty affordable and inexpensive
  • It is DIY-friendly so you can save money for the installation

However, the downsides of the floor are:

  • Such floor can collect static electricity
  • Once the floor suffers from water damage, you won’t be able to repair it. You simply need to replace it.

Read Also: Peel and Stick Vinyl Tile Flooring Complete Facts

What Floors to Avoid?

In wet and damp bathroom, you need to avoid carpets. Carpets retain moisture for quite a while. It dries out very slowly, which promotes bacterial and germ growth.

Not to mention that the surface of the floor tends to trap any debris and spills, which can make the floor unhygienic and unhealthy.

You need to avoid hardwood flooring too. Hardwood is organic, which means that it has pores. Pores will absorb water, causing it to swell, buckle, and warp.

Although it is beautiful, it can’t stand moisture. Unless you want to replace the floor once every 2 to 3 years, then hardwood is a bad idea. Here are the best as well as the worst flooring for bathroom.

Choose one among these best flooring for bathroom and do your research.