At a Glance:
Special Considerations for Flooring in the Bathroom
Bathroom Flooring Types with Pros And Cons
Which Bathroom Flooring Type is Right for Your Home?
There are many types of flooring you can use throughout your home, but not all are suitable for the bathroom. Planning ahead is essential when tackling a bathroom remodel, and that includes choosing the right bathroom flooring for the right purpose.
There are suitable bathroom flooring options for every use and budget. Whether you have a busy household with a large brood or a big dog that shakes itself dry after a bath, you need the best flooring for your bathroom that remains safe and durable no matter what your family throws at it. On the other hand, less-used guest bathrooms are an opportunity to make an impression. Use this guide to determine what type of flooring to get for your new bathroom.
Special Considerations for Flooring in the Bathroom
Bathroom flooring should be hard, durable, easy to clean, and impervious to water. Exceptional flooring for the bathroom will strongly hit all of these points. There are other flooring options that meet these points to varying degrees. Each could be suitable for your bathroom, depending on how you will use it.
Water Resistant vs Waterproof
Many homeowners confuse water-resistant flooring with waterproof flooring. Although they seem the same on the surface, they are actually quite different. Waterproof bathroom flooring is just as it sounds. This flooring is designed to hold up even when the bathroom becomes flooded with large pools of water.
By contrast, water-resistant bathroom flooring is only suitable if you have small messes that are quickly cleaned up. Getting wet won’t ruin a water-resistant bathroom floor, so it is suitable for many households and most guest bathrooms. If a bathroom is used frequently by children or for bathing pets, waterproof flooring is the only way to go.
Correct Installation Procedures and Why They are Important
How bathroom flooring is installed might play a large role in what type of flooring you get. Most bathroom flooring is either tile or sheet. A bathroom tile floor is installed by using adhesive to fuse the tile to the floor. A waterproof grout is then used to seal the seams.
The other type of flooring comes in sheets and is glued into place as it is rolled and stretched across the floor. Sheet vinyl is the most common type of bathroom flooring that comes in sheets. It is completely waterproof because there are no seams, but only if it is installed properly.
If you are considering installing your bathroom floor yourself, you need to be realistic about whether or not you can handle the work. Tile flooring is generally easier to install than sheets.
Maintenance Requirements
Flooring requires different care and maintenance depending on the type. Any kind of tile for bathroom floors will be joined with grout that must be cleaned on a regular basis. Not only does dirty grout look bad, but it also contributes to the breakdown of the grout. If you don’t care for your grout with regular cleaning, you may need to have the tile re-sealed later.
Sheet bathroom vinyl flooring is completely waterproof when installed correctly, but it poses an issue when you need to make repairs to your bathroom. Sheet vinyl must be completely removed from your bathroom and the flooring replaced if you need to access the space underneath it.
ADA Considerations
Waterproof flooring is great when you have kids and pets, but these bathroom floors can be hazardous to the elderly and disabled. Being waterproof means that water will stand on the surface of the floor, causing a slip hazard. Water-resistant flooring with a rougher surface will be more suitable for households that need to be ADA-friendly. Some types of flooring have an option to add a nonslip layer for ADA bathrooms.
Bathroom Flooring Types With Pros And Cons
People tend to use four main types of flooring in bathrooms: tile, laminate, hardwood, or vinyl. There are also options within each of these four types of bathroom flooring. Each of these has its own distinguishing features, benefits, and drawbacks to consider.
Types of Tile for Bathroom Floors
Tile flooring refers to a type of flooring rather than a material. When most people think of tiles, they imagine natural stone, ceramic, porcelain, or marble. There are also tiles made of vinyl and laminate. The type of adhesive used may vary from material to material, but all of these tiles are laid onto the subfloor and grouted at the joints for appearance and waterproofing.
Ceramic and porcelain tiles are very hard and completely waterproof when grouted appropriately, but they are still prone to breaking if you drop something heavy or with a sharp edge. The upside is that you can easily replace just one or two tiles at a time. It is a good idea to buy extra tiles to keep on hand for such repairs in case the tile is discontinued.
Marble is also very hard and waterproof, but it won’t break easily like ceramic or porcelain. Marble tile is the most expensive bathroom flooring with a beautiful and durable result.
Vinyl and laminate tiles are more questionable when it comes to waterproofing and durability. Vinyl is very durable and inherently waterproof, but the tile joints are prone to damage when frequently submerged under water pooled on the floor. Most laminate tiles are not suitable for bathrooms.
Doing a DIY bathroom floor in tile will cost between $1500 to $2500, depending on the type of tile you choose. If you’re not 100 percent confident about your ability to install the floor correctly, contact one of our flooring locations in St. George or Cedar City to get an installation quote and add that to your budget.
Bathroom Laminate Flooring
What is laminate flooring? Laminate is a hybrid flooring material that is made up of a particle board base with a decorative overlay and a wear-proof surface layer. Laminate flooring can be quite beautiful, but it is barely water resistant and shouldn’t be used in bathrooms exposed to frequent moisture.
The attraction to laminate flooring is due to its customization and beauty. You can get a laminate tile floor that looks like stone, marble, or any other material. You can even have patterns or specific designs customized on the laminate flooring to give the bathroom flair.
The downside of laminate floors is that they aren’t very durable. When exposed to moisture, the layers begin to separate. The upper layer can also become damaged. If you are putting laminate floors in a bathroom, it should be one that is not used often or that is only used for its toilet.
Laminate flooring is one of the cheapest types of flooring, ranging between $268 and $760 to install in an average bathroom, but often installing it in the bathroom voids the warranty. You will spend about the same amount paying for the installation of laminate floors as you would DIYing tile floors.
Hardwood Floor Bathrooms
It can be tempting to install beautiful hardwood floors in your bathroom, especially when you already have them throughout the rest of your home. A wood floor in the bathroom might not be the wisest choice. Hardwood floors are barely water resistant, and you can’t leave spills standing for more than a few minutes. In a bathroom used primarily for bathing or showering, hardwood isn’t a viable option.
Hardwood could work if you have a guest room that is rarely used, designated for adults, or a bathroom used only for a toilet. Be aware that you’ll have to stay on top of care of your hardwood floors in the bathroom. Hardwood floors range in price from $800 to $1800 when installed in a small 40-square-foot bathroom.
Bathroom Vinyl Flooring Types
There are actually many different variations of vinyl bathroom flooring. Sheet vinyl is cheap and completely waterproof. You can have a sheet vinyl bathroom floor installation for an average of $400, including materials and labor. However, you’ll be paying that again if the bathroom floor needs to be accessed since the entire floor will have to be taken out to do so.
Luxury vinyl tile, also known as vinyl planks or LVP, is a newer type of vinyl flooring that offers amazing benefits. It is completely waterproof, even though it is installed by tile. It is also extremely durable and requires little maintenance. The only downside to using LVP bathroom flooring is that it is the most expensive. You’ll spend an average of $2000-$3500 to install luxury vinyl flooring in the average bathroom.
Find Flooring Solutions at BLVD Home
FlooringWhich Bathroom Flooring Type is Right for Your Home?
Now that you know all your options for bathroom flooring, it is time to determine which one is right for you. Here are our top suggestions.
Best for families with children or pets: Waterproof and durable flooring not prone to cracks or gouges is best when you know there will be water all over your bathroom. LVP is the best, but families on a budget could use tile or sheet vinyl.
Best for guest bathrooms: Some laminate can be installed in bathrooms without voiding the warranty, and this can be a good opportunity to give your guest bath some flair. Laminate is also cheap and looks beautiful for half baths with no tub or shower.
Best for refined look and lifestyle: Stone, ceramic, porcelain, or marble tiles are the most beautiful and are perfectly suitable bathroom flooring for most households. LVP is an option for a refined look with durability that will also add value to your home.
Why Trust BlvdHome?
The roots of this family business began as early as the pioneer settlement of Southern Utah. One descendant of those 1861 pioneers was Lester Wittwer. In 1928, he started a trucking business with other family members, delivering homegrown fruits and vegetables to many outlying areas. The story of BlvdHome began in 1974, when Lester’s son Tony decided to venture off into the furniture world - with two full-time employees and a small showroom of only 8,000 square feet. Today, BlvdHome has 4 retail locations with over 160,000 sq. ft. of showroom space, located in St. George, Utah, Hurricane, Utah, Cedar City, Utah, Mesquite, Nevada, and a new Las Vegas store coming soon. With over 230 amazing team members, Blvd Home continues to deliver on a commitment to customer service that started over 90 years ago.
Shop Bathroom Flooring at BlvdHome
At Blvd Homes, we provide quality name-brand appliances, furniture, and mattresses for great prices. Shop bathroom flooring online or visit us today at one of our locations in Utah or Nevada. In the meantime, browse our website to shop BlvdHome Bargain Barn and check out our flooring selections to increase your home value. More available than ever, our experts at BlvdHome are always happy to help you with bathroom flooring solutions, whether you call us or use our online chat feature. Contact us today!
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