Bathroom flooring is important when you’re renovating or remodeling your bathroom. As you’re here, you may already know it.
Just like other fixtures in your bathroom, flooring also comes in varieties. There’s wood flooring, and then there are tiles, and then it’s the hardwood flooring.
While remodeling your bathroom floor, your primary focus should be on how well the material is with the bathroom moisture because that will make all the difference.
If we’re honest here, I’d say most of the flooring variety is good with the water spills, but not all of them are resilient enough.
So, before you choose to invest your money in floor remodeling, make sure what you’re choosing is right for you.
Let’s begin our quest with different bathroom floor options that are the talk of the town these days, and then we’ll move forward to other important aspects of the process.
Best Flooring for Bathroom
As we talk of the best flooring for the bathroom, let me mention that generally, there is a long bathroom flooring list to choose from, but we are only talking about the best ones, so our list is considerably short.
A piece of advice: No matter which type you find suitable, make sure that the flooring isn’t slippery, nor should it hurt you to walk on it.
Let’s begin.
1. Ceramic Floor Tiles
What makes ceramic flooring top our list? Not one thing but a gazillion. Ceramic flooring is rather basic than the ones that we see today, but it’s classic in what it needs to do.
The surface is easy to clean, and there are no holdbacks of any dirt and bacteria.
Ceramic bathroom flooring is:
- Waterproof
- Versatile and can be used anywhere!
- Easy to clean
- Dry and good with water spills
- Less likely to get permanent stains
Ceramic tiles come with textures and colors of your choice. Plus, they can also come with a floor imitating wood.
With these features, they are a bit on the pricier side, but it’ll pay off when you’re selling the house.
2. Vinyl Bathroom Flooring
Where we deemed ceramic flooring as expensive, Vinyl flooring sheets are pretty reasonable with their distinct flooring features.
The material also comes in different forms like vinyl planks, sheets, and tiles.
But what we are talking about specifically is Vinyl sheets. You can just peel and paste them on the existing flooring. That’s it.
No cement mixture and no glue are needed, and the flooring will work for 20+ years.
Vinyl flooring is:
- Reliable
- Good quality
- Waterproof stain resistant
- Wipeable
- Good value for money
Vinyl flooring sheets include WPC (Wood plastic composite) or SPC (Stone Plastic Composite) for the floor sheets. It’s entirely a DIY process to follow through and can turn into a fun activity.
3. Hardwood Flooring
You may think of hardwood flooring as a bad guy when it comes to bathroom flooring, but that isn’t the full picture.
Yes, hardwood floors indeed absorb water in the bathroom which means they aren’t a perfect option for bathroom flooring.
The solid hardwood sheets are not entirely immune to bathroom humidity and water spills.
And then, we have engineered hardwood flooring, which is made with layers of plywood that’s comparatively more durable to give a natural wood tile bathroom feel.
Since the look is quite decent, adults prefer engineered hardwood for its durability. Here are a few reasons why engineered hardwood is a good option for you.
- Real wood’s lookalike.
- Durable
- It can be refinished.
- Wide range of finishing choices
- Less costly
A handy tip is: engineered hardwood is suitable for adult washrooms only. If exposed to water continually, it can expand.
4. Porcelain Floor Tiles
Porcelain tiles, like ceramic tiles, are classical choices for the bathroom remodeling. They are a perfect and reasonable choice to mimic wood or natural stone in the remodeling process.
Porcelain flooring has a smooth, shiny final look, making your bathrooms look elegant with no water absorption.
Here’s a rundown of why porcelain is a good choice:
- Stain and dirt resistance
- Waterproof
- Durable
- Affordable
- Slip-resistant
When you’ve porcelain tiles fixed in your bathroom, the best thing is to keep them wiped all the time. Since the flooring is sleek, you may slip due to extra water on it.
One of the reasons why porcelain flooring is in fashion is its almost identical properties too expensive stones.
5. Natural Stone Flooring
We’ve repeated the ‘inexpensive’ variants for stone flooring, i.e., ceramic and porcelain flooring, but natural stone is the best flooring for the bathroom if you have the budget.
Natural stone flooring is usually cut from the natural stones that are later finished and turned into tiles for a seamless floor.
What makes natural stone flooring the best among others?
- Natural
- Allergic resistant
- Slip-resistant
- Last a lifetime
- Easily replaceable
If there’s one thing that may make you question your decision about stone flooring, it’s the budget. Stone flooring includes marbles (white ones are more common), granite, limestone, and a few others.
The best bathroom flooring ideas range from inexpensive vinyl to a bit classy and pricey natural stone flooring. Each with its distinctive qualities makes itself a good choice.
Let’s see how you can install a bathroom flooring yourself or a DIY recipe for bathroom floors.
DIY Installation for Bathroom Flooring
Kudos to you if you’re a DIYer. It’s impressive that you’ve taken up the floor installing part up for yourself. You have an exciting hobby that can save you vast amounts of money.
A Reminder: This DIY installation is only for flooring types that support DIY installations. For example, Vinyl, hardwood, porcelain, and ceramic.
Shall we begin?
Step 1: Take off the Old Flooring or Clean the Floor
The first step to install new flooring is to take off the old one.
Or, if you just have a concrete floor or a carpeted floor, begin with removing the carpet and brooming over the floor to make sure there are no stones or toys under that because it can result in uneven installation.
You sure don’t want to redo the entire thing.
Step 2: Measure the Area
The second step is to measure the area that needs installation with a measuring tape. Once you have the right measurements, use a tool like an oscillator to cut out the sheets with a perfect inch count.
Step 3: Set Up the Subfloor
Cut the subfloor with the measurement and fix it on the floor. It needs to be fixed properly, so the final application is seamless.
Step 4: Make Use of the Wonderboard
When the subfloor is all set, you’ll need to apply a wonder board over it.
The subfloors are prone to expansion due to moisture, so the wonder board helps with protecting the subfloor, and your tile or sheet application is long-lasting.
Step 5: Place Your Tiles for Any Cuts and Edges
Measure the room’s corner and starting points so you can edge the tiles according to that. This will help with good management of the process.
Step 6: Take Up Your Morter
Once you are over the tile measurement step, take out the powdered mortar and make a thick mixture. The consistency should be enough, so the mixture doesn’t flow.
Apply a layer of the mortar while using a surface smoothing tool and keep placing tiles on it with enough pressure for fixing it on the floor.
Step 7: Leave the Tiles to Dry
Here we come to our final step: leaving the tiles and letting them dry for at least 24 hours. This time is enough for the mortar to strengthen the tile with no water interruption or extra pressure.
Step 8: Grout the Floor
Check for the tiles if they are dry, and then mix some grout with water. The mixture must not be too thick so it can flatten on the floor quickly.
Begin with smaller sections and make sure that you’re skimming over a thin layer of grout on the floor with a rubber float.
It locks in the wonder board, so no amount of water goes down to the depths of the floor and damages it from within.
Wait for half an hour after the application. Take a sponge and wring it properly. Next, use a sponge to clean off extra grout or any stain that’s on the floor. And… You’re done!
Conclusion
Flooring is an essential part of the remodeling process for your bathroom. Even if you’re not doing everything from scratch, working with just the floor will give a refreshing look to the place.
The best part is the DIY installation of the floor. The first time can be a bit tough, but you’ll be good at it in half an hour. That’s a guarantee!
As we conclude, I hope you’re now aware of bathroom flooring options and how you can install them on your own.
Tell me in the comments if this blog was of any use to you? Also, share if I’ve missed any detail! I’d love to know your thoughts.
I am looking forward to your comments!
