For most rooms in your home, choosing flooring is a matter of what looks best, feels best, and most suits the space.
When it comes to your bathroom flooring though, there’s a lot more to consider.
From waterproof ratings to slip-resistance, we’re taking a look at the most important qualities any bathroom floor needs to have – and which materials are best for creating a safe, clean bathroom floor without compromising on aesthetic.
Choosing the Best Bathroom Flooring
Before you get waterlogged with IP ratings and varying levels of slip-resistance, you first need to decide what you want from your bathroom floor.
Are you more concerned with finding the most waterproof bathroom flooring? Or do you have little ones and care more about making sure they won’t slip over?
Are you looking for luxury bathroom flooring or do you want a floor that’s more cost-effective? Do you like natural, raw materials or something more bold and eye-catching?
Setting a goal for what you want to achieve with your bathroom flooring first will make it much easier to choose the right material for your home.
Bathroom Flooring Considerations
Property/Room size
Bathrooms are very often the smallest room in any house and this might affect the flooring you choose – especially when it comes to the way the material looks. Dark colours and bold patterns can be overwhelming in small spaces so think about the way your floor will work with the room you have.
Style and colour scheme
That being said, if you already have a fairly neutral palette in your bathroom you can introduce texture and patterns via your bathroom floor. Ceramic or luxury vinyl tiles can bring colour and interest to a plain bathroom, while laminate wood floors can make your bathroom seem spacious and airy.
Comfort
Bathrooms are one of the only rooms in the house in which you’re guaranteed to be barefoot. Think about how you want your bathroom flooring to feel under your feet – Warm? Soft? Smooth? Making this decision will help you to narrow down your options.
Suitability
Last but very much not least, you need to choose bathroom flooring that is suitable for the space. Materials that absorb water can become mouldy and unhygienic very quickly so water-resistance is important. If you have children or elderly people in your family, you should also think about how safe and slip-resistant your flooring will be.
Your Bathroom Flooring Choices
Wood and Laminate
While hardwood floors can be too porous for the moisture-heavy atmosphere in your bathroom, laminate is a very effective alternative.
Not only is laminate flooring more affordable than hardwood, its high-density layers make it extremely durable and waterproof. It usually comes with a protective top layer that prevents any water intake as well as being hygienic, moppable, and easy to clean.
Laminate bathroom flooring is also a safe choice. Many types of wood laminate are manufactured to be slip-resistant – ideal if you have little ones who are prone to running around the bathroom barefoot!
Best of all, modern-day laminate brands like Balterio are of such high quality that you can’t even tell it’s not real wood. You get the same natural style and warmth underfoot without having to pay the price of using hardwood – both financially and when it comes to maintenance.
Vinyl and LVT
Love stone floors and ceramic tiles but don’t fancy getting frostbite every time you step out of the shower?
Vinyl can give you the same design options as tiling and stone floors without the cost and the discomfort underfoot. Brands like Polyflor and Rhinofloor specialise in making vinyl equipped with grip technology for super slip-resistant flooring that still looks great.
If you prefer porcelain-look tiles or wood-look flooring that’s almost identical to the real thing, brands like Harvey Maria and Karndean make high-design luxury vinyl bathroom floors that are as attractive as they are functional.
Both vinyl and LVT are hard-wearing, long-lasting, hygienic, and water-resistant or fully waterproof, making them the perfect choice for a stylish bathroom.
Carpet
“Carpet? In my bathroom?” we hear you say! If you thought bathroom carpets were a design choice that has been consigned to the seventies, think again.
In the past, carpets were often made of absorbent materials like natural wool, which made them a bad choice for the moisture-rich environment of the everyday bathroom.
Nowadays, carpets come in a range of materials that are much more suited to bathroom use. Durable, loop pile carpets like Berber carpets are more hard-wearing and solid than plush twist pile types. This means they’ll retain less moisture and dry more quickly.
The synthetic fibres in easy-clean carpets make them another practical option for bathrooms. They won’t soak up water and are also mildew and stain-resistant for greater hygiene.
Carpets are warm and soft on bare feet as well as being slip-proof. And, with so many new natural and manmade materials to choose from, carpets are starting to reclaim their crown as an ideal bathroom flooring option.
Are you feeling inspired? Do you know exactly which type of flooring you want in your bathroom? Whether you’ve already made your decision or you need more help and advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or pay us a visit at our Ipswich showroom where you can browse our full range of flooring, from carpet and laminate to vinyl and LVT. We also offer a free measure and design service, delivered in the comfort of your home.