4 Stylish ideas for practical designer bathroom flooring
Bathroom flooring is not just a question of aesthetics. Of course, whether you’re refitting your family bathroom, master ensuite or downstairs loo, you want the floor too look great and complement the rest of the room scheme, but above all it must be functional.
Water is the big factor in any bathroom. Choose the wrong flooring (carpet, anyone?!) and it can quickly get ruined. But select any of these 5 practical and durable designer flooring solutions and your bathroom will not only look fabulous, it will perform well for many years to come.
1. Ceramic or Porcelain Tiles
A tile floor is a classic solution for your bathroom. Whether you opt for ceramic or porcelain (the latter having an even lower water absorption rate), you’ll find a vast choice of colours and designs and a rich, textured, solid feeling underfoot.
Tiles are waterproof, cost effective, easy to clean – and look fantastic. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including gorgeous mosaics (helpfully pre-mounted on mesh sheets) *see this guide, realistic wood-look and stone-look floor tiles – enabling you to create exactly the look you are after. Why not choose mosaic tiles premounted on plastic mesh sheets?
On the downside, tiles can be cold underfoot – nothing that a fluffy bath mat or some underfloor heating couldn’t solve. To guard against a wet, slippery surface, choose textured tiles or smaller tiles with more grout which acts as a non-slip surface.
2. Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring has come a long way since the poor quality sheets of old. These days, in addition to designer sheet vinyl, you can get LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) in literally thousands of designs and a wide range of sizes and shapes, offering wonderful flexibility in your choice of bathroom flooring. Whether your style is traditional or contemporary, there’s an LVT design out there to suit your bathroom.
For children’s bathrooms (or utility rooms) where there is a likelihood of much water spillage, seam-free sheet vinyl flooring may be your most practical option. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is an increasingly popular choice, able to realistically imitate wood flooring in narrow widths (approx. 12.5cm) and long lengths (up to 120cm).
Hard wearing, waterproof and slip resistant, LVT is perfect for bathrooms. Unlike tiles floors, it feels warm underfoot while the thickness of the tile gives a cushioned feel. The protective layer is also scratch and stain resistant, while regular mopping is all it takes to keep in tiptop condition.
3. Natural Stone Flooring
If you’re after opulence and luxury, there’s nothing quite like natural stone flooring to deliver an elegant, timeless look. Choose from marble, travertine, limestone, slate, granite and many more wonderful surfaces are all excellent choices for bathrooms.
Super robust and hard wearing, practical and hygienic, natural stone not only looks fabulous, the relatively high cost will repay itself many times over. Make sure you check that your marble, granite or limestone is sealed to avoid moisture problems in the future.
Stone is an excellent heat conductor and works exceedingly well with underfloor heating. Needing very little maintenance and being so durable that they may will outlive the rest of the building, they are one of the most sustainable products on the market.
4. Engineered Wood Flooring
There’s something about natural wood flooring in the home that’s hard to replicate, however hard you try with other, more obvious materials such as vinyl flooring or wood effect tiles. That said, wood doesn’t cope all that well with a bathroom environment where there’s moisture or water present. So, if you have your heart set on wood, choosing engineered wood flooring is your best bet.
Engineered wood is a better choice than solid wood for high moisture conditions on account of its dimensional stability. What do we mean by that? Well, engineered wood is made from multiple layers of timber glued together; it has a plywood base that holds up remarkably well against moisture. The construction of the plank means the surface is more stable, allowing it withstand fluctuations in temperature.
What’s more, engineered wood floors look authentic because they are – the top layer is real wood! Choose from oak, ash, beech, walnut, pine etc in different plank widths, available in oiled, lacquered, rustic or distressed finishes. The choice of engineered wooden floors is vast – and the great majority of people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between solid and engineering flooring just by looking at it.
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