With New Manufacturing Technology, Today You Have More Choices in Bathroom Flooring Than Ever Before!

In most rooms in your home, choosing your flooring material basically comes down to appearance. You want the bedrooms, living and dining room, and office flooring to look great first. While performance is important, it's number two in most of the rooms of your home.

When it comes to bathroom flooring, aesthetics should not be your first priority. Your bathroom is the most challenging environment in your home. When choosing bathroom flooring, you need to consider how it will perform and last under stress. And in the bathroom, that means not only traffic, but it's also all about water, and lots of it!

In the bathroom, water is everywhere; on the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Moisture can quickly ruin flooring if you make the wrong choice. If moisture were the only consideration, sheet vinyl or ceramic tile would end the story. However, there are additional factors to consider like durability, aesthetics, cost, and ease of installation.

Let's look at the best materials for bathroom flooring that are durable, affordable, practical, and beautiful!

Important: Bathrooms Need Waterproof Flooring!

As the name implies, water-resistant flooring can resist water. However, water can and eventually will penetrate and damage the flooring. Water-resistant flooring is an excellent choice in many rooms of your home where water is a factor, like a kitchen, basement, laundry, or mudroom. 

Water-resistant flooring is typically less expensive than waterproof flooring due to the plywood or MDF core material. But porous inner materials contribute to swelling, warping, and peeling when exposed to moisture over the long term. Picture wood laminate flooring as a wood veneer top, glued to a sponge, perfect for soaking up moisture. Laminate flooring doesn’t work!

Waterproof flooring is impervious to water. Water can sit on it, almost indefinitely, or even penetrate the surface without damaging the material, or more importantly, the subfloor underneath. Waterproof flooring is considered impermeable to water or moisture. The materials used to manufacture it make it waterproof and prevent mold and mildew precisely because it is impermeable to any moisture. So let’s be clear - don’t abuse your flooring or count on a glue-down or snap-together project to waterproof your floor. Wipe up excess water. And if you will have a walk-in shower with no curb, ensure that it slopes properly to a drain and that you’ve used a waterproofing membrane underneath it all.

This is the primary factor to consider when choosing bathroom flooring – the best options are waterproof, not water-resistant. Water-resistant flooring can weaken from constant exposure to moisture and water. Once they are damaged, they cannot be repaired. The only option is a replacement, which can cost you more than choosing a waterproof material, to begin with.

The Best Waterproof Bathroom Flooring Options 

As we've established, the best choice for bathroom flooring is a waterproof material. Typically, this means a harder surface rather than softer ones that can trap water. Let's look at some of the most popular choices among homeowners and designers that meet the four main criteria - waterproof, durable, affordable, and beautiful!

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile

By far, the most popular choice for bathroom flooring is tile. Tile flooring is resilient, waterproof, available in many colors and designs, and generally more affordable than other hard surface options. Porcelain tiles are impervious to water than any other ceramic product. 

Porcelain is the best of all worlds when it comes to bathroom flooring. It's waterproof, stylish, and affordable. Like stone, porcelain can achieve a rich textured, solid feel. Like vinyl, it's 100% waterproof, when installed properly. If you intend to have a true “wet room” bathroom or a curbless shower, you will want to take the extra step of installing the shower waterproofing membrane not just under the shower floor itself, but under the entire bathroom floor or all the area which receives significant overspray.

With many choices and different types of ceramic tile, you can create the floor you want. You can even find porcelain tile that looks just like wood or stone. Tile cleans up really well, and like stone, it is cold but can work with radiant heat systems. While tile can be slippery when wet, texturing can eliminate that problem.

Vinyl Flooring - LVP, LVT, and Sheet

Good-looking, practical, and affordable, vinyl has been a popular bathroom flooring option for decades. But this is not your grandfather's vinyl flooring! Today you have options that rival tile or stone in terms of durability, flexibility, and design. Sheet vinyl flooring is best if you're dealing with extreme amounts of water, like the kid's bathroom or the laundry room. 

Because it comes in large sizes, sheet vinyl can be installed in many cases with no seams. Luxury vinyl plank and luxury vinyl tile flooring are increasingly popular choices. LVT and LVP are much more affordable than stone or hardwood. Many homeowners and designers are using them throughout the house. Along with being waterproof, vinyl tile resists scratches and is available in various colors and patterns, including natural materials like wood and stone.

Natural Stone

If you can afford it, nothing is as luxurious as natural stone. When properly installed and regularly sealed, there are few moisture problems with granite, limestone, marble, and other stone options. Natural stone is durable and aesthetically beautiful. Stone flooring also offers you an excellent return on your investment in terms of resale value. 

Stone can be cold and slippery. Coldness can be cured by installing radiant heat. Slipping can be mitigated by having the stone textured or purchasing a naturally textured stone, like slate. The only real drawback to natural stone is the cost. It's probably the most expensive bathroom flooring option. 

Choosing the Best Bathroom Flooring

Your choice comes down to a couple of factors, durability, aesthetics, and of course, budget. One other consideration when choosing bathroom flooring is the size of the space. If you have a smaller bathroom, you may want to stretch your budget a bit. 

A small space gives you the freedom to experiment! Try working with a patterned tile that can make the space look bigger. Or, get a more expensive tile than you might otherwise since a smaller bathroom will require less material. Go bold! Don't be afraid to try something unusual or different than you would usually choose.

Finding the right bathroom flooring doesn't have to be difficult. As you can see, today, you have more options than ever before! Work with your design-build professional. They can help you make a perfect choice!

If you live in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area and have questions about bathroom flooring for a remodeling project, give the experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel a call at (608) 846-5963. Their award-winning design team is ready to help you realize your creative vision and will work with you to pick the perfect bathroom flooring to help you create the bathroom of your dreams. Call today and arrange a free consultation to discuss your upcoming project.

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 9/12/2022.