Bathroom floors: your essential how to guide

Kayla Gulec Kayla Gulec
Novedades Sanchis 2015/2016, SANCHIS SANCHIS Ванная в классическом стиле
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Flooring is a key element in any home renovation project that ties the room together. Good and proper flooring will help any room in the house achieve the look and feel you desire. But there are many things you need to consider before choosing the proper flooring for any room. A room's function, traffic, and location, as well as the amount of money you can spend on it, are all contributing factors in your decision. It's no wonder, then, why choosing the right flooring for the bathroom can be so daunting. With hundreds of different flooring options to choose from, it can get a little overwhelming, especially when you're unsure of the advantages and disadvantages of the type of flooring you choose. Be it tile, hardwood, laminate, or stone, you have to ask yourself, which one is right for me? 

 Luckily for you, this Ideabook is dedicated to giving you all the necessary information to choose the right flooring for your bathroom. 

Good ol' tile

Классический дизайн квартиры на Остоженке, GM-interior GM-interior Ванная в классическом стиле

As many of us already know, tile is the preference of many homeowners when it comes to the bathroom. Tile gives a rich, textured, solid feeling to any bathroom, it's waterproof – which, of course, comes in handy in the wettest room of the house – and best of all, it's fairly inexpensive.

There are so many different types of tiles, you can get exactly the floor you want without any issues. You can even find ceramic tile that looks like stone. Store bought tile comes in just about any size you could imagine, and it even comes in a wide variety of shapes such as octagonal and hexagonal, helping you to create that unique style that only you possess.

The downsides of tile are fairly limited. For one, it's cold – although radiant or heated tile is available on the market – and some people prefer not to have freeing toes after a nice hot shower. Tile can also be quite slippery, but texturing solves that problem. To avoid that problem entirely, use smaller tiles, as they are less slippery due to the extra amount of grout used, which acts as a non-slip surface.

Marvel over mosaic

Anti Slip Mosaic Tiles, The Mosaic Company The Mosaic Company Ванная комната в стиле модерн

Similar to tile, mosaic is another fantastic choice for the bathroom. There's something aesthetically satisfying about a collage consisting of many small tiles that form one intricate, yet cohesive pattern. Mosaics provide a visual pop to the bathroom – especially if it's a smaller one with tight spaces – or as a border detail with contrasting larger tiles. Store bought mosaic tiles come in pre-mounted plastic mesh sheets, so you don't have to individually set each tile, which is a step up from ordinary tile. With tinted grout, your creativity can shine through and you can personalize your bathroom even more. Mosaic cleans up quite well and bravely resists even standing pools of water.

A downside to mosaic, however, has to do with the mesh sheet on which the tiles are mounted. It can be quite common for a tile or two to pop out of the mesh sheet if not laid properly, or just due to normal wear and tear. Thankfully, the solution to that is simple: just dispose of the loose tile and stick in a replacement. Find the right colour and size, and you're all set. You just have to make sure your replacement matches the scheme you already have set in place.

Maybe marble

LEPSZA KOSTKA, PL+sp. z o.o. PL+sp. z o.o. Ванная комната в стиле модерн

With the many whirling patterns and shade variations, marble tiles have a gorgeous, unique look like no other surface. Marble is a metamorphic rock that's been used for thousands of years. Each piece you lay down is unique — the variety in veining and coloring is often considered its best trait. Marble tile can have an even or less homogenous look to it, depending on the type and quality of marble you purchase. Most high-end marble has an even colour palette with soft veining, giving your bathroom an elegant and uniform look. 

The downside to marble is that it's a soft stone, so it is very absorbent. For example, if you dye your hair in a marble shower, the dye can stain your shower floor. It's also very easily etched by acidic materials, such as lemon and certain cleaning products, and has high maintenance requirements. It must be sealed and cleaned regularly, and when cleaning, only a mild detergent solution should be used. Setting a drink down on marble may leave a ring, and any spills on marble should be wiped immediately, as they can stain or etch the marble's porous surface.

Unwavering wood

Hardwood floors have a way of making any room in the house look good. Their warm colors and natural look give a room a look that’s clean, simple, and inviting. When properly cared for, hardwood floors can last a lifetime, or even longer! Even after normal wear and tear, it’s usually possible to bring them back to life with a little tender loving care. A simple sanding and refinishing is all you need to do to bring your hardwoods back to their former luster. Harwood floors also have the advantage of easy maintenance. Sweep or vacuum them when they get dirty and use a wood cleaner every now and then when they need a good shine, and you don't have to worry about spills, because both liquids and solids wipe up easily from hardwood without leaving a stain.

One of the disadvantages to hardwood floors is the cost of buying and installing. It may set you back a lot more than buying and installing other hard floors. If your bathroom has a draft, expect your hardwoods to be chilly in the cooler months. Hardwoods require more frequent cleaning, as they show dirt and dust very easily. And despite the fact that hardwood floors will still be functional decades after they’re installed, they still scratch and wear, and you can expect that in the high-traffic bathroom.

Laminate

Loft interior in rural complex, Edoardo Pennazio Edoardo Pennazio Ванная комната в стиле минимализм

Surprisingly, laminate flooring may be a better bathroom flooring choice than solid hardwood. The surface of laminate is actually a photograph of whatever it's supposed to be simulating, such as oak, slate, or marble. Laminate has a coating on top called the wear layer, which is made of melamine. This layer is incredibly strong because the seams of it are glued together, making it difficult for moisture to work its way downward. On top of that, it's super easy to clean.

As with the other flooring options, laminate does have some disadvantages. Because laminate is a floating floor that is not screwed or fixed into place on the floor, but are rather locked together to form a flexible floor that sort of hovers above the floor underneath, expansion and contraction are more than likely, which can cause distortion. Due to humidity and normal water spills in the bathroom, laminate flooring is at risk of warping. 

Elegant stone

Novedades Sanchis 2015/2016, SANCHIS SANCHIS Ванная в классическом стиле

Whether you're replacing an old shabby floor or installing a new one, you can't beat stone tile for durability and appearance. When laid properly, it's a floor that will last virtually forever, requiring almost no care and maintenance. And you can select materials from a vast array of colors and textures. 
What's equally attractive is that you can lay a first-class tile floor yourself, often in one weekend, and save the close to £1,000 cost of hiring a professional.

One of the biggest disadvantages to stone is that it is by far the most expensive flooring option. Other minor downsides are that stone floors are cold and tend to be quite slippery. But that can be solved by having the stone textured by sandblasting the stone, or by simply buying stone that is naturally textured, like slate. 

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