When choosing flooring for your home, your bathroom is a little different. Whilst you still need to consider common factors such as cost, durability and aesthetics, you also need to consider one enduring issue; water. So what are your best options when it comes to choosing the right wood for your bathroom flooring?
No other flooring in your home will have to tackle water quite like your bathroom flooring. You may have had the same thought process and considerations when choosing your kitchen flooring. However, where you’re likely to encounter the odd spillage in your kitchen, water is a recurring obstacle in any bathroom.
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For a quick view at each flooring type and its suitability for bathroom. Click on the flooring type to jump to more information.
Recommended
Not Recommended
Whether you’re looking for a wooden floor or a tiled effect, there are options available to give you the desired look whilst protecting against moisture. In this guide, we’ll walk you through different flooring types and their suitability to give you the bathroom flooring ideas you're looking for.
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Luxury Vinyl Tiles
RECOMMENDED
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is one of the toughest flooring options on the market. Renowned for imitating high-end flooring to unsurpassed standards, LVT is the flooring choice for many homeowners. Water resistance is one of the many benefits of LVT Flooring.
When it comes to bathrooms, LVT's durability makes it a popular option. Luxury Vinyl Tiles are water-resistant, and feel warmer underfoot than real porcelain or stone. If you prefer the style of a wood flooring, then you can perfectly replicate this look. LVT is compatible with underfloor heating, and the tiles are incredibly easy to fit using their ingenious click system.
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Vinyl
RECOMMENDED
If you’re looking for a more cost-effective alternative to LVT, Vinyl Flooring will give you the desired look for less. Because it’s essentially one sheet of flooring, when sealed correctly around edges (and joins if you’ve got a particularly big bathroom), it will be 100% water resistant.
Aside from the low cost, vinyl’s appeal also draws from the huge range of styles available on the market. Because each design is printed, manufacturers are free to create unique flooring that separates itself from the competition. So when it comes to bathroom flooring options, whether you’re looking for a simple wood design, or something a little more outlandish, rest assured you’ll find a vinyl to suit your taste.
Read also: 4 Fashionable Wood Flooring Ideas for Your Bedroom
EvoCore
RECOMMENDED
If you are looking for the best possible option for your bathroom flooring, our EvoCore Flooring range is unmatched in its strength, stability, and waterproof features. The 7 unique layers that make up this flooring all offer beneficial factors, such as added durability, scratch resistance, easy installation and a real wood look and feel. What's more, EvoCore flooring is completely waterproof, meaning no moisture can seep through to cause lasting damage. So when it comes to being a contender in the best bathroom flooring options, EvoCore is definitely up there.
EvoCore has 4 ranges and due to demand, alongside innovation, these ranges are growing rapidly. They can be found below.
EvoCore Essentials
EvoCore Essentials is ideal for any room of the home with home-wide suitability, high durability thanks to in-built underlay, as well as being available in a variety of colours and styles. This versatile flooring meets a friendlier price point than our other EvoCore ranges whilst looking amazing and playing the part where functionality is concerned.
EvoCore Premium
EvoCore Premium brings a luxurious tone to any space in your home with registered embossed planks offering a textured surface. This provides a true natural look and feel. Its 8mm thick plank coupled with it's in built underlay offers even more durability. This, on top of being suitable for any room of the home means it's a perfect addition to your bathroom.
EvoCore 360
EvoCore 360 gives the ability to create bespoke design thanks to its unique 360 omni-click system. With the ability to mix and match colours, patterns and an easy installation, as well as practical functionality such as being waterproof and highly durable, EvoCore 360 is perfect for any room of the home. Including your bathroom. EvoCore 360 also offers both tiled and wood effects, providing design options desirable in bathrooms.
Engineered Wood
NOT RECOMMENDED
There is a debate that surrounds whether you can use Engineered Wood in a bathroom. We have previously advised it’s okay to be used in a kitchen (with caution), which can see fluctuating temperatures and moisture levels. Engineered Wood’s multiple layers make it more resistant to these factors than its solid wood counterpart. However, we also advise that all spills are cleaned up immediately to mitigate the risk of water damage. Whilst this is easy to do in a kitchen, it’s much less practical in a bathroom, which is why we don't consider it one of the best bathroom flooring options.
If you are looking to lay Engineered Wood in your bathroom, you’ll need to choose boards with a thickness of 14–15mm to offer the most durability whilst still remaining flexible. Then, the flooring will need to be either lacquered or hard-wax oiled to increase its resistance to moisture. It comes down to personal preference, however the risk of water damage is still there – especially if fitted incorrectly. We’d therefore, advise you use a more recommended flooring type for your bathroom.
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Laminate
NOT RECOMMENDED
Similar to Engineered Wood, there is a grey area when it comes to laying Laminate in bathrooms. Unfortunately, if moisture finds its way into the Laminate planks, it can completely ruin your flooring. Common entrance is through the plank joins. There are joint protectors available to seal the gap and act as a barrier for water, however, whilst effective for minor spillages this will not fully waterproof your boards.
You must also consider the possibility of leaks in your bathroom. Laminate (and Engineered Wood, for that matter) might work okay when exposed to small amounts of moisture. However, if you encounter a leaking bathtub or faucet, you could easily find your entire flooring is ruined. For this reason, we advise choosing a completely waterproof flooring option to avoid accidents becoming even more costly.
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Solid Wood
NOT RECOMMENDED
Whilst Solid Wood Flooring is no doubt a desirable bathroom flooring option, it does not handle excessive moisture well. Compared to Engineered Wood’s multiple layers, Solid Wood is made from one piece of wood. Because it is a natural product, prolonged water exposure causes the wood to soak up moisture and therefore expand. This in turn can then cause your flooring to warp or buckle. We would strongly advise against using Solid Wood in your bathroom.
Bathroom Flooring Styles
Whilst you're flooring options may be slightly limiting in terms of compatibility with your bathroom, let's take the flooring types you can use, an look at some of the latest trends. So not only are you getting functionality, but style too.
Patterns
Want to add fun, style and stand out designs to your bathroom on top of that primary practicality? Then this vinyl trend is one you're not going to want to miss. With a wide range of styles to choose from, vinyl can provide a focal point to your bathroom. These show stopping pieces make a great addition if compliments are what you're after. Not only that, they come at a friendlier price point than most flooring types. Some call it cheap and cheerful, we call it style and sensibility.
Black and White Contrast
Another trend that has made its way back around is a black and white contrast. This is most commonly styled with a patterned flooring which is achievable with vinyl. However, other flooring types that are compatible with bathrooms such as laminate and EvoCore are available in darker tones, which can achieve this style.
Bathroom flooring needs to endure a lot during its lifetime. To ensure you’re making the right choice for you, our helpful team are on hand to give you the best advice – straight from the professionals.
