Bathroom Flooring

Home > Floor Buying Guides > Bathroom Flooring

All About Bathroom Flooring

Bathrooms are one of the most popular rooms in a home to remodel. One spruced up bathroom raises the home’s value up around 60 – 65%. Plus, having a revived bathroom just makes life better all the way around.

Replacing bathroom flooring is a must when you’re remodeling the room. Changing the flooring alone will do wonders for the room even if you do nothing else. The flooring of a room is where it all begins and ends. It’s the foundation where the tone is set and it completes the design of the room as well.

Bathroom flooring has come a long way in the past decade. Now, you can practically achieve any look and feel you want. From luxurious to rustic, you’ll have a myriad of choices when it comes to bathroom flooring and you’ll find great picks within any budget – great or small.

Humidity And Moisture Are A Bathroom’s Biggest Challenge

Flooring the bathroom is not without challenges. The running water, the shower, the bath, the sink, the toilet – all culprits of a humid, moist, and leaky bathroom. To protect yourself, your bathroom flooring needs to be able to sustain these threats. Vinyl planks, sheets, and tiles are your best options. Lucky for you, that’s what’s trending so you’ll have options galore.

What Type of Flooring Fits Your Bathroom?

The type and style of flooring you choose for your bathroom should be a thoughtful mix of practicality and preference. You may adore solid hardwood flooring but have a bathroom that is prone to humidity and a high risk of flooding, so it might not be the wisest choice. A better alternative would be vinyl plank flooring that mimics wood.

Some factors to take into consideration when deciding on what kind of flooring to use are:

Size.
Shape.
Degree of foot traffic.
Uses of the room.

Crucial Criteria

Characteristics your bathroom flooring must possess are:

Water-resistance: Your bathroom floor is going to get wet. Due to the nature of the room, it is going to be exposed to humidity. It’s imperative for your flooring to be water-resistant or water-proof.
Durability: Who wants to install a floor that will last just a few years? You want your new flooring to withstand decades and the way to accomplish that is to make sure it can hold up to all that’s dished out. Choose flooring that is rough and tough enough to go up against all the abuse it will suffer in your bathroom and still come out shining.
Design Compatibility: How your flooring will look in your bathroom is important. Pre-think the design of your bathroom as you are considering the flooring. If it is small with nooks and crannies, doubtfully will large planks work well. You will need flooring that doesn’t take over the room and that is easy to lay around the twists and turns of the room. Vinyl tile might be the perfect solution since you can go with small tiles that are easier to work with in tight areas.
Scrub-ability: From soap scum to drops of toothpaste and tracked-in grit and grime, your bathroom flooring will see it all. Be prepared by opting for flooring that is easy to keep clean.

Finding flooring with the criteria above may seem like a tall order but with modern technology and innovative inventions, the selections that are now available to you make it super simple and even pleasant to shop for bathroom flooring.

Trends in Bathroom Flooring

Regardless of if you go with vinyl tiles, planks, or sheets (or even with another flooring option), the trends remain the same. Here are a few of the wildly popular bathroom floorings homeowners can’t get enough of:

The Wondrous Wood Look

It seems wood will never go out of style, especially in the bathroom. Warm, comfortable, and timeless, flooring that mimics wood is a favorite in the bathroom. It goes with practically every color and décor and you’re never at a loss for different grains and types to choose from. Vinyl floors in a grey toned wood look are flying off the shelves while the more traditional tones of oak, walnut, and pine are as beloved as ever.

Natural Mimics

Vinyl flooring that looks and feels like stone, marble, granite, and slate are bigger than ever these days. The nice thing is that you can get the look without the high price tag and the upkeep is bare minimal compared to
caring for the real deal.

Stencil Me In!

Stenciled vinyl flooring is a big deal this year and there’s good reason to believe the look will be around a long while. You will find stenciled flooring in rustic, modern, and traditional patterns and in every color and color comnbination imaginable.

Linear Looks and Geometric Patterns

You may have noticed that patterns are ruling the market in everything from bedspreads and wallpaper to…you got it – flooring. Homeowners are even mixing and matching patterns and shapes on the wall with patterns and shapes on the floor. If your bathroom is tiny, you might want to think twice about adding them on your wall too, but it’s truly a time when anything goes when it comes to linear looks. Herringbone, chevron, and hexagon are among the biggest sellers. Moroccan tile shapes are quickly coming back in style too.

Matte is Mod

The latest look is in matte and honed finishes. Matte has been trumping the glossy glow for some time now and the day has finally arrived that matte is to glossy what brushed nickel is to chrome – a clear winner. Matte definitely has its advantages because it is easier to maintain, isn’t slippery like gloss finishes are, and doesn’t show water marks and dirt near as much. Tile, plank, and sheet vinyl can all be found with matte finishes.

Be Cool. Go Light.

Cool, light tones like creams, whites, pale blues, and light grays are trending in colors for bathroom wall paint and for flooring. Warm colors, yellows, and golds are, for sure, yesterday’s colors but if you are set on one of them, you’ll surely find it in an updated version. Neutral beiges combined with gray are the hot cool color combos of today.

Trendy Textures.

The texture of a vinyl floor speaks volumes. Rustic vinyl screams of being weathered and aged and comes with options such as hand-scraped, distressed, or wire-brushed effects. Vinyl with modern aesthetics are available with smooth finishes while luxurious looks are also on the market boasting elegant sheens.

Although there are definite trends in bathroom flooring, another popular style is…your style. Never before has it been so acceptable to decorate with whatever floats your boat. From repurposing practically anything, like an old sewing machine turned into a sink basin, to luxurious chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and all point in between, whatever you like goes. The best thing about that is with vinyl flooring, you are sure to find the perfect planks, tiles, or sheeting to pull off your look because the sky is indeed the limit to the choices you have in textures, colors, and types.

Style Meets Function

Another huge trend in bathroom flooring is function. Savvy homeowners are asking more from their flooring choices. Not only do they want their floors to be beautiful and to fit in with the décor of the room, they want them to serve other purposes as well.

Skid-resistance: Being water-resistant doesn’t necessarily mean the flooring is skid proof. Vinyl flooring is available with non-skid coatings and textures to lower the risk of falling. Since bathroom floors are often wet, this option is quite popular.
Water-resistance: Bathroom flooring will encounter water and that’s a fact. Whether it’s you dripping when getting out of the shower or a full-fledged overflow of the shower, tub, or toilet, the bathroom floor will get wet – count on it. Anticipating the problem, vinyl flooring is made with a certain degree of water resistance. Being water resistant doesn’t make a floor waterproof, however. Higher quality, higher priced, versions of vinyl come in waterproof options.
Care and Maintenance: Homeowners are busy these days. There’s no time for waxing floors and even if there is, you have better things to do with your time. While stripping and waxing were once requirements of having a gorgeous, well-maintained floor, not so anymore. Today’s vinyl flooring only needs to be swept, mopped with a light solution of cleaner (commercial or homemade) and left to dry. If repairs are needed, especially if you have vinyl planks or tiles, you can replace the faulty ones without tearing into the entire flooring.

Tough Choices Simplified

There are so many choices, it can indeed be overwhelming when trying to decide which flooring goes best in your bathroom. Below you’ll find some things to factor in that can make the decision process easier.

Existing cabinets and trim: The cabinets that are going to be in the bathroom will need to look nice with the flooring. While they don’t have to match exactly, they do need to coexist beautifully. If you have wood cabinets, you’ll want to stick with flooring that compliments such as:

Oak: Shades of white, beige, brown (if your oak has brown undertones), red (for red and gold undertones), gray and black.
Pine: Bold and bright with the floor being the dark space that anchors the room.
Walnut: Since walnut is dark, you’ll want to lighten the room up with your flooring. Light blue, light green, shades of gray, white, and off-white are ideal. If your particular walnut is lighter, you can go a little darker on your flooring if desired.

Painted cabinets: Be sure the color or your cabinets blends well with the coloring of your flooring. If you have solid painted cabinets, why not pick vinyl flooring with a pattern that goes with the paint on the cabinets? Typically, the cabinets are painted darker than the wall or flooring but that isn’t always the case.

Existing walls: If you have wood paneling, follow the suggestions above on mixing and matching different types of wood. If your walls are painted, you can a shade lighter or darker in your flooring or bring out the color in your wall with a pattern in your vinyl flooring.

Adjoining flooring: Don’t forget to take into account the flooring that will be seen from the bathroom, whether it actually touches the bathroom flooring or not. Most importantly is the ensure there are no floorings that will clash such as two types of wood looks and finishes that are completely unrelated.

Recommended Bathroom Flooring Options

#1: Vinyl Planks & Sheets

Vinyl planks and sheets have superior resistance to moisture, spills, and leaks. It also doesn’t expand, contract or shift due to humidity or temperature. In a room where you need waterproof material, vinyl flooring is the best way to go.

Some of the big benefits of vinyl planks and sheets in the bathroom are:

Water resistance in a room where it needs it most
Can withstand extremes of temperature from moisture to humidity
Known to last for 20 years and longer – even in this wet, moist environment
Cost-effective and affordable solution

Vinyl Planks

Vinyl flooring is certainly nothing new, but the fact that it’s now available in planks is. Plank vinyl came on the scene in the 70s. It wasn’t until more recently that it came on the market in snap-together, interlocking pieces, simplifying the installation process tremendously.

Fashion Forward Planks and Sheets

Planks are definitely trending in the past few years. Vinyl sheets can be purchased that are one piece but that resemble the fashionable planks. Wood looks are huge right now and won’t be going out of style anytime soon…if ever. Solid wood flooring in the bathroom is not typically advised due to the humidity and risk of flooding.

Not so with vinyl planks. They look just like wood when you get high-quality planks or sheets but are ideal for bathrooms because they are specially made for the conditions they’ll encounter there. Marble, granite, and stone are beautiful looks for fashionable bathroom flooring but they tend to be slippery when wet. You can achieve the same gorgeous look with vinyl planks and sheets without the risk since they are constructed to be slip resistant.

Sheet Vinyl

Sheet vinyl is as old as your grandparents (and maybe older), but the new technology surrounding it is definitely not your grandparent’s vinyl rolls. Sheet vinyl comes in a large sheet rather than small, stick-down tiles. While you might think a sheet would be bulky and awkward to work with, that’s really not true these days. Plus, there are no unsightly seems that look unattractive. Furthermore, this type of construction means water can’t seep through the seams down into the subflooring – ideal for bathrooms.

Sheet vinyl can be purchased in a multitude of patterns and colors. You can find sheets that mimic wood, natural stone, that are clad with floral or geometric patterns or practically any other look you can think of.

Planks vs. Sheets

If your bathroom is a simple shape such, laying one sheet of vinyl down is the ultimate in easy installation which is a huge plus. Planks, however, are the best for replacing since you can typically replace only the damaged one or ones and call it good. For the most part, they both have pros and cons so it’s a matter of personal preference which is best.

Luxury Vinyl
AquaPlus Platinum Collection
Luxury Vinyl
AquaPlus Gold Collection
Luxury Vinyl
AquaPlus Bronze Collection
Luxury Vinyl
Loose Lay Collection
Luxury Vinyl
AquaPlus Silver Collection
Luxury Vinyl
Rockies Collection
Luxury Vinyl
Chateau Collection
Luxury Vinyl
Quadro Collection

#2: Vinyl Tiles

Vinyl tiles have all the benefits of a vinyl planks and sheets, but with a more premium look and feel – perfect for a downstairs bathroom with a high volume of foot-traffic.

100% waterproof (none of this 99.9% nonsense!)
Easy to clean and maintain, as it is a flat, level surface with no grooves or cracks
Versatile in style and appearance – remarkable variation allows personal customization
Durability allows vinyl tiles to stand the test of time

The Trendy Look of Tile

According to many homeowners, some of the floor fashions look better in tile than they do in sheet or plank vinyl. Some of the popular geometric designs and linear lines on the market are best displayed on vinyl tiles. Floral patterns look stellar on them too.

Tiles vs. Planks

Tiles are square in shape whereas planks are rectangular. While they are both equal in popularity and both are in style, the size and shape of your bathroom and the type of look and feel you are going after will help determine which is the best fit for you.

Planks are ideal for achieving a wood look because they can be made to look almost exactly like wood. Vinyl tile can certainly be found in styles that mimic wood, but they won’t have you wondering if they are really wood or not like planks can.

If your bathroom or powder room is very small, choosing small vinyl tiles may be the best way to go because if only a few planks will fit, that may appear odd-looking. If your bathroom area is large, having tiny tiles all over the floor is going to be overwhelming. The best rule of thumb is to consider the pros and cons of each look to see which is best for your situation.