When it comes to designing or renovating your bathroom, flooring is one of the most important things to consider. You’ll want it to be stylish, hard-wearing, water-resistant and practical for the way you live. The best bathroom flooring isn’t always the same, though. A quiet guest bathroom could benefit from a very different flooring type from the one found in a luxurious main bathroom suite.
We’ve taken a look at the different types of bathrooms and made flooring suggestions for each, enabling you to make an informed decision when it’s time to revitalise your bathroom.
Kid-friendly bathrooms
Children’s bathrooms need to be able to withstand heavy use and lots of splashing! Not only that, they need to prioritise safety to make sure that bathtime is both fun and safe. As a result, you need bathroom flooring that’s durable and water and slip-resistant. Three options instantly tick these boxes:
- Textured porcelain tile: Extremely durable and resistant to scratches and water. Slip-resistant finishes will help prevent accidents, so look out for those when shopping for these tiles.
- Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT): LVT bathroom floor tiles provide a soft surface underfoot that’s also water and scratch-resistant, making it perfect for kids stepping in and out of the bath.
- Rubber flooring tiles: Not one you see often, but they are surprisingly stylish and offer a heightened level of safety.
These three materials can be excellent for kids’ bathrooms and can handle practically anything your little terrors throw at them.
Guest bathroom
If you have a guest room with an ensuite bathroom, it’s worth factoring in that it’s a room used less frequently than others. This gives you more chances to focus on style rather than practicality. It also means you may be able to save money by investing in a cheaper alternative to the flooring in your main bathroom.
Flooring to consider for a guest bathroom includes:
- Patterned ceramic or porcelain tiles: Durable and water-resistant, style up the guest room with some geometric prints. Terrazzo-inspired designs or bold mosaics could look great.
- Stone-look porcelain: Give the guest room the high-end appearance that marble or slate delivers without the expense of the upkeep.
- Waterproof laminate: Cheap, easy to install and available in a host of colours and designs.
These options provide an affordable flooring solution for a room that’s used less than the others. They’ll still offer durability and water resistance, but at a fraction of the price.
Main bathroom
Your main bathroom is a place where you should be able to relax and escape the hectic household or shut off from the stress life can bring. Therefore, you want the entire bathroom to exude style, peace and harmony. When it comes to flooring, there are a host of ways you can do this.
You could choose from:
- Large-format porcelain tiles: With fewer grout lines, this durable, stylish flooring will create a spa-like feel in your bathroom, helping to set the tone of the room.
- Engineered stone or quartz tiles: Extremely durable and elevating your bathroom to something luxurious.
- LVT: We mentioned LVT flooring as a suitable kids’ bathroom flooring solution, but its versatility means it can suit any bathroom. With stone and wood effects as well as abstract designs, you can find an LVT product to suit any décor.
These flooring types offer longevity, moisture protection and scratch resistance, helping to give your bathroom a classic or contemporary style. If you want your bathroom to make a statement, these options certainly help.
Small bathrooms
Small bathrooms can often feel cramped, but they can be made to feel much larger with a few smart tricks. One is the flooring. If you choose the right type, you’ll find your bathroom suddenly looks and feels different!
Three good options for this are:
- Light-coloured porcelain tiles: The colours reflect light, helping the room feel airy. As mentioned earlier, this floor type also provides durability and water resistance as well as a hint of style.
- Large-format tiles: By reducing the visual clutter, you suddenly create an impression of there being more space.
- Continuous sheet flooring: This could be sheet vinyl or another material. Once laid, the lack of seams makes the floor look bigger.
Strategic flooring choices, such as those suggested above, help transform your small bathroom, making it feel bigger, cleaner and more open.
Bathroom flooring isn’t one-size-fits-all. The optimal choice for your bathroom depends on the room size, how often it’s used and who uses it. You might need to be safety-focused if children live in the property, or you may want to focus on style for a sense of luxury. You’ll also need to consider the budget and how quickly a new floor can be installed. Once you’ve taken this into account, you can then move your bathroom refurbishment plans forward.