Remodeling your bathroom has quite a few pros; it can add value to your home, you can revamp some outdated styles, you can incorporate personality and style, and you can improve function. Let’s face it, there are a lot of bathroom necessities you can build into the bathroom without having to crowd it with store bought organizers or other accessories.
When remodeling a bathroom, something most people spend quite a bit of time on is what type of flooring they should get. Not only are there endless colors or style choices, but there are several materials you can feature in your bathroom.
We do want to note that it is always better to have a professional install your flooring, as different materials require different installation techniques. Give the professionals a call at Fortin Construction when you’re beginning your bathroom remodel so can make sure the job gets done right.
Here are our top 5 bathroom flooring options, along with some pro tips, and their pricing rank.
Key:
- $$$$ - Most expensive
- $$$ - More expensive
- $$ - Budget Friendly
- $ - Inexpensive
Porcelain or Ceramic Tile - $$$
- While these two types of tile get grouped together fairly frequently, the difference comes down to water absorption.
- Porcelain may be a bit pricier, but it’s a great choice for bathrooms because porcelain tiles are harder and less porous, and therefore more waterproof.
- Pro-Tip: The smaller the tiles, the less slippery the floors due to the grout lines.
- Ceramic is another great choice because there are so many options when it comes to shape, size, texture, color, or look.
- Pro-Tip: There are textured options that can reduce the slippery nature of ceramic tiles, and radiant or heated tile that won’t be as cold (especially great living in an area with such cold winter months).
- Porcelain or ceramic tile also allow for pretty easy clean up, and are fairly resilient to standing pools of water.
Sheet Vinyl - $$
- There are actually a few different types of vinyl that you can use for bathroom flooring, but we choose sheet vinyl because the other types (plank and tile) tend to have seams when installed.
- Pro-Tip: With some bathrooms, especially if used a lot by kids, there is no escaping lots of water ending up on the floor. This is why sheet vinyl is great. Seams, especially poorly installed or big gapping seams, in flooring can be devastating to your bathrooms.
Laminate Flooring - $
- Laminate flooring is a great choice so long as you take the precautions to protect the flooring underneath. Typically, laminate is a resin coated top to a wood base, and the paper that’s resin coated is a photo of whatever you want it to be, whether that be a photo of a type of wood, marble, or another texture.
- Pro-Tip: Ensuring tight seams between planks makes it more difficult for moisture to seep through.
Natural Stone - $$$$
- Stone tiles tend to be the most expensive option, but often the most visually appealing and adds the most value to your home in regards to bathrooms.
- Pro-Tip: Talk with the professionals to choose the best type of stone for your bathroom, as some of them come with more moisture risks than others.
Engineered Wood - $$
- Engineered wood flooring has plywood base that resists well to moisture, making it a great alternative to solid wood for bathroom floors.
- Pro-Tip: Since engineered wood is created with a real layer of wood on top, it still gives off the appearance of natural wood without the fear of warping or molding.
There are many other types of flooring options, like cork, linoleum, natural wood, or even carpet which is often used for powder rooms that don’t have any bathing areas. The five listed above are simply the most commonly used bathroom flooring options because they’re typically easy to clean, low maintenance, and have mid to high moisture resistance.
Don’t forget to call the professionals at Fortin Construction when beginning your bathroom remodel so we can help you make the best design and function decisions while staying within your budget.