Is it time to renovate your bathroom? If yes, let’s talk about the floors. If not, why are you reading this?

What Type to Use

There are many types of flooring available. Let’s talk about the most, and least popular.

First you want flooring that’s impervious to water. First, you need to realize that water will inevitably gather on a bathroom floor. And the last thing you want is for that water to get below the flooring. Because if it does, it can destroy the sub floor and create an environment to allow mold to grow and other nasty things.

Let’s get the bad choices out of the way.

A poor choice for a bathroom is laminate flooring, commonly called Pergo. The very nature of this flooring has gaps between the individual pieces. Consequently, the gaps allow water to penetrate. Enough said. This is not for a bathroom.

Vinyl squares? Same story as laminate.

Carpet? Only use carpet if it’s over a sealed surface, such as ceramic tile, or on top of a concrete slab. And even then be prepared to replace periodically, because mold will grow underneath.

Hardwood. It looks great but the same as applies to laminate applies here. Not for a bathroom.

Now let’s look at the good stuff.

Ceramic tile. Installed properly, you’ll never worry about it again. It comes in many sizes, styles, colors and patterns. A newer style mimics the look of hardwood and looks great.

Natural materials such as marble, granite or stone are similar to ceramic tile.

Vinyl is available in solid sheets and totally seals out water. It’s a good lower cost alternative.

Installation

Many of these floors can be installed by the average home owner. Many large stores offer classes on weekends to teach you how to install. But if you’re unsure of your abilities, it may be better to have a professional installation. And don’t assume that the big box hardware stores have the best prices. The smaller chains and individual stores are often quite price competitive.

Bottom Line

Choose wisely when you install new bathroom floors. Do it properly, you’ll never worry about them again.

When it’s time to either buy or sell a home, give us a call. We can help you through the process.

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