flooring

Appropriate flooring for bathrooms depends on the traffic 

You stumble out of bed on an early, dark winter’s morning.  Your first port of call is the bathroom and because your eyes are only half open, your initial sensation comes through the soles of your feet.  That’s why choosing appropriate flooring is so important.  If your flooring is cold and uninviting, that’s how you’ll start your day 365 times a year.

Why not carpet?

Of course, the warmest and most comfortable floor covering material is carpet and many households choose this but it’s hardly appropriate flooring for one of the dampest rooms in the house.  Not only does it take a long time to dry out but, while it’s wet it attracts dirt.  Mould and fungus also love the warm, humid environment it offers, adding their own unwelcome odor.  A carpet product called Flotex (http://www.flotex.co.uk/) claims to provide a warm, waterproof and stain proof solution, however, like all textile products it ages faster than some of the more appropriate flooring products.

Timber and Laminate

Timber and wood laminate can make appropriate floors for bathrooms and can be reasonably warm underfoot, especially if a sandwich layer of insulation material is laid underneath.  Laminate manufacturers produce appropriate flooring quality for bathrooms although their guarantees are almost always cancelled by fixing down toilets, baths and basin pedestals through the flooring.  If you can work with the restrictions, this provides an appropriate floor with a pleasant, clean surface. 


Tiles and slabs

Some of the most sophisticated bathrooms use ceramic tiles, slate or marble as an appropriate flooring material.  The secret to success with these products is to first lay low voltage heating mats before the tiles or slabs go down.  The mats provide low level heating and the tiles hold onto the heat really well.  The only drawback to consider is that they are slippery when wet.  Textured tiles can be used locally next to the bath or the shower but they are not really appropriate flooring for all over use.


What’s left?

Vinyl flooring and rubber flooring can be very comfortable underfoot but, to get the very best finish they are not appropriate flooring for installation as a DIY project.  Vinyl can suffer from shrinkage as it ages, causing joints to open up and damp will creep underneath but some of the cushioned products are a very inexpensive way of providing a quick, decorative and appropriate floor for any bathroom.