There Are More Bathroom FlooringChoices Than Ever!
There are more choices for bathroom flooring than ever, the only problem is deciding which floor makes the most sense for your application.
Ranging from traditional square ceramic tiles to more exotic materials like bamboo or even natural stone, today's flooring choices are immense. To get some perspective on flooring today, we should look at the evolution of the floor.
For hundreds of years bathroom flooring and most tile floors for that matter were made of what is known as a mud-set tile. These floors were extremely durable and unbelievably stable but were very labor intensive to install and even more difficult to remove. As time wore on the mud-set floor was the staple until the 20's and 30's when linoleum became an inexpensive and durable alternative. During the fifties and later vinyl flooring began to replace linoleum and mud-set tile as the flooring of choice. With the advent of cement backer boards during the 70's and 80's ceramic tile regained prominence as an affordable flooring for the masses.
Today, the choices are virtually limitless. When choosing a floor covering for a bathroom it is important to consider what the bathroom will be used for as well as the people who will be using it. For example if the bathroom is a kid's bathroom then a non-slip ceramic tile surface would be desired while a formal powder room in a century old victorian mansion would be deserving of marble floor tile or another natural stone floor. Other considerations would include moisture resistance, durability, color and style, cleanability and cost.
Cheap flooring is not always the best, but it does have a place on the designers palette. By far the most economical bathroom flooring choice would be sheet or tile vinyl. With good cleanability and durability vinyl is a safe choice. Along with vinyl comes the new kid on the block, interlocking floor tiles. These can't be beat for their economics and their ease of installation.
The longest lasting floor would be ceramic tile, porcelain tile or natural stone tile. Ceramic is the least expensive and probably the most common of the tile floors and with it's virtually non-porous surface makes sense as a leader in stain resistance. Porcelain tile is essentially the same as ceramic tile it is made from more refined materials and is denser resulting in improved resistance to staining and moisture infiltration. Natural stone tile, while beautiful, can be extremely expensive and it's porous nature makes it susceptible to staining. All tiles will need to be installed on either a traditional mud-set base or thin set mortar and cementitious backer board.
Carpet, solid wood and laminate flooring are all possibilities but lack the moisture resistance needed in a master bathroom or other high use location.
Speaking of moisture resistance, bamboo flooring is quickly becoming a
very popular choice among homeowners. Bamboo flooring is naturally
resistant to moisture and it's renewable nature makes it the
environmentally conscious choice. It is available in a variety of
colors and finishes and is easy to install.
