Choosing the right flooring or tiling option for the bathroom you are designing or refurbishing is a very important process because it’s one of the elements which is going to personalise and characterise the bathroom’s general style.
If the materials and colours of the floor are chosen in the right way, then the whole environment is going to look better, the furniture is going to be valorised more and a very efficient border line between the exterior and the interior is going to be created.
For instance, tiling can be a valid guide when we talk about the refurbishment of a bathroom since it can bring out the room’s lines and shapes if we are able to match materials and colours well.
This is just an example though, in this article we are going to go over all the main solutions regarding bathroom flooring, based on factors such as the style you are looking for and how much maintenance is required for the different materials. I always recommend asking bathroom design specialists and bathroom fitters in London in order to get advice from professionals who can take a closer look to your specific situation and find the perfect options for your house.
How to choose your floor
Whether it’s your house, an apartment or a rental property, in a modern home the bathroom doesn’t merely represent a room you use only when you need to, but it also represents a relaxing space where you can enjoy some time for yourself. This is one of the main reasons why we need to carefully choose each element we decide to add to the bathroom because they all need to look pleasant while also be functional and serve their purposes well.
The bathroom floor is not just something to step on, it has the important function of valorising the room’s furniture, including the toilet and because of this, flooring is not something you should consider lightly.
Here I’m going to list some suggestions and some of the main things you need to consider before settling on the kind of flooring you want, be it tiling or hardwood:
Get inspiration by your house’s style: when choosing a flooring option, you must not forget to take a look at what the rest of your house looks like. As a home owner, you might like to mix things up a bit and have different styles, but as a landlord, you need to keep in mind that not everybody is going to like an environment that looks discontinuous.
For example, a rustic style is better valorised by a floor made with cotto tiles rather than porcelain stoneware which is a lot more modern and suits minimal designs way better.
Choosing the colours basing on the space you have available: if the bathroom is rather small and you don’t have a lot of square meters available, I’d recommend using tiles that have a very light and luminous colour. Even better if they are completely smooth and free of peculiar designs, otherwise you risk making your bathroom seem too full. With lighter colours any small room is going to look bigger.
On the other hand, if you already have a big bathroom you also have a lot more freedom with the colours. Choosing strong colours can make your room feel more personalized and stylish, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
If you have any doubts about what can look good in your bathroom, don’t forget you can always contact agencies that specialise in bathroom refurbishment.
Consider the furniture you have: tiling needs to be chosen based on the furniture you already own if you are renovating a bathroom, or the one you plan on buying if you are designing a new one. Very detailed and peculiar tiles can be valorised when put next to simple and linear furniture, while furniture that has strong characteristics can be valorised by simple and minimal flooring.
Be mindful of your lifestyle: before choosing a flooring option, think about who is going to use the bathroom and the kind of lifestyle you have, so that the solution you settle on can be the one you were looking for.
For instance, if you live with kids, or if you have a dog or a cat, you might want to consider getting some anti-scratching flooring, or something that is not going to be permanently ruined by smudges. Otherwise you are going to spend half of your free time cleaning messes!
Type of maintenance required: Different materials require different levels of maintenance, before choosing one you need to think about how the material is going to last and what it requires in terms of maintenance and cost. If you don’t have a lot of free time available, then you should avoid materials that require specific treatments in order to maintain characteristics such as gleam and colour.
These were the main elements to consider before buying any type of flooring, now let’s move on to describing the characteristics of the best and most popular tiling options for a bathroom.
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Stoneware
Nowadays, stoneware is one of the most used materials when we talk about flooring, not only for the bathroom, but for the rest of the house as well. These tiles are very thin, while also being durable and resistant and, for those reasons, they are very popular in modern houses. Stoneware is perfect for the bathroom because it doesn’t absorb liquids and it’s versatile, it can imitate close to any other material, especially wood and stone.
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Ceramic
Ceramic is an absolute classic, it is very appreciated for every room in the house because it looks beautiful other than being functional. This material is available in a lot of different sizes and models, basing on the quality of the materials you can get ceramic that is very resistant or liquid resistant. There are two main versions of ceramic: polished ceramic which keeps it more protected, and bare ceramic, which is more sensitive to breaking. I recommend choosing the polished version if you have kids or if you own animals.
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Hardwood
Known for being elegant and giving off a comfortable feel, hardwood is going to keep your room warmer, but it also requires a lot of work and attention in order to maintain it properly. It is not for everybody, but if your bathroom wants to look classy, hardwood is going to do the job. I just advice other materials if you can’t dedicate time to its maintenance.
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Cotto tiles
It’s one of the main materials used in rural houses, maybe in the countryside. It’s made using a mixture of water and clay which gives it an irregular look, making each and every tile unique. It’s warm and resistant, perfect for the outside too and, if you choose this one, you can be sure your bathroom is going to be one of a kind. Cotto doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, which is definitely a plus if you have no time to spare.
These were pretty much the main materials that are usually used in bathrooms. You should always also try to match your floor with your furniture, if you have a beautiful floor, you can try to valorise it using a suspended toilet, for example.
Follow the same style when you design a bathroom because you don’t want to create a mixture of styles which is not going to help your eye. It doesn’t really matter if you choose a bathtub rather than a shower, as long as you are able to match the different elements of your bathroom.
For instance, you can install a modern looking shower box in a rustic bathroom, but the tiles need to be rectangular or square, with straight lines in order to valorise the shower instead of overpowering it.
You are allowed to put accessories in your bathroom, they are going to look amazing if you manage to match them with the rest of the room, maybe using the same colours so that your soap holder matches the colour of your floor solution.
It may all sound difficult and confusing now, but I hope this article helped to make things a little easier for you and give you an idea of how to choose the right flooring option for your bathroom. Every situation is different, but don’t forget you can always ask the help of bathroom designers and installers which have a lot of experience and can surely help you out.