Five Bathroom Floor Ideas That Hold Up to Water and Time

The floor sets the mood of a bathroom and is the hardest part to change later, since everything else sits on it. A good one has to do three things: keep water out of the building, give a wet foot some grip, and still look right in fifteen years. The five ideas below all pass that test. The right one depends on the look you want and how much the room is used.

Floor	Best for	Watch for
Wood-look tile	The warmth of wood in a wet room	Long planks need a very flat subfloor
Mosaic tile	A classic look, shower floors, small rooms	Many grout lines to keep clean
Sheet vinyl	A low budget and a quick install	Looks and lifespan below tile
Waterproof vinyl plank or tile	An inexpensive refresh with a wood or stone look	Seams and edges must be detailed well
Geometric tile	A floor that is the feature of the room	A strong pattern can tire; keep the walls quiet

Wood-look tile

Real wood and a bathroom do not mix: steam and standing water ruin it. Tile made to look like wood gives the same warmth with none of the risk, and good versions are hard to tell from boards at a glance. The colors run from pale blond to dark brown. Planks are long, so the floor beneath must be flat or the edges will sit proud of each other.

Mosaic tile

Small tiles on a mesh backing are the classic bathroom floor and have never gone out of style. They come in ceramic, porcelain, natural stone and glass, in every color and shape, and can be laid in a set pattern or at random. Their many grout lines give grip underfoot and let the floor follow a slope to a drain, which is why they are so often used inside a shower. The same grout lines are what you will be cleaning.

Sheet vinyl

Sheet vinyl comes in one piece, so in a small bathroom there may be no seam at all for water to find. It is waterproof, low in maintenance and much easier to put down than tile. Mosaic and geometric prints look best. It suits a rental, a child’s bathroom or a tight budget; it will not pass for tile up close.

Waterproof vinyl plank and tile

Luxury vinyl plank and luxury vinyl tile are the rigid, thicker relatives of sheet vinyl, sold with wood and stone looks. They are inexpensive, simple to install and long lasting for the price. The planks themselves shrug off water; the care is at the edges and around the toilet and tub, where water can get under a floating floor if the perimeter is not sealed.

Geometric tile

Hexagons, diamonds, checkerboards and patterned tiles make the floor the main event. Black and white is the favorite, and far from the only option; shape, size, color and texture are all open. With a floor this strong, plain walls and a simple vanity keep the room from feeling busy.

What has to be right under any floor

Waterproofing

The finish you see is not what keeps water out of the apartment below. That is the job of the waterproofing under it. On our bathroom jobs the floor and the shower area are waterproofed, the shower to the ceiling, before any tile goes down, and cement board is used in the wet areas. Ask any contractor how this layer is built and tested before you compare tile samples.

Grip

Tile is rated for slip resistance by its dynamic coefficient of friction. The tile industry’s standard classes a tile as suitable for interior floors that will be walked on wet at a wet value of 0.42 or more, or where the maker declares it so. The Tile Council of North America cautions that the number should not be the only factor: soap, water and wear all change how a floor behaves (TCNA). Ask for the rating, and prefer a matte or textured finish to a polished one on a bathroom floor.

A sound, level base

After the old floor comes up, the framing and subfloor are checked and corrected if needed. A floor that flexes cracks tile and grout, and a floor that is not level shows at every edge.

Warmth

Radiant heat under tile makes a stone-cold floor comfortable. It has to be decided before the floor is laid, since the heating mat goes beneath the tile and its wiring has to be planned with the rest of the electrical work.

For everything else to settle before work begins, use our bathroom remodel checklist. The bathroom renovation in NYC page explains the work, the bathroom remodel timeline shows where the floor comes in the order, and the bathroom gallery has finished floors to look at.

Questions people ask