FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Tiktok YouTube Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe
Log In
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
Log In
Design

Smart Choices in Bathroom Flooring

Tile is still the traditional choice, but it’s not the only floor that performs in this wet environment.

By Matthew Teague Issue 215

Synopsis: A bathroom floor should be stylish, durable, and comfortable. But it also must be able to handle moisture and humidity from daily use as well as any possible leaks that could occur in the future. Contributing writer Matthew Teague profiles seven flooring options for bathrooms: wood, tile, linoleum, cork, rubber, vinyl, and concrete. He discusses their characteristics, installation, costs, and how they respond to moisture and humidity. As the most popular flooring option, tile gets the most in-depth treatment, including a discussion of grout and a list of potential problems with tile-floor installation. But Teague also discusses in detail the circumstances under which a wood floor can work in a bathroom. A sidebar describes electric, in-floor heating systems that can be used with a wide range of flooring systems.


Bathroom floors come with their own particular set of requirements. Like any floor, they should be chosen with style, durability, and comfort in mind. But a bathroom floor also must be able to handle moisture and humidity from daily use as well as any possible leaks that could occur in the future.

That said, not all bathrooms are created equal. While the family bath may have to endure splashing toddlers in the tub, you can use a master bath more responsibly, wiping up small spills as they occur. A guest bath or half-bath may be even less threatened by water. The less use your bathroom sees and the fewer fixtures it houses, the more options you have for bathroom flooring.

Choosing a bathroom floor that can handle the required amount of water is the first hurdle. You can expect a certain amount of water all the time drips as you get out of the shower or puddles from the occasional overspray, for instance. Those minor mishaps are easily wiped up, but it’s the months or years of that small bead of water dripping around a shower door or condensation running down the side of the toilet that is more likely to cause trouble. Also, because the bathroom has more plumbing than any other room in the house, it’s the place most likely to spring a leak. Just hope it doesn’t happen while you’re on vacation.

In addition to the water you see, there’s also the water you can’t see: humidity, which affects some floors more than others. While a vent fan helps, you have to make sure that everyone turns it on. You also can wire it through a timer to run for a while after you leave the room.

Remember that all bathroom floors should be well-sealed and maintained, but that some require more work than others. Also, it’s entirely possible that those splashing toddlers will turn into sloppy teenagers.

Tile offers sensible style

Tile is likely the first option that comes to mind when you think of bathroom flooring, and for good reason it’s the most popular. Made of clay and other non metallic minerals shaped, pressed, and fired at high temperatures to create a hard surface, tile can handle water and comes in an almost endless variety of styles. You can choose from ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, or, in small doses, even glass. On the downside, tile is tough on your legs and back. In a room where you’re often barefoot, it’s also cold. It might feel nice on the Texas coast, but it is less than ideal for Maine winters. That said, adding radiant in-floor heat to a bathroom floor tile or otherwise is now easier than ever.

The important factors to consider when shopping for bathroom floor tile are water porosity and slip resistance.

For more photos and details on the smart choices for bathroom flooring, click the View PDF button below. 

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
View PDF

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Details for Integrating an Addition

In this video, Jon overviews the elements of the addition, including building a deck-ledger-style floor system, closing off windows and doors, and framing the roof.

Featured Video

How to Install Exterior Window Trim

Learn how to measure, cut, and build window casing made of cellular PVC, solid wood, poly-ash boards, or any common molding material. Plus, get tips for a clean and solid installation.

Related Stories

  • Locating Bathroom Outlets
  • Planning and Prepping for Basement Flooring
  • Podcast 587: Members-only Aftershow—Basement Flooring
  • Functional Floating Vanity for Smaller Bathrooms

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All Videos
  • How to Finish Drywall Around a Shower Enclosure
  • Adding a Steam Shower Wellness Experience to Any Home
  • Podcast 351: PRO TALK With Plumber Mike Lombardi, Part 1
  • Moisture Management and the Schluter Shower System
View All

Floors and Coverings

View All Floors and Coverings Articles
  • Dealing with a Faulty Basement Slab
  • Durable Wide-Plank Floors Made From Hickory
  • Keep Vinyl Floor Planks in Line
  • Strengthening Notched Floor Joists
View All Floors and Coverings Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2023 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • 2024 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Complete 3rd Edition
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 320 - Dec 2023/Jan 2024
    • How to Reuse Salvaged Wood
    • Chainsaw Retrofit and Energy Performance
    • Maximize HVAC Efficiency
  • Issue 319 - November 2023
    • Nearly Net-Zero ADU
    • An Easy Approach to Coffered Ceilings
    • Understanding Types of Roof Vents
  • Issue 318 - October 2023
    • Make Mudsills Square and Level
    • Turn Up the Heat With Induction Cooktops
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Lloyd Alter
  • Issue 317 - Aug/Sept 2023
    • Finishing Drywall With Seamless Results
    • A Flat Roof in a Cold Climate
    • Compact Cordless Shop Vacs
  • Issue 316 - July 2023
    • Timber-Framed Solar Canopies
    • Build a Transom Above a Stock Door
    • Understanding Toilet Design and Efficiency

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • YouTube
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • Tiktok
  • twitter

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Project Guides
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • FHB House
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • YouTube
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • Tiktok
  • twitter

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to set_percent%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in