Let me paint you a picture. It’s 6AM and I’m sock-less traipsing across my bathroom floor to get to the shower. I notice my toes are freezing.
Crazy right? You think about the last time you were traipsing across your bathroom floor at 6AM. Thoughts of toe-numbing floors rarely cross our minds.
But trust me when I say this. If you have or are renovating a bathroom I implore you to think about your floors.
My very first flat came equipped with what can only be described as piss-poor faux wood laminate that was chosen based purely on how fancy it looked in the brochure.
Step off the doormat and onto this flooring and you may as well been stepping onto a cool, slightly damp issue of Vogue. It was cold. It was gross.
And it had this weird texture that made you want socks on immediately. Every morning consisted of some weird hop-step from the doormat to the bathmat to avoid touching the actual floor for as long as possible. It wasn’t until many failed bathrooms later that I realised something.
Tile doesn’t have to be Pinterest worthy to be successful. You see, your bathroom floor has one job; and that job isn’t creating a slew of Instagramable moments. Your bathroom floor’s job is to perform in a small area full of steam, soap residue, the occasional crappy overload we’ve all had (raises hand) and the rushing around you do when trying to get ready for work while sleep deprived and soaking wet.
I have had the pleasure of re-doing 3 small bathroom floors. Mine, my sisters Rental hell hole and now a friends Victoria home where the original tile started crumbling at the corners like vintage peppermint bark. With every bathroom I have become a teensy bit wiser as to what holds up versus what looks nice in pictures.
As you have limited options with small bathroom flooring; you also don’t have a ton of space to hide your mistakes. Sure you can buy a large vanity to cover up your bad flooring choices or perhaps some fancy plants by the sink. But trust me when I tell you; no matter what you choose your floor will be abused by the force of the shower head, toothpaste explosions, etc. and that mysterious film we all love to wipe down after someone showers with the hot tub on.
Ceramic/porcelain tiles will forever be my go-to. I know what you’re thinking. But…… they’re boring!
Don’t worry I was too until I accidentally spilled a whole bottle of purple hair dye (yes, the expensive stuff) all over my bathroom floor. What happened next was a waterfall of purple menacingly making its way across my tiled floor. Oh, but it wiped right off with warm water and a sponge!
No lingering stains or frantic scrubbing sessions to remove the stains. No I didn’t have reminders of my clumsy ass whenever I stepped foot in my bathroom each day. Small tiles also help with traction.
Trust me when I say mosaics aren’t as trendy as they look on kitchens/baths of homes you stare at on Instagram. They are, in fact, near impossible to slip on because of the added grout lines creating natural texture when trying to feel your way around on wet feet. Speaking of grout; let’s talk grout.
I should have known better but I took the beginners shower tile route when refurbishing my bathroom floors. I used plain old white cement grout. Plain old white cement grout turns to grey grout fuzz no matter how much bleach you put on it after about 6 weeks.
Soap scum and gunk love to adhere to cement based grouts. Epoxy grout is slightly more pricey than cement grout (about £15-20 more per sq. metre) but it stays white and doesn’t soak up water like a sponge. Oh and you don’t have to replace it every other year.
Consider your bathroom floors in constant-view (thanks to their existence in small areas) every pound is worth it. Wishing someone told me this sooner as I spent an entire weekend going back over my grout lines with a toothbrush. When Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring (LVPF) popped into my life I’ll be honest I didn’t give it a second glance.
The name made me think this was some form of synthetic tile material used for hospitals. Fast forward two bathrooms later and I can tell you that higher-end waterproof LVPF’s (not the cheap-as chips stuff sold at home stores that curl on the corners) are game-changers. They actually mimic real life materials quite closely.
Take my friends bathroom for example. She has something called Weathered Oak in her small skinny En-suite and honestly until I touch the floor I have no idea if it’s fake or not. The texture is spot on and feels warm underfoot.
It’s made my morning journeys to the bathroom that much more enjoyable. Not to mention installing it is a joke. Seriously.
It’s like one of those tubular puzzles for adults that clicks together. No tile cutters. No mixing grout.
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No curing times. She installed her bathroom floor herself in one weekend. Floor covered included ripping up old linoleum and fixing pesky problems with her sub-floor that wasn’t completely level.
Natural Stone becomes tricky when working with small bathrooms. Hold on – I love natural stone. LOVE IT.
There is something so spa-esque about slate, limestone and everything in between. The colours. The patterns.
Mother nature is quite genius when it comes to designing stone. But you need to seal natural stone (and re-seal every so often) and mild bathrooms don’t allow for many slip ups. I made the same mistake with my second flat using gorgeous limestone tiles.
They looked great….for about three months. Then those tiles decided to start showing every water spot, bar of soap dish and mystery stain your bathroom visitors can manage to make. Basically; they required constant upkeep.
I’m not kidding you I spend every weekend armed with rock-polish and sealants trying to keep on top of them. If you’re dead set on natural stone (And I don’t blame you. It looks FANTASTIC) try higher density stones such as granite or even sealed marble.
But please please please factor in having a professional come yearly/semi-yearly to seal them. And accept the fact that they will become extra “charity” over time. Charitable can be cute.
Charitable can also make you want to gouge your eyes out. Rubber Flooring. Ugh.
Sounds industrial right? AND IT WAS UNTIL I discovered there are now trendy rubber flooring options. Texture rubber tiles that look like leather exist.
And they’re waterproof. Soft on the feet and nearly impossible to damage. Perfect if you have kids that treat bath time like it’s water-park bonus round.
Don’t forget to T-account for different rooms when flooring. Kicked it off with a “FUN FACT” didn’t I. Because small bathrooms usually lead into either your hallway or bedroom.
Two very different surfaces that can look ugly as sin if not taken into consideration. Transition pieces can help clean things up but making sure your transition heights between flooring matches will really pull the whole room together. A tip I always give clients; invest in samples.
Not the teeny tiny colour samples home stores give you. I mean actual floor samples you can take home and view in your bathroom. Lighting can tricks you!
Bathroom lighting is crazy! What may look cozy and wonderful at the tile store will look clinical and harsh under your bathroom’s LED downlights at 7am on a Tuesday. So how much will all this cost you?
Well that depends on what you choose but expect to pay around £20-£40 per sq. metre for decent ceramic tiles. £15-35 per sq metre for LVPF and upwards of £50-£100+ per sq metre for stone. You also will have the cost of installation which can autumn between £15-25 per square metre depending if you DIY or hire a professional.
Small bathrooms are generally cheaper to renovate as they don’t require a lot of product.
My bathroom was only about 2×2 metres which meant I only needed about 6 square metres of product when accounting for waste. Know this. The perfect bathroom floor won’t make you worry.
It should be able to handle gallons of water being thrown on it without screaming at you. It should also clean easily and quick. It should feel good underfoot.
And most importantly it should look good years down the road when what you once installed is considered outdated. Trends will come and go but if you choose a floor you can LIVE with….nothing else matters. No matter how pricey that “cool patterned tile” was it won’t look cool when it’s peeling off the floor.
Don’t believe me Google “Pinterest tile failure”. And also; No one is going to admire your genius decor choices if they slip on your “out of a magazine” bathroom floor and tarnish their nasty factory-applied tan.
