Bathroom Updates: Flooring

Changing your bathroom flooring is something most homeDIY’ers can do easily.  Your choices aremany, but you should consider your circumstances; for instance is the bathroomin consideration the main or only bathroom or is it a powder downstairs thatgets used primarily for visitors?  Whyshould that matter?  Well, if you havewood flooring downstairs and you have a half bath off the foyer or hall youmight consider using the same hardwood in the bath as it won’t be exposed waterdamage from a bath or shower.  Hardwoodor laminate flooring should be considered the same when thinking of installingit in a bathroom where there is a shower or bathtub. It’s not recommendedbecause the potential for water damage is much greater.

Natural stone, porcelain or ceramic tile are all goodchoices for most bathrooms.  Naturalstone can be tumbled, honed or polished and those particular surfaces havevarying degrees of slipperiness; with polished being the most slippery, eitherhoned or tumbled would be safer.  Naturalstone usually has a GREAT deal of variation in its coloring, you shouldconsider the overall pattern and not expect it to be uniform.

When choosing a beautiful stone floor with a high degree ofvariation or character, think of your cabinets, if they have a busy patternlike oak or wild hickory you might want to think of a more ‘quiet’ pattern foryour floor so they don’t compete.  If youcabinets are painted, a busier pattern can add drama.  This standard holds true for any flooring,the busier the floor the less busy you’ll want your cabinets and walls.

Both porcelain and ceramic tiles are man made and many mimicnatural stone quite well.  There will bedegrees of color and pattern to maintain that ‘look’ of natural stone.  Most manufacturers will state on the boxes ahigh, moderate or low degree of variation. Again you should try to see large section of tile for the overalleffect.

Vinyl floors are still popular and come in all types ofdesigns.  You will find vinyl floors thatlook like stone, tile and wood, some will have fanciful designs to meet yourdécor. 

All these floors can be laid by DIY’ers, but again know yourskill level and patience; call your local contractors if any project is out ofyour reach.

Next time:  Extrastorage