10 Bathroom Floors With Pizzazz
Make your bathroom a truly impressive space with a floor designed to wow
Choosing the right bathroom flooring can seem like a bit of a minefield – there are so many considerations to bear in mind regarding safety and using appropriate materials for wet areas. It’s easy to feel constrained into making a conservative decision and miss out on a more creative option. However, with a little careful planning, you can pave your way to something far more exciting beneath your feet.
2. Be clever with your colours
Find a colour tone in your flooring and feature it throughout the room. The reds in the floor tiles in this bathroom are picked up by the copper towel rail and shower kit. The chestnut tones in the wooden door also appear red, and bring a warm contrast to the white décor elsewhere.
This is a great example of the benefits of keeping an open mind about your bathroom tapware too – don’t automatically go for chrome!
Find a colour tone in your flooring and feature it throughout the room. The reds in the floor tiles in this bathroom are picked up by the copper towel rail and shower kit. The chestnut tones in the wooden door also appear red, and bring a warm contrast to the white décor elsewhere.
This is a great example of the benefits of keeping an open mind about your bathroom tapware too – don’t automatically go for chrome!
3. Enjoy the warmth of engineered wood
The natural warmth of wood flooring makes a bathroom feel cosy, and breaks up the severity of tiling and ceramic surfaces. Underfoot it can feel more welcoming than hard tiles, and it certainly holds a warmer temperature than stone-based products.
However, in the humid atmosphere of a bathroom, use of any wood will always come with a disclaimer, because wood swells and reacts to moisture and differences in heat.
Engineered boards are constructed to minimise this effect: two pieces of wood veneer sandwich a layer of ply, with the grain set at a 90 degree angle to the top. These constraining elements make engineered wood better tempered than solid wood, but it still won’t cope with a lot of splashes or puddles, so if you have energetic bathers in your household, it may not be for you.
The natural warmth of wood flooring makes a bathroom feel cosy, and breaks up the severity of tiling and ceramic surfaces. Underfoot it can feel more welcoming than hard tiles, and it certainly holds a warmer temperature than stone-based products.
However, in the humid atmosphere of a bathroom, use of any wood will always come with a disclaimer, because wood swells and reacts to moisture and differences in heat.
Engineered boards are constructed to minimise this effect: two pieces of wood veneer sandwich a layer of ply, with the grain set at a 90 degree angle to the top. These constraining elements make engineered wood better tempered than solid wood, but it still won’t cope with a lot of splashes or puddles, so if you have energetic bathers in your household, it may not be for you.
4. Fake it with wood-effect ceramic
If you’re desperate for a spa-like bathroom, but can’t see yourself carefully maintaining a wooden floor, there is another way. Both ceramic and porcelain wood-effect tiles come in long, slim planks, which can be laid on walls or floors.
It simply wouldn’t be practical to use real wood planks as a shower base in most climates, but the ones pictured are, in fact, beautiful ceramic tiles, and therefore a perfect waterproof base for a walk-in shower.
If you’re worried about the cool feel of tiles, do explore underfloor heating as an option. The electric matting can be laid over a small area, and you can control the times and temperatures with a thermostatic gauge on the wall.
Is hydronic heating right for Aussie homes?
If you’re desperate for a spa-like bathroom, but can’t see yourself carefully maintaining a wooden floor, there is another way. Both ceramic and porcelain wood-effect tiles come in long, slim planks, which can be laid on walls or floors.
It simply wouldn’t be practical to use real wood planks as a shower base in most climates, but the ones pictured are, in fact, beautiful ceramic tiles, and therefore a perfect waterproof base for a walk-in shower.
If you’re worried about the cool feel of tiles, do explore underfloor heating as an option. The electric matting can be laid over a small area, and you can control the times and temperatures with a thermostatic gauge on the wall.
Is hydronic heating right for Aussie homes?
5. Commit to concrete
There’s no doubt about it, concrete flooring has seen massive growth in domestic settings over the past few years. When sealed properly, it works perfectly in a bathroom, as there are no seams for water to sneak through. The surface is a soft grey and fits in with an industrial vibe.
Recent advances in the development of decorative concretes mean you can now explore a growing market of specially formulated, concrete-based micro-cements, which contain added polymers to help prevent cracking. These can be added in a thin layer to more or less any other surface, and are very tough, as well as being available in a range of colours.
Concrete flooring; warmer than you think
There’s no doubt about it, concrete flooring has seen massive growth in domestic settings over the past few years. When sealed properly, it works perfectly in a bathroom, as there are no seams for water to sneak through. The surface is a soft grey and fits in with an industrial vibe.
Recent advances in the development of decorative concretes mean you can now explore a growing market of specially formulated, concrete-based micro-cements, which contain added polymers to help prevent cracking. These can be added in a thin layer to more or less any other surface, and are very tough, as well as being available in a range of colours.
Concrete flooring; warmer than you think
6. Add levels for drama
Somehow, a run of steps up to a bath seems to convey a little Hollywood glamour. There may be a very practical reason why you need to change levels in the bathroom – for housing pipework and achieving drainage falls, or accommodating ceiling heights elsewhere in the building – but that doesn’t mean it needs to look like a compromise.
In this luxurious space, the freestanding bath is positioned centre-stage.
Somehow, a run of steps up to a bath seems to convey a little Hollywood glamour. There may be a very practical reason why you need to change levels in the bathroom – for housing pipework and achieving drainage falls, or accommodating ceiling heights elsewhere in the building – but that doesn’t mean it needs to look like a compromise.
In this luxurious space, the freestanding bath is positioned centre-stage.
7. Take a look at luxury vinyl
Another fabulous option for those who hanker after wood in their bathroom is luxury vinyl tiles. Most examples of wood-effect vinyl now come in plank lengths for added authenticity. You can choose between textured planks for a more rustic look, or smoother, ‘varnished’ styles.
Happy splashers can relax, safe in the knowledge that the surface is completely impervious to water ingress, and aesthetes will be impressed by just how realistic vinyl has become. Unlike stone or tiles, this product is warm to the touch, kinder to bare feet and more forgiving with dropped items too.
Another fabulous option for those who hanker after wood in their bathroom is luxury vinyl tiles. Most examples of wood-effect vinyl now come in plank lengths for added authenticity. You can choose between textured planks for a more rustic look, or smoother, ‘varnished’ styles.
Happy splashers can relax, safe in the knowledge that the surface is completely impervious to water ingress, and aesthetes will be impressed by just how realistic vinyl has become. Unlike stone or tiles, this product is warm to the touch, kinder to bare feet and more forgiving with dropped items too.
8. Consider a feature floor
A feature wall of glamorous, shimmering mosaics is a wonderful way to add some glitz to a bathroom. But for a really impressive showpiece, a section of flooring covered in sparkling tiles takes your design to a whole new level.
The base of this walk-in shower looks as though it’s covered in shiny copper coins. Together with the copper tiles on the walls, it makes for a beautiful scheme.
A feature wall of glamorous, shimmering mosaics is a wonderful way to add some glitz to a bathroom. But for a really impressive showpiece, a section of flooring covered in sparkling tiles takes your design to a whole new level.
The base of this walk-in shower looks as though it’s covered in shiny copper coins. Together with the copper tiles on the walls, it makes for a beautiful scheme.
9. Highlight your room zones
Apart from the decorative effect, zoning your bathroom floor is a neat way to use different materials for appropriate functions. You may love the calm splendour of wooden boards, for instance, but recognise that around the tub there are inevitably going to be puddles from time to time.
Why not consider a solution like this one? Here, the owners have created a pebbled section for the splashiest zones around the bath and in the shower, and laid smooth flooring over the rest of the room – in this case, wood-effect porcelain, but engineered wood would also have worked.
Of course, a textured surface such as pebbles will also prevent slipping – another plus for some thoughtful bathroom zoning.
Clever ways to create zones
Apart from the decorative effect, zoning your bathroom floor is a neat way to use different materials for appropriate functions. You may love the calm splendour of wooden boards, for instance, but recognise that around the tub there are inevitably going to be puddles from time to time.
Why not consider a solution like this one? Here, the owners have created a pebbled section for the splashiest zones around the bath and in the shower, and laid smooth flooring over the rest of the room – in this case, wood-effect porcelain, but engineered wood would also have worked.
Of course, a textured surface such as pebbles will also prevent slipping – another plus for some thoughtful bathroom zoning.
Clever ways to create zones
10. Have fun with a floor mat
If you really do prefer to keep your flooring neutral, there’s nothing to stop you injecting a little colour and contrast with a water-resistant rug or mat.
The rainbow colours here are playful and complement the glossy green vanity unit, as well as adding some extra pizzazz to the room’s white scheme. Best of all, a rug can be moved around the room for maximum underfoot comfort, and even hung up to dry.
TELL US
What’s your dream bathroom flooring? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
MORE
Behold the Power of a Bathroom Feature Floor
Bathroom Tiles: Lifting the Lid on Size, Pattern and Special Effects
Floor Art: 16 Patterned Floors That Pack a Punch
If you really do prefer to keep your flooring neutral, there’s nothing to stop you injecting a little colour and contrast with a water-resistant rug or mat.
The rainbow colours here are playful and complement the glossy green vanity unit, as well as adding some extra pizzazz to the room’s white scheme. Best of all, a rug can be moved around the room for maximum underfoot comfort, and even hung up to dry.
TELL US
What’s your dream bathroom flooring? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
MORE
Behold the Power of a Bathroom Feature Floor
Bathroom Tiles: Lifting the Lid on Size, Pattern and Special Effects
Floor Art: 16 Patterned Floors That Pack a Punch
Your flooring doesn’t need to come in regular, four-sided shapes. If you’re going for tiling, why not take a look at some of the more abstract designs out there? Using a punchy geometric design like this can stop even the most boxy bathroom from feeling too linear.