When deciding to renovate/update your bathroom to any degree, one item that folks often contemplate over what the best approach would be, is what in the world to do with the bathroom floor?

Clearly, there are almost infinite answers as to what someone might want to put down.

The recommendations I try to convince our Clients of when faced with this dilemma are either ceramic tile or sheet laminate.

Yes, there certainly are several other options which others really believe in and preach about – everything from self-adhesive vinyl tiles to actual hardwood flooring, etc. – each of which I personally have varying degrees of reservations about.

Ceramic tile and sheet laminate however, are both avenues that I believe are the cream of the crop when it comes to bathroom floorcoverings.

The biggest reason being that both offer optimum protection against any type of water causing deterioration to the floor in the long run.

Sheet vinyl is, by far, the most cost effective of the two.

Sheet vinyl, when laid by a tradesperson that is adept at doing so, is a seamless way to not only waterproof the floor, but to do so in a manner that is actually pretty attractive in comparison to earlier versions of this material from years ago.

Literally, the only thing even somewhat mimicking a seam is the area around the edge of the laminate where it meets different portions of the bathroom (example – the walls, toilet, vanity, and the like).

Ceramic tile, although more intense an operation to install and more costly, can provide a stunning look to the bathroom floor while (again, assuming everything was done appropriately) waterproofing the floor in a manner that should last a long time to come.

If for some reason, a tile ever does crack/get compromised, assuming you have extra tiles and grout (from when the project was originally done) on hand, things can easily be corrected.

These days, styles are quite diverse regarding one’s possibilities of selections for either of these two ways of doing things.

If someone were to say that they would rather not have one of these two options as part of their bathroom project, we are always receptive to what someone may propose and after pleading the case for either ceramic tile or sheet laminate, may acquiesce to the non-preferred method of bathroom floorcovering installation and although installing one of these alternatives to the best of our ability, will do so, but being very mindful to sternly underscore the negatives of choosing to proceed with this particular chosen perspective in the process.

An example of one of the most notorious of these is that of putting hardwood flooring in the bathroom.

Similarly to how strong my opposition is to people wallpapering the walls in their bathrooms, installing hardwood floors in your bathroom is something I look at as a VERY big ‘no-no’!

Though hardwood flooring can look absolutely amazing – even in a bathroom – it’s beauty may be relatively short-lived as the hardwood flooring may not only be highly prone to rot and deterioration from constantly being exposed to moisture, but this phenomenon can also lead to undesirable mold growth in a fashion that could easily have been prevented.

As with the other options that I would not necessarily recommend, even with advanced warnings, many times people still insist on having their way and end up having the flooring of their choice versus one that would make more long-term practical sense.

As the old saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water…”