Bathroom101: Flooring

Remodeling your bathroom is a great way to increase the value of your home and get the extra space you need for all of you bathroom needs. But it doesn't have to be bland basics. There are numerous other applications for bathroom flooring that can easily be installed by the DIY homeowner that can make a bathroom remodeling project pop. Don't settle for the basics when it comes to remodeling your bathroom, learn the secrets of installing bathroom flooring right here.

Tile

The most common form of bathroom flooring, tile comes in wide variety of colors, styles, sizes and materials. Tile is a great bathroom flooring material and can easily be installed by most DIY aficionados and home improvement weekend warriors.

Tile work is simply a matter of using the correct materials for the job and using a proper layout. Concrete floors are ready to go with the exception of a good cleaning while wood floors require a substrate like a cementious backerboard or plastic pan subfloor. Once the subfloor is ready, a notched trowel and some thin set are all you need to attach the tile. With tile in place, a colored grout is added to between the tiles for the final finish. Check out more about tile installation here.

Vinyl and Linoleum

Another common bathroom flooring option, vinyl and linoleum are thin membranes with imprinted patterns that mimic other flooring options. These products are much cheaper than most bathroom flooring solutions and can be easily installed by just about anyone who can wield a utility knife and notched trowel. Measure and cut the vinyl or linoleum to fit and attach using a subfloor adhesive and a notched trowel. Finish the job with a heavy roller. Vinyl and linoleum flooring also comes in self adhesive tiles and sheets.

Engineered Wood

This fantastic bathroom flooring option is a great project for the weekend warrior and DIY homeowner. Easily installed over existing flooring, engineered woods look like real wood flooring without the hard work that is required when installing real wood flooring. A foam substrate is installed for padding, then flooring planks or panels are attached to each other using a mitered click-lock tongue and groove. Pieces are engineered for optimal water resistance, making them the quick and easy solution to bathroom flooring.

Cork

My favorite bathroom flooring option to date. Cork flooring works exactly like engineered wood flooring except that it is actual wood. Best of all, cork flooring doesn't need a foam substrate because it is already naturally soft underfoot. Because it is real wood, it is also naturally water resistant and eco-friendly. Square and rectangular cork tiles fit together just like click-lock flooring, allowing you to design patterns any way your heart desires.