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Need bathroom floor ideas--can't use tile

6 years ago

All of the tile floors in our house have cracked because the floor joists are too far apart and the floor moves too much. The previous homeowners installed tile just before putting the house on the market, but all the tile floors in the house were cracked along the seams in the subfloor within a year of our moving in. I seriously do not want to rip out the floors to upgrade the joists.

Anyway, I am re-doing the master bathroom and I'm looking for flooring ideas. I have no real problems with vinyl other than the fact that after a month of looking I can't find anything that doesn't look fake and/or ugly to me.

Do I have any options in a bathroom other than vinyl tile? Laminate? Bamboo? Anything? I keep finding contradictory advice everywhere.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

AnnKH

6 years ago

You definitely don't want to use laminate in a bathroom. You could use cork tiles, glued and site finished.

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Comments (6)

User
6 years ago
Cork would be nice but have you spoken to a tile professional about using tile? Perhaps the use of a proper underlayment would allow the use of tile. If so, ask them how thick the whole thing would end up because that could be an issue. I have done wood in a few bathrooms including one of mine but generally I don't recommend it.
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Man, talk about fate! I just posted a blog on ceramic tile (thereÂs a link at the bottom of this, if youÂre interested), but it is a subject that I keep coming back to, because it is absolutely one of the best ways I know to dress up any bathroom, regardless of size. One of the things I find particularly frustrating when I contemplate our remodeling plans for our bathrooms is that they are both five-by-nine-feet wonders that are destined to remain that size because we are not willing to undergo the expense of the major remodeling that would be required to increase the size of these rooms. What this means, though, is that those glorious bathrooms that I am forever fantasizing over are destined to remain just that, a fantasy. But tile, as it turns out, comes in all sizes and shapes, and this is especially true in Europe. Italy is home to all kinds of creative people who do wonderful things with kitchen and bathroom designs that I think are worth writing about, even though we Americans are not likely to send away for their products. But it helps to know about designs that are different than those we normally see in this country. But the one item I would seriously consider sending away for is Italian tile. I have seen tile that looks like slate or marble or a kind of brick-like building material. And I have seen these tiles decorated in all kinds of designs that are nothing short of stunning. TodayÂs blog deals with tile that has been made to look like a volcanic lava run! I think the choice you made with your tile is certainly a cut above the usual hum drum, but you might also want to consider some of ItalyÂs output. Really, theyÂre more than bathroom tile. TheyÂre a revelution. Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information
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You can check flatness by taking a pair of tiles and placing them face to face or back to back. If there is any gapping around the edges or in the center when you look at them from the side, then they are not perfectly flat. That doesn't mean that they can't be used. It just means that they will look better if they are not laid in an overlapping pattern where you get lippage, and it is important, if they are bowed, that it is consistent from tile to tile. I did a small bathroom in 18" square tiles that were perfectly flat and I still chose to align the tiles in a standard, straight set pattern. Lippage
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I love the vanity. You need to plan the room around it. Do not use off-white anywhere in the room (not tile, not ceiling or trim paint, sinks, nothing) Select everything for the room (fixtures & flooring, before you choose your paint color. Paint the walls a pale something but not a white and paint the ceiling the wall color. How about a small geometric pattern wallpaper instead of paint for the walls and then paint the ceiling a color to go with the paper. Do all this before selecting a floor and keep that simple as well. Then choose all your plumbing fixtures and towel bars at one time,
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Home Depot is the only place within two hours that sells the pre-fab, and the colors are horrible. I need three bathroom countertops, and the largest is 52". I should be able to find remnants, but I can't even find fabricators who have remnants. Nobody has a website and the fabricators don't advertise, at all. I found six places in Tulsa, but none of them have quartzite remnants. I can only find stone suppliers. I will make a list of suppliers this weekend, and call them on Monday. Maybe they have a list of fabricators near me. Even Google maps didn't have anyone listed near me. They didn't have the two fabricators that are a half hour away from me. What is your opinion on glossy vs honed in a bathroom. My kitchen has leathered Sea Pearl quartzite, and I love it. I prefer matte colors usually, but I doubt I would like leathered bathroom countertops.
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PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
6 years ago
Cork glue down floor = super in your situation. Warm, LIGHT weight, flexible. Decent price.

www.icorkfloor.com

29 options of cork glue down tiles (some as thick as 8mm = luxury thickness).
FeatherBee
6 years ago
There is new vinyl flooring out that has faux grout lines in order to mimic real tile. I'd start there.
erikarochelle
Original Author
6 years ago
I was reading the manufacturer's sheets for cork flooring, and although they say it can be installed in bathrooms, they also say the humidity needs to never get above 60% and the floor can never be wet-mopped. A floor that can't be wet mopped seems like it's a bad choice for a place guaranteed to sometimes have drips? Has anyone here had cork in a damp environment for a while now? Also, it looks like a pro needs to put down the cork and finish in place? We generally don't hire a pro for anything.

We put down groutable vinyl tile in our half bath (to replace yet more cracked tile). It looks nice, but I literally spent three weeks finding the pattern and hate all the others. My problem with vinyl is a lack of depth. Wood and stone shouldn't be perfectly flat, so it bothers my eye. I'm trying to resign myself to vinyl. LOL
FeatherBee
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It's taboo but I'd suggest hardwood and make sure they leave spacing around the edges to allow for movement.

I had my impacted wisdom teeth drilled out of my head while awake (to save money), so wood in a bathroom isn't going to scare me :) hahahaha

I do have hardwood in my kitchen and love it. Should anything ever happen then I do have extra to replace any issues. I've seen lots of beautiful bathrooms with hardwood. I would consider it for my own space.

I don't like cork flooring (some of the samples I have seen look cheap/unfinished)...

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