Cheap Bathroom Flooring Ideas

When you renovate your bathroom you always face a problem of bathroom flooring. You have to decide which material to choose. There are lots of options: traditional tiles, laminated flooring, natural wood or mosaic tiles. Therefore, you should make your final choice taking into account the planned design and your financial resources. If your finances are scarce you will probably turn to cheap bathroom flooring ideas.

Linoleum for the Bathroom Floor

Probably the cheapest bathroom flooring is linoleum. But this material is not the most common one for rooms with high humidity. There are many arguments against using it in your bathroom. Appearance of fungus, mold and unpleasant odor are among them. These problems often happen because water reaches the fabric padding through the linoleum edges. Furthermore, linoleum is too slippery, which may cause traumatic situations.

Such cheap bathroom floor is still an option in two cases: if it is temporary flooring or if you manage to buy right linoleum and adhere to all the rules of its installation.

There are several types of linoleum. For the bathroom you need to purchase high-quality thickened water-resistant coating with textured surface and without fabric padding. When laying linoleum you have to use water-resistant adhesive, seal its edges and adjust them to the walls. It is worth noting that these conditions are quite difficult to implement, so the results can be disastrous and in a year or two you will have to change your cheap bathroom flooring.

Floor Tiles in the Bathroom

Ceramic floor tile is the most popular finishing material used for bathroom floors. Glazed surface makes it waterproof. Floor and wall tiles meet all the requirements of hygiene and are easy to clean. Among its drawbacks are poor heat insulation characteristics. Even cheap bathroom floor tiles are durable, difficult to scratch and they are not slippery.

Waterproof Laminate Floor in Bathroom

Since laminate material resembles natural floorboard, the idea of using it in wet areas seems strange. But this resemblance is just visual, as waterproof laminate differs from the parquet floor and from the usual laminate. Its moisture absorption coefficient is not more than 12% because this floor material is manufactured under strong pressure. The butt and pull ends are covered with wax and the top surface has a moisture protection layer. Since this material is relatively new it is not very cheap flooring for bathroom. But it is possible to find rather cheap bathroom vinyl flooring.

However, the material has many advantages. It is durable, relatively warm, resistant to mechanical damage and easy to install and, if necessary, to remove. Laminate flooring in the bathroom is a system which still contains gaps (albeit minimal), so it may cause some problems it future.

Self-Leveling Floors in Bathroom

Among other relatively cheap bathroom flooring options is self-leveling floor. It is seamless polymeric flooring that may be also used as a basis for laminate or tile or as a topcoat.

The advantage of this material is high durability and strength, resistance to various types of damage, corrosive environments and thermal stress. Self-leveling floors are creative fields for various design ideas: they can be colored, plain or transparent.

The main drawbacks include high cost of some materials and floor specialist’s fees, need for a foundation (concrete floor screed) and long-term preparation (28 days).

Natural Stone

Natural stone floor belongs to luxurious options. But there are still some people, who may consider this floor an option among cheap bathroom floor ideas. Unpolished porous marble is most often used for bathroom floor as it is not slippery, and is very resistant to mechanical and thermal stresses.

It is much easier to choose among the finishing materials, if you know the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Therefore, approach the selection of cheap bathroom floors responsibly and they will please you with their impeccable look for a long time.