Your bathroom is more than just a room—it’s a place where you can escape with a relaxing bubble bath. It’s a judgment-free zone for you to sing as loud as you’d like. It’s one of the places you begin and end every day.
While it may not have the prestige of a fancy dining room, it’s important to take proper care of this sanctuary. So, you don’t want to pick just any random bathroom tiles when redesigning—you want the best tiles for your bathroom floor. The floor is perhaps the main factor influencing your bathroom’s character, greatly affecting how it looks and feels.
If bathroom remodeling sounds daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Empire Today® is here to help you choose bathroom tile you’ll love for years to come.
There’s no overall best tile for bathroom floors because every homeowner will have different needs.
Before you begin shopping for bathroom floor tile, it’s helpful to get a quick primer on the available options and what benefits they can add to the room. While aesthetics are probably your primary focus, there are plenty of optional features to consider—features that can influence how comfortable your bathroom is, how safe it can be, how easy it is to keep clean, and more.
Knowing these options will help you best understand which product will be your ideal bathroom flooring.
Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile
Porcelain and ceramic tiles are quite similar and usually impossible to tell apart with just a glance, but they do differ in durability and sustainability.
Both materials are available in options that can make your bathroom floors safer and easier to keep clean.
Although both tiles are clay-based, the raw material used for porcelain tile is more refined and heated at a higher temperature. This makes porcelain bathroom tiles harder than ceramic, making them more durable and less porous.
Those features will make porcelain a better bathroom tile if you expect your floors to encounter high levels of moisture, lots of traffic, or things being dropped on the floor often—all common occurrences in, say, a kids’ bathroom.
While ceramic is technically a less robust material, it’s no slouch itself. Ceramic tile is still highly resistant to water, scratches, and stains. And it’s usually a bit more affordable than porcelain tiles in a comparable size and style.
That makes ceramic a good choice if you’re on a budget but you still want bathroom tiles that can stand up to typical traffic.
Vinyl bathroom tile is an option that has rapidly grown in popularity since first hitting the market. Because it’s usually a more budget-friendly product than porcelain or ceramic tiles, vinyl has become one of the best bathroom floor materials among homeowners shopping for affordable bathroom flooring.
One of vinyl tile’s greatest advantages is offering the aesthetics of a material with certain features which that material usually does not have. For instance, a stone-look vinyl tile can give you the look of fine marble without needing to reseal the floor every few years.
Many of the variety of vinyl floor tiles from Empire also offer the same practical benefits as porcelain or ceramic tile. You’ll find products with:
One way that vinyl tile can be a better choice for bathrooms than ceramic or porcelain tile is that a great many vinyl products are completely waterproof instead of just water-resistant. The ability to endure heavy saturation or standing water for extended periods can be a great benefit in many bathrooms.
An additional benefit of choosing vinyl tile for a bathroom floor is how the material feels underfoot compared to a tile floor. Vinyl flooring will be a bit softer and usually feels warmer to bare skin, making for a more comfortable floor when you’re barefoot. That’s something worth considering, especially for those who have experienced the bite of a bare tile floor during a late-night bathroom visit in the middle of the winter.
Here’s the fun part: choosing the look!
This is when you can stop thinking about what practical functions the room needs and focus strictly on style. And because bathrooms are typically closed off from the rest of the room and don’t need to perfectly mesh with the rest of your interiors, they’re a great place to get creative with your style and maybe even do some experimenting with your bathroom floors.
Want your bathroom to feel like a tropical island retreat tucked away in an otherwise neutrally styled home? Choose a waterproof wood-look vinyl floor and go crazy with the bamboo plants.
Want to make it feel like a literal throne room? Consider some stone-look tiles for a palatial look. Ceramic or porcelain tile that looks like stone is an affordable way to get a luxurious look in your bathroom.
Not sure what style you want or how to translate your favorite looks into a bathroom design? Here are a few tips.
With the number of tile options available, it’s easy to want to try a little of everything. However, that’s just going to create cluttered chaos.
To give your bathroom a timeless look, you need color cohesion. It’s best to have two or three colors for your entire bathroom scheme. If you want to add more hues, it’s best to do that by adding decorations.
Since it’s common to use tile for the floor, walls, and shower area, you’ll have plenty of space to show off the tiles you love. For example, if your floor tiles have multiple colors with a stone-inspired look or showcase a unique pattern, you can use those other shades for walls or shower areas to complete the look.
Did you know that the darkness or lightness of your tiles can affect how big your bathroom feels? It’s true!
Use light-colored tiles if you have a smaller bathroom and want to make it feel bigger. Dark colors tend to make the room feel smaller—which is great if you want an intimate feeling for the space.
Tiles come in all different shapes and sizes, which can help inject more personality into your bathroom. For example, square tiles have a classic look, but octagonal tiles are more of a fun style.
Size is also important. Like with colors, the size of your tiles could make your room look bigger or smaller. Bigger tiles have fewer grout lines, which gives the illusion of a bigger room, while bringing fewer cleaning requirements.
Not all bathroom floor tiles are one color; many show off patterns and textures. Similar to the shape, using a pattern or textured tile is a way to insert personality without going overboard.
Depending on the pattern you choose, it could make it easier to create a color scheme for your entire bathroom. Textures provide visual interest, whether it’s the typical glossy shine or a tumbled stone texture. You can also use metallic tiles or matte tiles, depending on your style.
Yes, you can even choose your grout color. Grout is the material that seals any cracks or spaces between tile pieces. In the typical bathroom, grout lines often look white, but it’s not the only option.
You could have the grout match the tile and blend in or be a contrasting color for a bolder look. You can also use grout color to tie in the other colors in your scheme for a cohesive look.
Now that you’ve been introduced to some of the best flooring choices for a bathroom, it’s time for the potentially difficult process of choosing just one. Since no household’s needs are exactly the same, the decision ultimately boils down to personal preference.
What features will benefit you the most? Are you getting new flooring for the bathroom in your primary bedroom that only you and your spouse share, or is it for a bathroom that your kids will also use?
If it’s for an adults-only bathroom, the difference in durability between porcelain and ceramic may not play a big factor in your decision. Similarly, if you live in a warm, dry climate, mold and mildew resistance might not be a high priority for your bathroom floor.
When it comes down to it, your best bet is to start with the must-have features and work backward from there, finding material and style that fits your budget and design goals.
How do you know what tiles will fit your lifestyle if this is the first time you’re remodeling your bathroom? Here are a few factors to consider.
The most important factor is how easy the tile is to clean and maintain. While most people don’t like cleaning, some people have a higher tolerance for it than others.
The type of tiles you choose will affect how often you have to clean them and how they look when they haven’t been cleaned.
Textured tiles, for example, may trap dirt more and need a deep cleaning instead of simple sweeping or mopping. Light-colored tiles and grout will show stains more easily than dark-colored surfaces.
Obviously, your bathroom floor is exposed to a lot of water, so the material must be waterproof to avoid warping and other issues. That’s why you want to use a material like vinyl or porcelain versus hardwood.
You also want to ensure proper grout application with no open spaces where water can accumulate, as this can cause mold and mildew to grow.
People are always coming and going in the bathroom, so your floor tiles need to be durable enough to handle a high level of foot traffic. Harder materials like porcelain are more durable than ceramic tiles.
It’s important to note that regular cleaning and maintenance will affect how long a floor lasts.
Non-slip bathroom tiles are worth considering for any home, especially those with young children or elderly residents. This is where textured tiles come in handy. A textured tile offers enhanced traction.
Consider another option if you want to maintain the smooth, glossy look while reducing the risk of accidents. Both ceramic and porcelain tiles from Empire® are available with a non-slip finish.
Also, add non-slip rugs in high-traffic areas, like outside the bath or in front of the sink, for extra protection.
Persistent moisture and condensation buildup don’t just turn floors into a slip hazard—they also create the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew. Despite most homeowners’ best efforts, moisture will collect in a bathroom.
But installing mold and mildew-resistant bathroom flooring will go a long way towards keeping nasty growth at bay, making for a healthier, cleaner room.
While it can seem overwhelming, designing your bathroom should be a fun experience. That’s why you want experts by your side to answer any questions you have and make recommendations based on your needs.
No matter the style, Empire Today offers the best tiles for a bathroom floor that can elevate your home’s décor while complementing your lifestyle. A flooring professional from Empire can help you make that journey.
We will also take care of the installation process, ensuring that your new floor looks great and performs well.
Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate to see all of your potential bathroom flooring options, without ever leaving your home.
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