Bathroom flooring options and what lies underneath

Ceramic and porcelain tiles

Tiles are hard wearing, waterproof on the surface and easy to clean. Porcelain is denser than ceramic and less likely to chip. Larger tiles mean fewer grout lines but need a very flat floor; smaller tiles are more forgiving and give better grip. Textured or matt finishes are less slippery when wet than polished ones.

Tiles are rigid, so they need a rigid base. On a timber floor that usually means overboarding with a cement based or tile backer board screwed down at close centres. The bathroom tiling page explains how a floor is prepared and set out.

Vinyl and luxury vinyl tile

Sheet vinyl is warm underfoot, quiet and has few or no joints for water to get through, which suits small bathrooms and cloakrooms. Luxury vinyl tile, often called LVT, comes in planks or tiles that look like wood or stone. Click versions float over an underlay; glue down versions bond to a smooth plywood or levelled base and are usually better in a bathroom because water cannot easily get under them.

Vinyl shows every lump in the floor beneath it, so the subfloor is levelled and any old adhesive removed first.

Why laminate is a risk in bathrooms

Most laminate has a fibreboard core. Water that gets into the joints, from a splash, a leaking seal or a wet towel, makes the edges swell and the boards cannot be dried back. Some products are sold as water resistant, but in a room with a bath or shower they are still a gamble. Vinyl or tiles are safer choices.

Underfloor heating

Electric underfloor heating mats sit under tiles or some vinyl and take the chill off a bathroom floor. They need insulation boards beneath them to work efficiently, a dedicated circuit and a thermostat, and the electrical connection is for a qualified electrician. Planning it at the start is much easier than adding it later.

Subfloor preparation

Before any new floor goes down, the old one is lifted and the base checked. Soft or rotten boards around the toilet and bath are common in older houses and are replaced. Loose boards are screwed down so they stop moving. Uneven floors are levelled. This is the part of a bathroom floor installation you never see, and the part that decides how long it lasts.

• Old flooring and adhesive removed
• Boards checked for rot and movement
• Floor overboarded or levelled
• Waterproofing around the shower area where needed
• Finish laid, grouted or sealed at the edges

Why is my bathroom floor tile cracking?

Cracked floor tiles are usually a sign of movement. Tiles laid straight onto floorboards crack as the boards flex. Tiles with gaps in the adhesive behind them crack when weight lands on the hollow spot. A crack that runs across several tiles in a line often follows a joint in the boards beneath. Fixing the tile alone rarely lasts; the cause underneath has to be put right first.

Regrouting a bathroom floor

If the tiles are sound but the grout has stained or worn away, the floor can be regrouted rather than replaced. The cost depends on the floor area, the joint width and how hard the old grout is to remove. The regrouting and resealing page explains how it is done.

What the cost of tiling a bathroom floor depends on

The cost of tiling a bathroom floor in the UK comes down to the floor area, the preparation needed, the size and type of tile and whether underfloor heating is going in. Preparation on an old timber floor can take as long as the tiling. The site also covers flooring in other rooms of the house.

Need it sorted? Book a bathroom renovation

A new bathroom floor is often laid as part of a bathroom renovation. Send photos of the floor and the room, its rough size and your postcode through the contact page for a written quote.

Frequently asked questions

Bathroom Renovations