Bathroom Flooring Materials and Trends

Material, layout, color and finish: so many decisions to make when selecting your gorgeous new bathroom floor. We took a close look at some designer strategies for this hardworking surface.

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By: Carrie Hamblin

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Modern Mosaic

From a design perspective, flooring choices can be assertive or subtle, the focal point of a space or a tie-in. In this sweet bathroom straddling centuries of design, a gorgeous marble mosaic floor is used to pull together the pale blue-gray floating vanity and the white subway tiled walls. The gloss of the ceramic wall tile echoes natural light from nearby windows, while the matte stone floor has its attractive pattern and color undiminished by reflection.

See More Photos: Our Fave Bathroom Tile Design Ideas

From: Lauren Rubin Architecture

Elements of Texture

The handsome black-and-white quartz countertops take the lead in this tasteful main bathroom, with a subtle gray floor tile contributing texture and warmth. Porcelain tile is now available in nontraditional patterns, like metals and fabrics. These offerings can lend a discrete organic presence to your design, and some contribute practicalities like a textured surface. Glazed tile can be a slip concern in active bathrooms but using smaller tiles to increase grout lines also improves traction.

From: Lauren Clement

Faux Wood Planks

A freestanding faucet emerges from pretty planks laid in a herringbone pattern to serve a soaking tub in this cozy bathing alcove. Is that a wood floor, or is it not? We've learned that porcelain tile likes to play dress-up. Vinyl and laminate flooring can wear convincing costumes too, serving up your desired style with better moisture resistance and less maintenance than natural originals. Vinyl flooring is made with PVC, so its water handling capabilities are virtually unlimited. Laminate is another layered product that, in waterproof versions, promises to withstand the rigors of active bathrooms.

Learn More: Choosing Bathroom Flooring

From: Blissful Design Studio

Pretty Porcelain

A restful charcoal porcelain tile was used for the main bathroom floor of HGTV Smart Home 2020. It joins the ceiling in a graceful gray counterpoint to the white walls, furniture and fixtures. Porcelain is the most durable of clay-based tiles, resisting water, stains and damage from drops. The material is also a master mimic of higher-maintenance flooring favorites like solid wood and natural stone. The porcelain here is emulating a soothing, attractive slate.

See More of This Space: Main Bathroom Pictures From HGTV Smart Home 2020

From: Tiffany Brooks

A Fun Message

A sweet welcome message is immortalized in mosaic in this snazzy black-and-white bathroom. In choosing a bathroom floor, consider the tangible qualities of visual appeal and the way the surface feels underfoot alongside such attributes as durability and ease of maintenance. And remember that the bathroom type matters: Main bathroom floors will benefit from being easy to clean and hard to hurt. Consider more delicate floors for powder rooms or guest bathrooms that are used infrequently.

See More Photos: 50 Black and White Bathrooms We Love

From: Pippa Lee

Hard-to-Beat Hardwood

For this Boca Raton bathroom, designers extended the coastal design of the home into the primary bathroom by using exotic hardwood on the floors. The choice of dark hand-scraped planks warms up the sea of stunning marble on the counters and in bathing areas. Many hardwood species have better inherent moisture resistance than soft woods like pine and spruce. And engineered wood — a layer of real wood (or bamboo) atop a strong core of plywood — can afford us the wood look with better moisture-handling.

From: Balistreri Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®

Fantastic Encaustic

A floral-patterned encaustic floor lends personality and pep to this kids' bathroom while maintaining cohesion with the modern bohemian design of the rest of the home. Most encaustic tile is now cement-based, and this environmentally friendly flooring option comes in the most beautiful colors and patterns. It is durable and hardwearing, with the pigments stamped deeply into the product (not glazed on top), which means the tile can actually be refinished like wood. Encaustic tile is a heavier and thicker flooring option than typical choices, however, so it may require some structural adjustments to support it.

From: Kimberly Horton

Pop the Cork

Cork is an understated bathroom flooring option that promises a distinctive organic look with the warmth of solid wood. It has better moisture handling than wood, however, and it is second only to carpet in softness. This puts cork at the lead in the category of resilient flooring, referring to the buoyancy of the material underfoot. If that isn't enough to sell you on it, cork is a natural and sustainable product with inherent mildew and mold resistance. A light cork plank was used in the powder room of HGTV Dream Home 2019 to balance the almost-black walls.

See More Photos: Powder Room From HGTV Dream Home 2019

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Accentuated With Tile

Instead of manipulating dimensions, designers play right to them in this sublime San Jose del Cabo bathroom. The room's linear aspect is beautifully accentuated using a dark tile runner, dividing the space in half and escorting us straight to the soaking tub and to the Pacific Ocean. The glossy finish on the handmade tile reflects the arresting view from the window, making the sparkling sand and sea outside wonderfully inescapable.

From: REmexico Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®

Layouts to Love

In a play off the asymmetrical skylights above, white-and-gray chevron planks alternate in threes to confer an inspired balance in this inviting bathroom. The tile layout results in a cheery chessboard, but in both muted tone and matte finish, so it gels seamlessly with the unfussy Scandinavian design in the home. When you commit to tile, the layout of the floor joins a slew of additional decisions you'll make regarding color, shape, size and finish.

Learn More: Scandinavian Design Style 101

From: Lauren Nelson

Colorful Contributions

Soothing white walls and pale gray furniture push open this light-filled guest bathroom, while the turquoise starburst of the hexagon tile energizes the space without drawing it back in. Bathroom floors can serve as the ideal location to add a punch of color without highlighting diminutive dimensions of smaller spaces.

See More Photos: Bathroom Tile Designs That Are Anything But Boring

From: Lauren Nelson

Reset in Stone

In this high-contrast main bathroom with splashy art deco sensibilities, designers toned it down for the floor, choosing a large-format stone in soft gray to ground the space, literally and figuratively. Ceramic and encaustic tile is often used to make bold visual statements, whereas natural stone can be a more emotive floor covering — sometimes conveying pageantry and grandeur and, at other times, warmth and comfort.

From: THELIFESTYLEDCO

About the Grout

Tile grout color is another aesthetic decision not to be taken lightly. Designers of this cute, compact bathroom used grout of the opposite color to accentuate the geometric tiles on the walls and floor. Had they used a grout similar to the tile color, the fun shape of the tile would have been nearly lost to the eye in the high-contrast space. Keeping tile grout clean can be a chore, but low-porosity products and regular sealing make maintenance easier.

See More Photos: 50 Black and White Bathrooms We Love

From: Genna Margolis

Small Space Strategies

Wood-look flooring in a chevron pattern makes a statement underfoot in this small, stylish loft ensuite. Laying flooring at an angle is a strategy for maximizing small spaces, as is using smaller tiles or planks. The pattern also shows that planks aren't limited to a set layout. Herringbone and chevron are popular patterns, as are weaves and checkerboards. Even some of the resilient flooring (vinyl, laminate and cork) can be installed in interesting patterns — just check the product literature before making your purchase.

From: Minhnuyet Hardy

Polished Presentations

Designer Susan Alisberg aimed for elegance, sophistication and luxury for this swanky main bathroom. The Albert Hadley–inspired zigzag in contrasting marble charges up the nickel-plated tub and mirrored doors of the vanity, amplifying the excitement of the space. The polished finish for the stone and the multitude of reflective surfaces magnify the light.

See More of This Home: An Outdated Colonial Home Is Reborn to Suit a Young Family’s Needs

Honed Finishes

Using multiple types of flooring is a strategy to subtly outline spaces in an open-concept room. In this serene spa bathroom, a large-format gray tile is joined by a pebble mosaic for a bathmat and to define the shower area. Using a honed finish for the floor offers the spotlight to the distinctive damask wall tiles in a pale blue floral, which casually mirrors the soft glow of the contemporary crystal light fixtures.

From: Amy (Bubier) Klosterman

Tile Temptations

In this distinctive main bathroom, a solid arabesque floor tile complements the lively Ann Sacks Lux tile on the wall without competing for the limelight. Tile is a bathroom staple, and with a cornucopia of shapes, sizes, colors and patterns, it truly offers innumerable possibilities for floor design. Tile can be a cold and hard flooring surface, but underfloor heating and strategically placed rugs are easy workarounds.

See More Photos: 99 Stylish Bathroom Design Ideas You'll Love

From: Signature Designs Kitchen & Bath

Solid Wood That Could

The original heart pine floor in this historic Craftsman bathroom joins a clawfoot tub and white interior shutters to deliver sweet and country chic. We're often told to avoid solid wood in bathrooms because of water concerns — spills sitting atop the wood but also plumbing leaks that might penetrate from below. The material can swell and warp when subjected to standing water. Use solid wood confidently in areas that don't experience those types of moisture — powder rooms and even regions of main bathrooms that are isolated from major plumbing. Here, the designer uses mosaic tile for the tub to sit upon in a charming compromise.

From: Smith & Associates Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®

Poured and Adored

In this neutral modern bathroom, an attractive combination of wall tile draws the eye in, so an understated concrete floor is an ideal accompaniment to the honed limestone countertop. Poured concrete has an unbeatable vibe for minimalist rooms like this, but it can also be glamorized for use in more splashy spaces with stains and dyes, aggregates, stamping and other decorative finishes. If your home can't support the weight of a concrete floor or installation costs have you beat, there are convincing large-format porcelain imitations available.

Learn More: The Pros and Cons of Concrete Flooring

From: Aspen Leaf Interiors

Sumptuous Natural Stone

Natural stone floors are stunning and can be equally at home in traditional and contemporary designs. Possibilities include marble, granite, limestone, travertine, slate and soapstone. Here, majestic black marble befits this posh penthouse bathroom with a modern square soaking tub and side table. Using the same material for floor and wall frames the window, making the metropolis view outside the undisputed focal point. Natural stone floors are durable, but they do require care depending on the porosity of the stone and the choice of finish. At a minimum, most will need to be sealed and then resealed regularly to prevent staining.

From: Halstead Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®