Waterproof bathroom Flooring

What Qualities Should You Look for in Bathroom Flooring In General?

Many types of flooring can be installed in a bathroom, but only a few check all the boxes. Since bathrooms are arguably the wettest rooms in the home, buying floors with excellent water resistance is a given. Waterproof  flooring options are even better.

While wood floors are gorgeous, even the best hardwood floors tend to offer only mild water resistance. This might be acceptable in a living room, or maybe even a not-very-busy kitchen, but bathrooms tend to be pretty unforgiving when it comes to moisture (think: shower steam, wet feet, etc.). 

Some of the best brands make waterproof hardwood flooring that performs much better in this kind of environment, but it’s still an uphill battle.

In short, floors that can survive excessive moisture are key for bathrooms. So, can vinyl plank flooring go in a bathroom…?

So Again, Can Vinyl Plank Flooring Go in a Bathroom? Um, Yeah!

Once again, vinyl plank flooring is inherently waterproof so it’s a fantastic choice for bathrooms! It’s also some of the best for flooring choices in the kitchen and mudroom flooring, too.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Installing Vinyl Plank Flooring in a Bathroom?

We don’t expect you to take us at face value, so here are all the reasons vinyl plank (and tile) can go in a bathroom! Better yet, we’re also going to explain a few of the key problems to help you decide if this is the right flooring for you.

Pro: Vinyl Plank Flooring Is Waterproof

If you’ve always wanted a wood floor bathroom, vinyl plank flooring is probably the best overall way to achieve it. 

Pro: Great Vinyl Plank Flooring Is Relatively Inexpensive

Like most hardwood floor alternatives high-quality LVP can be had for as little as $4 per square foot. This alone is enough to deter some from buying a hardwood floor as the cost of wood flooring can easily double the cost of LVP.

Of course, not all LVP products are budget-friendly, and COREtec flooring is a good example. While COREtec is certainly a premium option , its price ranges from $5 to $10 per square foot OUR PRICING IS 2.59 and above- what a steal)

Pro: It’s Easy to Clean and Maintain

In terms of maintenance and cleaning, LVP might be the  best flooring period from a few lower-budget options, vinyl plank flooring is super easy to clean and doesn’t require any special maintenance. For bathrooms, that’s nice.

Bathrooms are often an area of focus when people clean their homes, so having floors that make the job easier is very welcome. Have you ever had to clean grout between tiles? It’s a nightmare.

Pro: Vinyl Plank Is Warmer Underfoot Than Tile 

And speaking of tile, it gets cold. 

Walking barefoot over ceramic tile during colder months is like walking over ice—which really ruins a relaxing, hot shower. Some are immune ttypes of tile o this, but with vinyl plank flooring, it’s not really a concern.

Bonus: for extra comfort, wpc flooring (a type of LVP) has an almost springy feel to it.

Pro: Vinyl Plank Doesn’t Get as Slippery as Tile 

Another thing LVP does better than tile: slip resistance. 

Now, some tiles are textured in a way that makes slipping a non-issue. But ordinary ceramic tiles can get pretty slippery when wet, which isn’t ideal in a room where being wet is kind of the whole point (well, when bathing, anyway). 

Vinyl plank flooring doesn’t get as slippery as ceramic tile, so it makes sense to put it in a bathroom.

Pro: Vinyl Plank Is Also a Little Quieter Than Tile

Let’s add just one more knock against tile (we swear we do like tile!): vinyl plank is quieter. 

Super-hard surfaces like tile bounce sounds rather than absorb them. If you have a small bathroom, every little noise is going to sound like an air raid siren (which a sleeping partner won’t enjoy). Vinyl plank is slightly softer in composition, so it absorbs sounds better than tile does. 

The keyword here is “better”, though. Nothing absorbs sounds as well as carpet or cork, but neither of these is fit for bathroom flooring. So, LVP is kind of the best option in this regard.

Pro: It’s a Great Alternative to Other Materials That Can’t Get Wet (Like Hardwood or Carpet)

We’ve mentioned this before, but we feel this is an important point to bring home: many types of floors can’t get wet. 

Even the most durable is liable to warp, crack, and explode (well, kinda) with too much moisture. ( CORETEC does not!! SEE OUR FACEBOOK VIDEO)

LVP’s biggest advantage is that it can get wet. But, LVP can also mimic the look of other floors, so it’s sort of a best-of-both-worlds scenario.

However, it’s worth noting that cheap LVP can be really, really bad. We’ve heard so many horror stories of homeowners buying low-end LVP for a seemingly great deal, only for their floors to start popping up months after installation. Not decades. Not years. Months.

Vinyl plank flooring is lovely, but a lot of homebuyers don’t see it in the same way as they see hardwood floors—even if hardwood doesn’t make sense for a bathroom. 

To be fair, LVP shouldn’t harm your home’s value, but it probably won’t help it either (unless you buy low-quality LVP).

That said, many LVP brands are incorporating more and more sustainable practices into their manufacturing processes (including material sourcing). Better yet, most modern LVP products are partially or fully recyclable. We’ll talk about the best recyclable brands in a minute.

 

The good news is that COREtec essentially the norm nowadays, and there are even zero-VOC products hitting the market. 

As a general note: if you believe you or your family are sensitive to such things, we strongly recommend buying COREtec or SHAW.

The Best Vinyl Plank Flooring Brands for Bathrooms

We know that vinyl plank flooring can go in a bathroom—but which brands are the best? Here’s a brief list of vinyl plank brands  that make equally-great bathroom flooring.

Proximity Mills

Proximity Mills makes 11 collections of mostly wood-look LVP, all of which are perfectly content as bathroom flooring. The brand is known for making extremely high-performance floors at surprisingly affordable rates. Plus, they’re all recyclable, low-VOC, and some are even zero-VOC.

Pergo Extreme

You might know PERGO (which is owned by Mohawk) as the laminate flooring brand; however, their Pergo Extreme line of LVP is pretty solid too.  We called the floor a good investment with plenty of great customer reviews, too.

Newton

NEWTON is a brand that specializes in making high-quality flooring at lower price points in line with what you’d expect to find from a big box store brand, LOWES/HOME DEPOT is that it really punches above its weight class; there are better floors on the market, but you’ll have to pay a lot more for them.

Shaw Floorté

Shaw is an esteemed flooring company (one of the largest, in fact) that’s been around for the better part of 100 years. SHAW/FLOORTE', their flagship line, is a little on the pricey side but offers high-quality LVP nonetheless.( WE CARRY THE ANVIL PLUS LINE ON OUR SITE FOR 2.39 a square foot)

Doma

DOMA is a flooring company that’s well-known for making some of the most stylish and fashion-forward LVP floors around. As you’ll see in our DOMA  vinyl plank products to be particularly impressive (though they offer some great hardwoods and carpets as well).

Vinyl Bathroom Flooring FAQs

Before we wrap up, let’s go over a few vinyl plank bathroom flooring FAQs. We know vinyl flooring can go in a bathroom, but we’re sure you have other questions, too!

What’s the Best Vinyl Flooring for Bathrooms?

Without a doubt, vinyl plank or tile is the superior choice. Sheet vinyl is the only major choice for residences, and it simply doesn’t offer the same level of quality or style options that LVP/T offers.

Is All Vinyl Plank Flooring Waterproof?

ALL IS WATERPROOF--However, low-end brands sometimes make products that fair poorly in excessively wet or humid conditions( OUR COMPETITORS). Even mid-quality products tend to avert this issue, though.

What’s the Difference Between Water-Resistant and Waterproof Flooring?

Since most LVP is fully waterproof, let’s look at hardwood instead. 

 

In other words, the difference basically comes down to how long the floor can withstand exposure to liquids.

 Can You Install Vinyl Plank Under a Toilet?

There’s no reason you can’t install vinyl plank under a toilet. The only thing to keep in mind is that if a toilet isn’t perfectly flush (see what we did there?) with the surrounding floor, it could wobble. And a wobbling toilet is not something you want.

Can You Install Vinyl Plank Under a Bathroom Vanity?

You can install vinyl plank flooring underneath a bathroom vanity (unless the manufacturer advises against this, for warranty reasons).

But, generally speaking, bathroom vanities can be installed directly over the subfloor, so covering the area with flooring first seems like unnecessary work.

Does Vinyl Plank Flooring Need a Moisture Barrier?

With few exceptions, underlayment(aka moisture barriers) are required. Before you groan at the extra expense, know that many brands include an underlayment with their floors. And for the brands that don’t, most underlayments cost less than a dollar per square foot.----not WITH COREtec, or SHAW though..

Can Mold Grow Under Vinyl Plank Flooring?

Treatment for mold isn’t cheap and it’s definitely not fun. And leaving mold to grow can severely impact your health.

 

 

 

Conclusion: Can Vinyl Plank Flooring Go in a Bathroom? Of Course!

 

If you go through a big box store, you’re going to have a mediocre experience at best. These places want to get you in and out as quickly as possible, and their product selection tends to be much more general. 

Local stores, on the other hand, are solid. Here you can expect the help of someone who knows what their talking about and has the product selection to fit your bathroom flooring needs perfectly!