How To Fit Wood Flooring In Bathrooms

While wooden floors are a sought after look in bathrooms and shower rooms, it’s worth bearing in mind that most types of wood flooring are not in fact suitable for bath or shower rooms.  The humidity in the atmosphere in these rooms as well as the direct risk of water spills and splashes together with the rise and fall in temperatures, makes bath and shower rooms a really tough environment for a wooden floor.

It is essential when you’re considering which type of flooring to install in your bath or shower room to bear in mind that if you don’t make the right decisions at the outset, you could be left really disappointed with the long-term performance of your floor.

There are very few species of wood which might withstand the challenges a shower or bathroom throws at it.  As a result, rather than opting for solid wood flooring in your bath or shower room, you should consider the installation of engineered wood flooring as an alternative.

Solid wood flooring, as the name suggests is made from one single plank of wood whereas engineered flooring is made up of a thin layer of real wood secured to a plywood base.  Because of the structure of engineered wood flooring, it is better able to withstand the humidity and splashes and spills it’ll come up against in shower rooms and bathrooms.  Assuming you decide to install engineered wood flooring in your bath or shower room, it is important to opt for a minimum thickness of 14mm in order to maximise the stability of your floor.

Once you’ve chosen your flooring material, you’ll need to consider the fitting method to use and no matter which method you decide is best, you need to remember to be strict about respecting the 20mm gap between the planks and the walls.  This gap is particularly important in shower and bathroom environments because of the expansion and contraction which will take place due to the humidity and temperature changes.

Finally, when your floor has been laid, it’s important to turn your attention to the wood flooring finish.  The two main finishing options for bath and shower room floors are lacquer and hard wax oil.  The advantage of lacquer is that it’ll render your floor pretty much waterproof but the downside is that it isn’t a natural product.  Hard wax oil on the other hand is a natural product and will certainly help protect your floor by soaking deep into its core.