Walk into almost any home that was built a couple of decades ago and the bathrooms will be full of tiled floors. Tiles have long been seen as the best choice for bathroom flooring, but is that still the case today? Modern homes seem to be moving away from tiles –Â though is that more to do with cost savings for new builds than anything else? The best way to find the answers to these questions is by looking at some of the good and bad things that tiles bring to the table.
Table of Contents
- Drawbacks of Tiles For Bathroom Flooring
- Benefits of Tiles For Bathroom Flooring
- The Verdict: Are Tiles The Best Bathroom Flooring Option?
Drawbacks of Tiles For Bathroom Flooring
Before we look at why a lot of people opt for this bathroom flooring choice, let’s see some of the potential drawbacks. Tiles are quite unique when compared against other bathroom flooring materials, and this isn’t always a good thing. You’re likely to encounter the following problems:
- Tough to maintain: This usually comes from the grouting between tiles, as it’s known to crack or become a haven for black mold. It’s significantly harder to maintain tiles than it is to maintain other flooring materials. What’s more, grout and tile repair is a difficult DIY task, so you’ll have to call the professionals.Â
- Slippery when wet: While tiles are waterproof, they’re also very slippery when wet. Seeing as you’re in a bathroom, wetness can appear on the tiles from spillages or condensation, meaning they pose a slip and fall risk.Â
Costly to install: Professional tile installation costs a pretty penny, especially when you compare it with other flooring choices. That’s probably why new builds don’t use tiles anymore, and it’s why some homeowners are drifting away from them when handling bathroom renovations.
Benefits of Tiles For Bathroom Flooring
The drawbacks aren’t the most insane things in the world, so you can see why some people still see tiles as the best bathroom flooring choice. Plus, tiles themselves come with some advantages over many other flooring materials:
- Resistant to water: Again, you’re in a room that sees a lot of wetness, so it’s very beneficial to have a floor that can withstand lots of spills.Â
- Simple cleaning procedure: Maintaining and repairing tiles is hard, but cleaning them is easy. You can normally wipe anything away with a damp cloth or cleaning wipe, and it won’t leave a stain.Â
- Ideal for underfloor heating: Tiles are pretty much the only flooring choice that works well with underfloor heating. You can use other floor types, but the nature of tiles means they make the system more efficient.Â
- Very durable: Tiled floors can withstand regular foot traffic without facing any problems at all. They won’t dent or degrade, which is why so many people pick them for bathrooms.Â
The Verdict: Are Tiles The Best Bathroom Flooring Option?
It’s hard to say – the final decision comes down to you and what you want out of your home renovation. That being said, if you can maintain tiles and clean up any wetness to prevent slips, then it’s difficult to find a superior flooring choice. It may be an expensive choice, but the longevity of tiles sometimes means they’re better value for money than things like laminate or UPVC floors.
