Do you have a small bathroom in your home? How can you strategically pick new floors that will help it feel larger, and what materials are best to use? Keep reading to find out.
5 Flooring Tips to Make a Room Feel Bigger
1. Change the angle. Regardless of the type of flooring material you choose, give the space more interest visually and help it feel bigger by installing the planks and tiles on a diagonal angle.
2. Be consistent. Try to use the same type of floors in the small room’s adjacent areas as well. This consistency helps it feel like the space is larger.
3. Choose colors carefully. In general, colors that are lighter and cooler help a small area feel more open. Avoid darker hues and pick subtle designs; for hardwood flooring, pick grain patterns that are simple. It is worth noting, however, that if you really want dark flooring, feel free to install it; just make sure you choose a cool color for the walls and trim in addition to lighter crown molding so the eye is drawn up to the corners, expanding the space.
4. Reflect – literally. Reflective surfaces will help the area feel larger, so consider high gloss flooring and mirrors on the walls.
5. Make it wider. If you opt for hardwood floors, remember that wider planks will help the area seem larger. Curious why? As explained by the Flooring Blog, “Fewer seams create a more open pattern that looks less
busy and confining. Another trick is to lay the boards parallel to the longest wall. Running the boards this way helps elongate a room.” Just remember that hardwood doesn’t do well with moisture, which is why we often recommend materials like luxury vinyl tile instead.
So if hardwood isn’t the best choice for your bathroom, which materials do we recommend? Because of the humid nature of the room, you want a material that will withstand frequent moisture and temperature changes.
Luxury Vinyl Tile for Your Bathroom Flooring
Luxury vinyl tile is our top bathroom pick for a number of reasons, such as:
1. Luxury vinyl tile is completely waterproof thanks to its PVC backing, whereas a lot of standard vinyl relies on various backing materials that can’t always handle moisture.
2. Luxury vinyl tile has countless design options. From a bright and bold tile design to the appearance of hardwood flooring, you can pick pretty much any style you’d like.
3. Luxury vinyl tile is very cost effective. It’s another way to get the look of tile while sticking to a lower budget.
Additional Bathroom Flooring Materials
Not quite sure luxury vinyl tile is the best fit for you? Here are a couple more bathroom flooring options to consider:
- Vinyl and linoleum are both popular options that allow for a lot of creativity in your bathroom’s design.
- Concrete doesn’t need to be dismally drab! As HGTV shows, you can use concrete tiles to create a stunning, yet practical, bathroom flooring design.
- Tile is one of the most common options because this material can be used in countless colors and patterns (from pebble stone or marble to natural or intricate) while providing durability as well as resistance to stains and moisture. As BHG reminds us, choose a slip-resistant tile to prevent falls, and radiant heating to make the bathroom floors a little cozier.
Have your heart set on hardwood, bamboo or cork, but don’t want to risk damaging them with the moisture? One great option is to use these materials in a powder bath; in addition to creating a beautiful foundation to the room, you can simply continue the existing flooring as these spaces tend to be adjacent to common areas. Do you need help finding the perfect bathroom flooring? Stop by San Jose Hardwood Floors’ showroom to get advice from our experts, and don’t forget to contact us for a free in-home estimate!