The bathroom is the one room where the choice is genuinely narrow. Standing water, steam and temperature swings will damage any timber floor eventually, however well finished it is.
Everything in this collection is fully waterproof rather than water-resistant, which is the difference that matters here. LVT and SPC vinyl handle a wet floor, a hot shower and a leaking radiator valve without complaint, and they are warmer and quieter underfoot than tile.
Choose from stone and marble designs that give you the look of a tiled bathroom without the cold, or wood-effect planks that carry the floor through from the rest of the house. Free A5 samples, delivered next-day.
It is worth being direct about this, because bathroom wood floors are sold and they do fail. Solid oak and engineered oak are timber, and timber moves with moisture. A bathroom is humid every day and occasionally wet.
Laminate is worse in this respect, not better. The core is fibreboard, and fibreboard swells when it gets wet. A splash wiped up promptly is fine; water sitting along a joint overnight is not.
Vinyl has no timber in it at all, which is why it is the only flooring we recommend for a bathroom.
LVT or SPC?
Both are fully waterproof. The difference is the core.
LVT
SPC
Core
Flexible
Rigid stone composite
Waterproof
Yes
Yes
Over uneven subfloor
Follows the base
Bridges small dips
Underfoot
Softer
Firmer
For most bathrooms either works. SPC has the edge if the subfloor is slightly uneven or the room gets significant temperature swing.
Waterproof floor, not a waterproof room
The boards themselves are waterproof, but water finding its way underneath through an unsealed edge can still cause problems with the subfloor. Seal around the perimeter, around the WC and around any pipework, and deal with leaks promptly.
Choosing a design
Stone and marble effect
The obvious choice for a bathroom, and the one most people are after. Marble, terrazzo and stone designs give you a tiled look that is warmer underfoot, quieter, easier to fit and considerably cheaper than the real thing. Browse white and marble designs.
Wood effect
Worth considering if the bathroom opens off a landing or bedroom with a wood floor. A vinyl plank in a matching decor carries the look through without putting timber somewhere it should not be.
Colour
Bathrooms are usually the smallest room in the house and often have the least natural light. Pale floors make the space feel larger; very dark ones can make a small bathroom feel closed in, though they look striking where there is a window to carry it.
Underfloor heating
Bathrooms are the most common room for underfloor heating, and vinyl handles it well. Suitability is stated on every product page, and you should follow the manufacturer's temperature limit and bring the system up gradually after fitting rather than straight to full.
If you are using underlay, choose one with a low tog rating so the heat passes through rather than being insulated against.
Fitting a bathroom floor
Most vinyl uses a click system and floats over the subfloor, which makes a small bathroom one of the more achievable DIY jobs. Some products are designed to be glued down instead, which is worth considering in a wet room, and the joining method is listed on every product page.
Cutting around a WC pan, a pedestal basin and pipework is the fiddly part. Take a template rather than measuring, and leave the expansion gap at every fixed object. Our fitting guides cover subfloor preparation and expansion gaps.
How much will you need?
Measure the full floor area, including under the basin and behind the WC. Bathrooms produce more waste than their size suggests, because of all the cutting around fittings, so do not trim the allowance.
The flooring calculator on every product page works out how many packs you need. You will also want beading for the perimeter and a threshold profile at the door, where the bathroom floor meets whatever is outside it.
Bathroom flooring: frequently asked questions
What is the best flooring for a bathroom?
LVT or SPC vinyl. Both are fully waterproof, warm underfoot, quiet, and suitable for underfloor heating.
Can I put wood flooring in a bathroom?
We would not advise it. Timber moves with moisture and a bathroom is humid daily. If you want the look of wood, choose a wood-effect vinyl plank instead.
Can I use laminate in a bathroom?
No. Laminate has a fibreboard core that swells when wet. It is water-resistant, not waterproof, and a bathroom will find the difference.
Is vinyl flooring slippery when wet?
Textured and embossed finishes give more grip than a smooth gloss tile. A bath mat is still sensible in front of the shower, as it would be with any hard floor.
Is vinyl warmer than tile?
Noticeably, yes. Vinyl does not draw heat from your feet the way stone and ceramic do, which is why it feels warmer even without underfloor heating.
Can I fit bathroom flooring myself?
Click-system vinyl in a small bathroom is achievable for a confident DIY fitter. The cutting around the WC and basin takes patience more than skill.
Will it match the floor in the rest of the house?
Often closely. Choose a vinyl plank in a similar decor to your wood floor and use a threshold profile at the door. Order both samples together and compare them side by side.
