Wooden bathroom floor

dutchcloggie

Hi,

Am renovating my house. It currently has a laminate floor which looks distinctly cheap and 90s. My friend who is a builder, has advised against tiling the floor due to it being a Victorian terrace. He said there is a good chance the tiles and/or grouting will crack due to movement in the floor underneath.

We really do not like the look of vinyl or even the modern laminate because due to the position of the bathroom window, these surfaces turn into a really shiny floor and you cannot see the colour or pattern, making it look cheap.

So we decided wood would look nice. But not solid wood because of moisture. Engineered wood is said to be the best. But every time we see a wood we like, the sale blurb says it is not suitable for bathrooms. So, is not every engineered wood floor suitable? Or are the manufacturers just covering their backsides by saying it is better not to use it in bathrooms? What have other people done?

Jonesya

What's the sub-floor - is it solid or is it floor boards?

Emm-in-a-pickle

Twenty-something years ago I wanted red flooring in our small bathroom, but we couldn`t find anything that was proper red.(Black & white tiles on wall, white sink & bath, red & white towels, and penguin shower curtains, so red floor seemed a must!) My late hubby was quite handy, and he put down plain pine `tongue & groove`, the sort people used to put as wall cladding, apparently.
We painted it with red woodstain, then 2 coats of varnish.
This is an oldish house, the floorboards weren`t great, and we thought it would do for a while. It didn`t cost much.
It`s still as good as new, and I still like the colour scheme.
(Not suggesting you paint it red, btw.)

dutchcloggie

Floor underneath is floorboards. They can't be used as they are horrid so it needs a floor on top of it. Just don't know which one...

Doozergirl

There's no reason why you can't have tiles. You need to lay a new floor of Hardiebacker or Ply to keep a good sturdy base over the floorboards. And flexible adhesive. Even a decoupling membrane if you're that worried.

If I weren't having tiles, I would definitely choose an LVT floor. Hardwearing with a nearly infinite choice of colours and styles.

dutchcloggie

Right. Due to budget considerations, I have decided on laminate. But now I have been told (by a tiler) that laminate is a poor choice, unhygienic (he said skin dust collects in the grooves) and will need replacing in 5 years. Which to be honest is fine by me as I am thinking we might not be here that long and if we are, we can decide on tiles later as the budget doesn't reach to tiles at this moment.

So, should I fit the laminate floor before i put the skirting boards on my newly plastered walls or fit the laminate up against the skirting with beading?

Doozergirl

Before the skirting! :eek:

dutchcloggie

I did think that but just wanted to check. That gives me the opportunity to put a tiled floor in once I win the lottery.