Design Diary | A Case For Natural Wood Flooring In The Bathroom

When searching for bathroom flooring inspiration and ideas you’ll come across an array of brightly coloured tiles, beautiful vinyl and clean stone. What you’ll likely find, however, when you take up an old bathroom floor is wooden panels. So why aren’t people using what they’ve got? Why has there been a movement towards using tiles and vinyl when there’s a perfectly good floor waiting to be used. Are people still scared of using wooden flooring in the bathroom? We’re here to tell you it’s time to embrace the natural flooring and let the wood shine!

Many years ago when it became increasingly popular to rip out carpets and install wood flooring throughout homes one piece of information spread like wildfire: water and wood don’t mix. As a result, placing wooden flooring in the bathroom was avoided. But how much of this is true?

Case Study: A beautiful example of using wood flooring in the bathroom comes from our Mid-Century Victorian Home case study, shown above, where our Spey cast iron bath tub makes for an eye-catching feature.

This theory no doubt spread as a result of fear of the high levels of humidity found in bathrooms as well as water splashing onto wooden surface. People were concerned their new flooring would be irrepairably damaged and quickly! But so long as you choose the right products and take the right precautions wood flooring in the bathroom is now not only achievable but also a great way to add a natural material to the design.

To make your wood floor dreams come true we’re going to need to get technical for a minute. To deal with the humidity factor you’re going to need Engineered Wood Flooring preferably 140-150mm wide. Finishing wise you can choose whichever you like, there are no specialist finishes that add extra stability. Lacquers will be low maintenance whereas wax gives a higher level of protection but also requires a good deal of elbow grease to maintain. Note that it is worth having a good layer of actual wood as the top layer on the floor and to be meticulous in your maintenance with such a product. Certain woods like Teak are impervious to water and immune to rot. These can even be used to create shower trays, seats as well as other flooring areas.

Wooden flooring in the bathroom is nothing new but with an inrease in quality and affordability it has become more and more popular. Just as with tiles you can add pattern through your choice of woods or in the way that the wood is laid out. You can also paint wood to introduce colours and patterns making wood flooring a great way to create a classic look but can just as easily be used to give a sense of modernity.

So with some planning and great execution as well as continued maintenance you too can have the wood floor bathroom of your dreams.

Looking for more bathroom design tips and tricks? Take a look at our previous design diary post that showcases the importance of good lighting in the bathroom and how to achieve it.

Drummonds Design Diary by Senior Designer Tommy Bendall

(Image Source: Pinterest)