15 Ideas for Wood Floors in Bathrooms

External Author |

Wood Floors for Bathrooms?

Installing wood flooring in bathrooms used to be considered big no-no. Splashing, standing water, and even high humidity would damage and warp the material, making it useless in a short amount of time. Has this all changed with new treatments available for wood flooring? Many people now argue that polyurethane coatings and prefinished hardwood flooring is far more resistant to water damage than before, and some argue that some hardwood flooring is actually waterproof. 

Not so fast. The reality is that nearly all hardwood flooring manufacturers still advise caution when it comes to using their flooring in bathrooms and other wet areas. It's true that good oil-based polyurethane sealers and careful attention to sealing cracks between flooring boards can make hardwood flooring perform adequately in a bathroom, but virtually no flooring manufacturer will ever describe a hardwood flooring product as waterproof. The best you can get is a tentative description of the product as being water-resistant, and then only if you carefully follow use-and-care instructions. For example, a flooring manufacturer may honor a warranty for a moisture-resistant hardwood floor only if standing puddles are thoroughly mopped up and dried within minutes. Read manufacturer's literature carefully if you are considering natural wood flooring for a bathroom.

Some things to consider when it comes to using hardwood flooring in a bathroom: 

  • Hardwood will take much more care and maintenance in a bathroom than elsewhere in your home—at the very least, yearly application of a finish designed for wet environments.
  • Manufacturers often challenge warranty claims on wood flooring in a bathroom—and some flooring products may expressly say they are not suitable for bathrooms. 
  • Any and all splashed and spilled water must be mopped up and dried immediately—even if you think you have waterproofed the floor with sealer. 

All that being said, modern polyurethane sealers, combined with more robust exhaust vent fans that can dry a bathroom much quicker, mean that wood flooring can be often used in today's bathrooms. They are still perhaps a poor choice for family bathrooms with bathtubs used by children, but for powder rooms that feature only a sink, for guest bathrooms that aren't used often, and for a master bathroom where you are willing to put in the effort to maintain the floor, a good hardwood floor can be a wonderful design element.  Read More...

 

Article Courtesy:  https://www.thespruce.com/wood-bathroom-floors-4154733

Source Courtesy: https://www.thespruce.com

Article was originally published on: February 02, 2019

BACK