My Favorite bathroom flooring ideas Beyond Basic Tile

Let’s talk bathroom floors. Look, I’ll be honest with you—I used to think bathroom floors were basically wallpaper-level feng shui: Pick something waterproof that doesn’t look terrible when it’s covered in drops of water, and call it a day. Subway tile?

Sure. Plain white ceramic tiles in a grid pattern? Works for me. (Fine, I take that back.

Who am I kidding—I live for those gorgeous patterned cement tiles. We’ll get to those later.) But then I went through the trauma of three bathroom renovations—two in homes that I owned, and one in an apartment that I rented.

Suddenly, I realised there were more options than budget allowed.

Luxury vinyl planks that look like wood (and warm up your feet in the winter!)? Electric heating floors that make getting out of bed an enjoyable experience? Patterned cement tiles that look like Instagram was made for them?

You can have all of the above—so long as you’re aware of what you gain and what you lose with each option. To help you sort through the picks, I tapped into my personal bathroom flooring journey and broke down everything I learned about each of these options. Scroll on, floor friend!

SHOP THE STORY Luxury vinyl was the first game-changing flooring option I discovered. I lived in my second apartment for years before I realised that there were alternatives to cheap white ceramic tile with grey grout. You know the ones.

They show every water spot, and they always feel dingy even if you just cleaned them two seconds ago. Every day while getting ready for work in that bathroom, I’d look down at that floor and think, there has to be a better option than this. Then I discovered luxury vinyl—and it has been a game-changer ever since. (Even after two young kids destroyed our leftovers sample we didn’t end up using with their dinosaurs.) Luxury vinyl has come SUCH a long way since it tried to pass itself off as carpet in cheap hotel rooms.

The options now are incredible, and many brands actually look like the natural materials you’d expect on your bathroom floor. I ended up going with a wood plank option from Karndean (around £45 per square metre, which wasn’t cheap until I factored in what quality ceramic would cost plus installation) and it completely changed the feel of my bathroom. It suddenly went from hospital-esque to warm and cozy—and it was actually warmer!

No more freezing toes on cold winter mornings! Ok, so on to the practical perks. First of all: Water spills?

Doesn’t matter. Glass breaks? It bounces, instead of shattered into a million sharp pieces that will haunt the bottom of your feet for months to come.

Wiping down? Easy peasy with just a mop or even paper towel. I used to find myself scrubbing grout lines for what felt like eternity; with luxury vinyl, I don’t think about it twice.

Now, let’s talk about the downsides. After about two years, we had some mild footprints from where my boys run around in their socks most days. It’s not enough to actually look like anything other than brand new luxury vinyl flooring, but it was noticeable to me.

Also, if you’re picky about things looking exactly like the real deal, you’ll notice that yes, this stuff does look like luxury vinyl plank flooring. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can see the texture trying to mimic wood grain, but it very clearly has the same texture all over. Water will be your flooring’s best friend throughout the year, but if you’re renting or live in an area where moisture is a concern, I would definitely install luxury vinyl again.

And if you want heated floors too? Keep reading!… Electric heating floors was another revelation to me. I live in a house where our upstairs bathroom sits over our detached garage—which doesn’t get heated.

Every winter morning from October to March used to be like a game of survival: How long can I stand in one spot before I need to start hopping up and down like a frying pan? ! I spent months combing through reviews and watching YouTube videos of people installing electric heating floors. I researched, calculated, and re-calculated how much it would cost to run each day until I was living life in Microsoft Excel SpreadsheetWorld. (Ok, so I am slightly obsessed with house projects.

Who’s laughing now?) In the end, I went with Warmup’s electric mat system (about £180 to cover a 3-square-metre bathroom, not including installation). My electrician warned me it wouldn’t heat the bathroom to “sauna” levels. And thank goodness—because it doesn’t.

It’s lovely without feeling overheated, though. And not having to stand on cold flooring while rushing to get ready for work in the morning is totally worth every penny. Be warned: installation can be messy if you already have tile installed.

In our case, they had to rip up the existing tile, install the heating mat, and then tile over top. Our bathroom was out of commission for almost a week, which meant I got really close with my gym’s shower facilities. But hey, it was worth it!

The worst part was the operating costs. While it wasn’t too bad during the summer months (around £10 extra a month), I was spending about £30 extra a month on electricity during peak heating months. Running underfloor heating with mesh tiles or luxury vinyl is a no-go, by the way.

The material acts as insulator, which kind of defeats the purpose of heating your floors… Patterned cement tiles had me scrolling through Instagram for months trying to find inspiration. While I loved the look of traditional Moroccan-inspired patterned cement tiles, the prices for even the smallest bathroom spaces were more than I’d like to admit.

Turns out there’s a modern spin on these that don’t break the bank—you can find ones for about £35 per square metre from a company called Bert & May. I picked this blue and white hexagon design to remodel our powder room last year. They’re basically like big puzzle pieces that you fit together, except way more frustrating.

If you don’t line up the pattern exactly with your neighbouring tile, you’ll hate yourself. You also have to measure twice (or thrice) and cut once. They’re not forgiving if you make a mistake, and believe me—I ended up cutting—and re-cutting—many a tile that didn’t fit perfectly.

My back paid the price for many days of bowing down to cut tiles on the ground. But enough about how tough these babies are to install. Once they’re in place, you’ll feel like you have an art piece as your floor.

Every person who enters your bathroom will comment on them—and they photograph unreal for Instagram. (I mean… don’t lie. We all judge our homes on their ‘gram-worth, am I right?) BUT—they require a lot of maintenance. You’ll need to seal them every few years to prevent staining (and yep, they stain if you don’t wipe up spills right away! ), and they can chip if you drop something heavy on them.

I found that out firsthand when I accidentally dropped a bottle of nail polish remover. The acetone ended up eating right through the sealer and it left behind a dark spot that will forever mock me every time I’m washing my hands at the sink. So pretty?

Yes. Practical for a family with kids? Not so much.

What I didn’t expect from upgrading my bathroom floors was how each option changed the vibe of the entire room. That warm, wood-planked luxury vinyl made the small space feel cozy rather than closed off. The heated floors made me want to coordinate everything else in there to match—for example, I wanted fluffy towels and nicer soap dispensers to up the luxe factor while my feet were getting warmed!

Installing patterned cement tiles made what was basically a closet with a toilet feel purposeful and designed.

The tradeoff? They require more maintenance than your average floor.

So if you’re Type-A hung up on keeping your home perfect, you’ll lose your mind trying to keep those sealed and cleaned. Based on my experiences, I would recommend luxury vinyl flooring paired with electric heating floors for anyone tackling their first bathroom reno. It’s warm, comforting and won’t drive you crazy if you have kids or pets running around your house.

Save the dramatic cement tiles for a vacation home where you can better control the chaos!. At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong answer. But when you’re picking your bathroom floors, consider: What are you gaining and what are you willing to lose in return?

Luxury versus practicality. Short-term costs that save you in the long run versus upfront options that cost you more over time. Natural materials versus man-made.

Your floors are one of the most-used surfaces in your home—just make sure you pick something that works with your lifestyle.