A bathroom floor gets its water from above. Splashes from the tub, drips from wet feet, an overflowing toilet, a slow leak under the vanity. The material matters, but most bathroom floor failures start at a seam or an edge, not in the middle of the floor.
This guide compares the common waterproof bathroom floors side by side. If you’ve already settled on vinyl, our post on vinyl flooring for bathrooms goes deep on installing it around tubs, toilets and vanities.
A Waterproof Material Isn’t Always a Waterproof Floor
People in the flooring industry make this point often. A tile, plank or sheet can be waterproof on its own while the installed floor still lets water through at seams, grout lines and edges.
Once water gets past the surface, the subfloor underneath may not be waterproof at all. That’s why the details near the end of this post matter as much as the material you pick.
Bathroom Flooring Options at a Glance
| Material | Water Resistance | Underfoot | Upkeep | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain tile | Absorbs 0.5 percent or less | Hard, and cold without radiant heat | Grout cleaning and sealing | Slick finishes, cracked grout |
| Ceramic tile | Generally more absorbent than porcelain | Hard and cold | Grout cleaning and sealing | Chips, stained grout lines |
| Natural stone | Porous, needs a sealer | Hard and cold | Resealing, gentle cleaners | Etching on marble, slick polished finishes |
| Luxury vinyl plank | Waterproof core | Warmer and softer | Damp mop and pH-neutral cleaner | Water at seams and unsealed edges |
| Sheet vinyl | Waterproof, often one piece | Thin, with slight give | Damp mop | Subfloor flaws showing through |
| Laminate | Varies, and claims often stop at spills | Warm | Wipe spills right away | Swelling at the joints |
Material by Material
Porcelain and Ceramic Tile
Under the ANSI A137.1 standard, porcelain is tile with a water absorption of 0.5 percent or less, which makes it the most water-resistant common bathroom floor. Other ceramic tile is generally more absorbent.
The weak points are the grout and what’s under it. Water can pass through grout and many tiles, which is why showers are built with a waterproofing membrane beneath the tile. Outside the shower, sealed grout and quick cleanup keep a tile floor in good shape.
Slip resistance deserves a look. ANSI A137.1 calls for a wet DCOF of 0.42 or higher on tile recommended for level interior floors that get walked on wet, so check the spec sheet before falling for a polished finish. Tile is also cold underfoot, and radiant heat is the usual fix.
Natural Stone
Marble, travertine, slate and granite look beautiful in a bathroom, but they’re porous to different degrees. Filled travertine, for example, absorbs roughly 0.5 to 2.5 percent, and unfilled travertine absorbs more. Sealers slow staining and need reapplying once a drop of water starts to darken the stone.
Marble has a bigger issue. Acids, including many bathroom cleaners, etch its surface on contact, and sealing doesn’t prevent it. Polished stone is slick when wet while a honed finish grips better, and granite, slate and quartzite don’t etch at all.
Luxury Vinyl Plank
Rigid core vinyl plank, with an SPC or WPC core, is waterproof and comes in convincing wood and stone looks. It’s warmer and softer than tile, and WPC cores in particular feel softer and quieter underfoot.
The risk sits at the seams and edges. Installation guides call for flexible silicone caulk around the perimeter in wet areas like bathrooms, and a built-in vanity needs either to go in first or to have the floor glued down beneath it. Vinyl plank is one of the floors Quality Installs installs, and our vinyl plank installation page has more.
Sheet Vinyl
Sheet vinyl comes in rolls typically 12 feet wide, so most small bathrooms can be done in one piece with no seams. That’s a real advantage in a kids’ bathroom where water ends up everywhere. Caulking around the toilet, tub and shower keeps water from getting under the edges.
It’s thin, so it shows subfloor flaws, and it rarely looks as convincing as plank or tile.
Laminate
Some newer laminates are sold as waterproof or water resistant, so read the fine print. In one independent soak test of several laminates, water wicked into most of the joints, and the tester concluded none should be considered waterproof in the ordinary sense. One brand’s warranty excludes moisture damage beyond everyday household spills.
Laminate can be reasonable in a powder room. In a full bath with a tub or shower, it’s a gamble.
What About Hardwood
Hardwood isn’t waterproof, and standing water from a tub or shower is exactly what it handles worst. If it goes in a bathroom at all, a powder room is the place.
The Details That Matter More Than the Material
- Seal the edges. Flexible silicone at the tub, the shower curb and the walls keeps splashes from getting under a floating or loose-laid floor.
- Handle the toilet right. Pull it, run the floor under it, seal around the flange and reset it on a new wax ring.
- Plan the vanity. Install it first, or glue the floor beneath it, depending on the product.
- Control humidity. Run the exhaust fan. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent.
- Choose bath mats carefully. Rubber or latex backed mats can discolor vinyl, so look for non-staining backings.
Picking for Your Bathroom
- Kids’ bathroom. Sheet vinyl in one piece, sealed vinyl plank or porcelain tile.
- Primary bath with a heated floor. Porcelain tile is the classic pairing. Vinyl can work over radiant heat too, but check the limit, since one maker caps the floor surface at 82 degrees.
- Powder room. Nearly anything, including laminate with care.
- Basement bathroom. Porcelain tile or rigid core vinyl plank, once the slab passes the product’s moisture limits.
For more on how waterproof vinyl is built, see our post on waterproof vinyl flooring. Quality Installs is a family-owned company of flooring installers in Glenview, founded by Bob Leibrandt in 2004.