A bathroom renovation can be a costly project, but the flooring part of it doesn’t have to be. With many inexpensive bathroom flooring options that look high-end, it’s only a matter of choosing a style that suits your aesthetic. And with most bathrooms being relatively small spaces, you won’t have to worry about covering a significant area. The one thing to watch out for is that the material you choose should be suitable for a persistently moist environment.
Inexpensive Bathroom Flooring Options
Vinyl
Peel-and-stick vinyl flooring may be the most popular option for budget-friendly bathroom flooring. Composed completely of synthetic materials, it’s resilient, easy to install, and resistant to water damage, especially in sheet form. Because the material is so favored for bathrooms, an endless array of shapes and attractive styles are available. You can basically achieve any kind of look you want, at a very reasonable cost.
Luxury vinyl
Luxury vinyl flooring (LVF) is similar to standard vinyl, but thicker and more rigid. There’s also no glue or grout involved; it’s assembled using a locking tongue-and-groove system, making it fairly easy to install. LVF is still a relatively economical choice, but a little more expensive than regular vinyl. Creative patterns, as well as faux wood and stone, are popular styles for LVF.
Linoleum
Valued for its durability and water resistance, linoleum has long been used for bathroom flooring. This versatile, naturally-composed material fell out of favor when less expensive options became available, but linoleum has regained its popularity recently due to its renewable and eco-friendly nature. While linoleum is resistant to moisture, it does need to be sealed periodically to protect against water penetration.
Laminate
If you’re looking to mimic the simple and natural look of real wood for your bathroom floor, laminate is an inexpensive and durable substitute that’s made from wood byproducts. Today’s laminate flooring looks sleek and modern and consists of several layers that make it strong and waterproof. The thicker your planks, the more resistant they are to warping. Laminate comes in a myriad of designs, finishes, and sizes.
Concrete
For an industrial-chic look, concrete is a great inexpensive option for bathroom flooring. It can even be polished to create a cool, sleek appearance. Concrete does need proper sealing to keep the water from seeping into the pores, but if protected properly, it does very well in wet environments—and its seamless, groove-free surface makes it really easy to clean.
No matter what style you’re going for in your bathroom renovation, the flooring part of it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. With a little research and some savvy shopping, it’s easy to achieve just about any look at an affordable price.
Ceramic
Glazed ceramic tiles vary widely in cost, which means that basic, standard stock versions can be found at the more affordable end of the spectrum for the budget conscious. There’s no end to the variety of designs to choose from, and ceramic tiles are extremely water resistant, making them an ideal choice for the bathroom.