Home > Articles Index > Home Life > Bathroom Makeovers: Floors And Walls

Bathroom Makeovers: Floors And Walls

Floors

Ceramic tiles
Ceramic tiles come in many designs and colours which makes them ideal for designing patterns to match the room. Ceramic tiles can be more expensive than most floor tiles and feel hard and cold underfoot. They can be very slippery when wet and should have non-slip rugs layed on top. If a heavy object is dropped on them they may also crack which is why if you have small children you might want to consider another type of floor.
Vinyl tiles
Vinyl tiles are very inexpensive, are long lasting, is very easy and takes no time at all to lay. Vinyl tiles are also waterproof and warm underfoot and are very easy to keep clean. (Ideal if you have toddlers running around).


Sheet vinyl
Practical and hardwearing, vinyl on a roll has all the advantages of the above, although it can be tricky to try and cut where there are bends and corners.

Carpet
Carpet isn't the best of flooring to have in a bathroom. When damp it is harder to dry then tiles and can start to smell after a while and if you have kids that like to splash at bath time then it won't last very long.

Aluminium tiles
These are ideal if you live in a studio and have a very modern bathroom. They are durable, spill-proof and not too slippery. These tiles are not cheap but are long lasting and hardwaring, they are also cold underfoot and can be a bit noisy but they are definitely worth buying.


Laminate flooring
For sheer good looks laminates or wood-look overlay floors are hard to beat. They are great value, warm underfoot, resilient and look good for ages. The range of laminate flooring available, however, is to say the least confusing.

Walls

Paint
The cheapest and easiest option for covering walls in a bathroom is painting them. You can get excellent water resistant paints in a wide variety of colours. Painting is the easiest way to decorate a bathroom and you can make a lot of paint effects and if you want a vocal point just paint one wall the bath wall to make a statement.
Wallpaper
You can buy many stylish bathroom wallpaper nowadays. If you are going to paper make sure that you buy a washable one.

Tiles
Tiling is the more expensive and fiddly option for bathroom walls. But with a bit of imagination you can do wonders with them. You could tile the whole room, tile half way up the walls but this must be done all the way around the room, use decorative tiles to make nice designs. Mosaic tiles also look good and can be very colourful.