It is undeniable that the majority of people still opt for bathroom tiles when redoing the bathroom or when building a new bathroom. However tiles have evolved and just as bathrooms have become a place to decorate at the same title as any other room in the house, bathroom tiles are now one of the most important decorative element we can choose whether for the shower area, the walls or as bathroom flooring options.

In this article I will offer some bathroom floor tiles ideas that may get you started on the way to your own unique bathroom decor.

Bathroom tiles manufacturers are now able to replicate other materials in tiles, so you have to touch them to really believe that is in fact a ceramic tile. Textures of natural materials like wood can be found in ceramic tiles. Of course there also countless stone tiles like travertine or slate, as well as cork tiles. Cork flooring tiles are a great eco-friendly solution. When you choose either a natural material in easy to install tile form, or a natural look ceramic tile you have a delightful mix of beauty, functionality and ease of installation. Let yourself be tempted to decorate with wood tiles or even stainless steel tiles.

Here are some bathroom tile ideas using the look of natural materials. Mouse over the images to enlarge

Some people, in fact a lot of people today are turning back towards a retro decor style. The 60’s and 70’s have left a lasting impression and even if not all of us are not ready to don our bell bottom pants we are happy to see some of the better decorative elements of the period in style again.

Here are a few bathroom floor tiles ideas to support your love of the retro look. Warm colors and little formats may be what you need to feel good. Remember that it is not to duplicate exactly what we had back then but to adapt it to today’s taste and materials. Don’t hesitate to bring in an authentic touch in a contemporary setting as the mix of today’s design and yesteryear’s produce great effects.

For people who prize color before all and want a dynamic environment, there has never been a better time. Ceramic bathroom tiles sport the largest palette of colors that was ever possible to give a new life to all your bathroom tiling ideas. Whether you use them in conjunction with borders, or in a mosaic the combination of colors is unending.

Here are a few really colorful bathroom floor tile ideas.

As I said a mosaic is a great way to decorate your bathroom. Whether on the floor, on the wall, in small areas or large segments mosaics are in. Make one around the mirror or simply put a bold design in the middle of the floor or around the shower, consider all the materials available, natural stones and pebbles, glass, ceramic, metal… anything you can imagine you can do.

You can see a few mosaic bathroom tiles ideas below to help you get started with your decor.

These are just a few bathroom tile ideas, there are many more on related sites or in my other bathroom posts. Please let me know what you think, and if you have photos of what you have done feel free to send your bath tile ideas and I will include them in a readers' projects page soon to be published.

In spite of the many colors that are available to us today, white remains the most popular color choice for bathrooms. Probably because white is an elegant and a simple color. White bathroom floor tiles will show every dirt that might try to hide in your bathroom, making it easier to keep the bathroom very clean. This, however, may not be an advantage unless you like to clean because white tiles get dirty easily and show every little spot.

For all the people who love white there are as many who consider white bathroom floor tiles to be uninspiring, especially when the walls also have white tiles. Let’s look at some ideas to help you make a statement in a bathroom where there is a lot of white tiles but you are not ready to change everything.

First you could add a lot of originality to the wall with check mark tiles. First seen on uglyhome.com it seems the site no longer is actively selling the tiles but you could follow the tips that I gave in this article about painting ceramic tiles. This simple design is really easy to paint and would go a long way to give your bathroom a very interesting visual appeal, while keeping the white tiles. (Tip: use masking tape).

Another way to add character to your white bathroom tiles would be to transform the bathroom into a period piece. You can choose a neo retro style that is easy to incorporate in any contemporary home. If you have the budget to change the fixtures choose a column sink or a vessel sink that you can install on a console , if you are working with a limited budget all you need to do is add a few retro accessories.

Retro bathroom with withe floor tiles - retro shower curtain click image for buying or more details

Lastly you might look at tile tattoos. These are dry rub decals that you can apply to some of the tiles and give them a different look. They do not remove easily and would have to be painted over. This is not a good solution for anyone who is renting an apartment as restoring the bathroom to its original state would be impossible.

Slate floor tiles are becoming a very trendy bathroom material, both for the natural look they convey, the beauty of the stone and easy maintenance as well as the durability. Like granite or marble tiles, slate tiles is one of the trendy materials used for bathroom flooring which was popular a long time ago, was forgotten for years and is making a very strong come back.

Slate was for centuries one of the most used roofing material in Europe, it is now available in form of tiles that can be installed on floors.It is also used to create beautiful kitchen and bathroom counters.

Choosing slate is to make a style statement. It will give your home and the room where you use it an incomparable style that can only come from the use of a natural stone with distinctive characteristics.

Slate tiles can be finished in several ways:
it can be polished for a look that is smooth. It can be let to a natural state, which will produce an irregular surface. Most people prefer this type of texture for flooring and a smoother texture for counter tops. Left natural the surface is moderately rough giving the slate slip resistance which is appreciated for bathroom floors, and a unique one-of-a-kind appearance. Sanded or honed slate tiles can be used as well. These two finishes are smoother and will provide a softer sheen look.


You can choose one of several colors that are natural to slate tiles Black grey or green even sometimes bluish, often with veins of color running through the tile. No tile will be identical to another, something that will truly make your floor one of a kind. Slate tile can also be arranged in patterns which showcase the color variations, and various shapes can be cut to create ornate tile designs.

It can be let to a natural state, which will produce an irregular and moderately rough surface, something appreciated in bathroom floor as it give the floor slip resistance. Slate can also be sanded or honed, two finishes that produce a smoother, softer sheen look.

One good thing about slate floor tiles is that they can be adapted to any layout you choose just as ceramic tiles. They can be installed using any straight or staggered pattern that you see in other tiles layout.

Advantages :

The first advantage and most important advantage to slate is that it is easy to live with it. Slate floor tiles have characteristics that make your choice a wise decision towards simplicity. They are extremely resistant to wear, solid and long lasting they can last from 70 to 300 years depending on the quality you choose. You can see that even with a lesser quality, you will end up owning your floor for as long as you will own the house.

It is also very resistant to stains, without any particular treatment. Unlike travertine tiles which must be sealed regularly to resist stains, slate has a smooth fine texture that does not absorb liquids (stains).

It is easy to install although you may want to have the installation done by a professional unless you are handy and have some experience with tiling work. However it is installed just like any other type of tiles. No bathroom floor will be easier to take care of than one using slate floor tiles, if they are installed properly. A simple wash with some soapy water is all that is required. But I cannot repeat it enough, the installation must be perfect and the person who does it should be competent. If your slate floor is poorly installed you run the risk of the tiles shifting and warping with time.

Bathroom flooring materials must by necessity be waterproof and resistant yet they must still be decorative, in as much as materials used like tiles, wood, or vinyl have to support a fair amount of weight, they must also be strong and long lasting. When using wood flooring, or cork flooring, you should choose woods or cork that have been treated to protect them against moisture. Carpet is definitively a bad idea for bathrooms because water can seep under and cause rot or mildew. There is on the market a carpet specifically designed for use in bathrooms however, you should still consider protecting the floor near the sink and tub. This of course does not keep you from using a bathroom rug. In this article we are going to explore a few bathroom flooring options and ideas.

Bathroom Flooring tiles

Floor tiles for bathrooms are available in a very rich selection of motifs and colors. Ceramic tiles are very easy to clean and extremely durable. An entirely white floor will tend to get dirty faster than one with some motifs, or at least with speckles in the tiles. If your bathroom is on the small side you might consider light colored tiles as they will create an illusion of spaciousness as well as brighten the place. It is not a good idea to use a checkerboard pattern for your floor if the room is small as it makes it look even smaller. Fortunately bathroom tile flooring is available in many colors and patterns.

Bathroom floor tiles are very cold to the touch, you should consider having to use a non slip bathroom area rug which will keep you from slipping when the tiles are wet and from feeling the cold floor. A floor tile must always be laid upon a concrete floor.

A few points to remember

• if bathroom floor tiles can be installed on walls the inverse is not necessarily the case and you should not lay wall tiles on the floor.
• By itself a tiled bathroom floor is not resistant to water, it does need some under the tiles system of protection and a caulking joint where it meets the walls.
• Unless you know what you are doing it is best to have a professional do your bathroom floor installation if you plan on using tiles.

Bathroom marble floors and other hard materials

Marble flooring always dresses a room in luxury. Regardless of what your bathroom looks like marble will enhance it. Marble flooring is hardwearing, and a marble floor is a long term investment that you will never have to replace. Slate tiles are equally long lasting, but many people might lament the cold look of slate unless their bathroom colors can compensate for it.

These two stones marble and slate are expensive and people on a more limited budget might be able to use some marble tiles in conjunction with wood slats. Wood floors in a bathroom gives off warmth and elegance. Wood get more beautiful with age and patina, a combination of marble and wood would not only spare your budget a bit, it would give you a warmer ambiance, with long term benefits. One drawback of wood is that it can be scratched, but this can be remedied by using a good waterproof wood varnish. A good varnish top coat is also necessary to protect wood flooring from wet splashes. Every few years wood floors have to be sanded and refinished if needed.

Bathroom cork flooring

Bathroom Cork flooring is a warm and natural material that unlike wood, is very easy to install and to maintain. Problems caused by humidity and wet conditions are the same as those established for wood. Today's technology has permitted us to create cork flooring options capable of withstanding any bathroom conditions, making cork floors or cork tiles an increasingly popular choice. To protect cork tiles from water damage it is necessary to apply  a PVC coat to the surface of the cork floor after installation in order to seal the joints as well as protect the surface. Cork flooring for bathrooms is constantly being improved and that is evident in the way this beautiful material is becoming more and more popular, even trendy.

Bathroom vinyl flooring

Vinyl bathroom flooring is a waterproof material that will resist the assaults of water and humidity without any problems. It is also an extremely easy care material, and any spots can be removed with the slightest of efforts. The thicker the vinyl floor is the better the quality and the longer it will last. Vinyl floors can imitate any other materials you want, so that you could use vinyl flooring for your bathroom but it might look like you actually have a bathroom wood flooring, or marble flooring or granite. But you are not limited to imitation of other materials, any motif is available in vinyl floor tiles, the possibilities are endless, and it is an easy bathroom flooring solution.

Linoleum is a cousin of vinyl it also come in rolls or in tiles and it is a more ecological flooring material as it made from natural fibers. It is as durable as vinyl flooring and will also resist wetness and dampness.

Bathroom wood flooring

With today's polyurethane finishes it is just as easy to use wood floors in the bathroom as it is in other places and they look beautiful. However a wood floor in a wet area will still need to be attended to, each time there is a significant amount of water on it or spots will develop. This can be prevented easily by placing a mat near the sink and the tub or shower. You must also realize that while it is a beautiful solution wood is not a cheap bathroom floor option.

As mentioned earlier using ceramic tiles in conjunction with wood is a nice way to have the best of both materials and minimize the effect of water. It is recommended to really think about it before deciding on a wood bathroom flooring as it will require more maintenance and many other options exist that can be made to look like wood.

I love comments so if you enjoyed this post or have a comment on any bathroom floor ideas please let me know using the comment form below.