Are laminate boards ok in the bathroom.

[TanDiy]

Hi, could I just ask for some advice regarding laminate flooring. We currently have carpet in our bathroom and are considering changing this to laminate boards or tiles. We currently have floorboards and are thinking it would be easier just to lay laminate boards with tile effect or something. I have a couple of questions:

(1) Is it normal to cut the laminate boards around the existing toilet and sink, etc. or are the boards only suitable when fitting a new bathroom.

(2) In B&Q there are various types of laminate boards recommended for bathrooms. Are these likely to be slippery if they get wet. We are thinking that tiles could also be slippery.

Thank you for any advice.

 

[misterhelpful]

Your best bet is to go for a laminate that is recommended for bathrooms as it will be more moisture resistant as well as less slippery. (It still won't stand up to heavy waterlogging though.)

You should really fit any flooring under the toilet, sink pedestal, etc, to avoid cut edges being exposed to moisture and allow for even expansion across the whole floor.

Personally, I would avoid laminate in the bathroom and go for tiles or maybe vinyl flooring, but if it is fitted well and treated carefully, laminate is usually fine.

 

[TanDiy]

Thank you for the info. Yes, we were wondering about tiles and vinyl. I guess with vinyl we would need to lay boards first (we have floorboards). I think tiles look the best but not sure if we can lay these straight on the floor boards - I thnk we need to visit the flooring shop to sort out options. Thanks for your assistance

 

[misterhelpful]

No probs, and yes, you are right about laying some form of boarding on top of floorboards if you go with either of those options.

Vinyl is usually fine if layed onto hardboard or thin ply, but tiles will probably need something a bit more substantial - have a look if there is some advice in the Tiling Forum sticky.