What Is The Best Flooring For A Small Bathroom? [6 Great Options!]

It can be an adjustment when you live with a small bathroom. But, there are some neat ways you can maximize the look and feel of a bathroom with minimal space using flooring. If you were wondering about the best type of flooring for a small bathroom, you are in luck. We have scoured various sources to curate a list of tasteful and affordable flooring ideas for a tiny bathroom.

Some of the best flooring ideas for a small bathroom include the following options.

Ceramic tile
Cork tile
Laminate flooring
Luxury vinyl tile
Natural stone tile
Porcelain tile

You shouldn't feel limited with your decor options and floor treatment when you have a small bathroom. Read on and discover flooring you're sure to love.

Flooring Made For a Cozy Bathroom

When your bathroom is limited in space, it's time to get creative. You can change the flooring to maximize the style potential and flow within the area. Continue the same type of tile from the floor to the ceiling, which helps expand the space visually. You can also remove the curb from the shower and use the same tile throughout the main floor and shower to make things feel roomier. The color, size, and material of the flooring you choose quickly elevates the value of your home and will make you forget that you ever had a cramped bathroom.

You can install flooring that adds a sense of drama with a pop of color, repeating pattern, or appealing texture that plays off of the color of the walls. Plus, any natural lighting from windows or existing light fixtures will better highlight the floor. A good rule to follow is to choose dark colored flooring with lighter colored walls, but you can stray from this a bit and make your bathroom look luxurious and inviting.

Make sure to choose flooring options that are built to last, easy to clean, and has an aesthetic appeal that you will enjoy for years to come. Be cautious about installing tile that is so small that it will emphasize the lack of space in your bathroom or patterns that are very busy and compete with your wall treatment and lighting. Consider tile that makes an unconventional pattern or relies on geometric visuals. Install a large piece of marble tile or natural stone to reduce visual noise and make a bathroom feel more open. Let's take a look at different types of flooring for your bathroom and how you can use them to enhance a small space.

1. Ceramic Tile

A quality tile that comes in patterned styles, solid colors, and geometric shapes can be a good option for a small bathroom. Opt for a tile that has a high-end look and plenty of visual appeal without being as costly as marble. Ceramic tile has been a staple in bathrooms because it looks amazing, comes in a variety of shapes and colors, and lasts for decades.

Ceramic tile will not degrade in quality because of foot traffic, flooding, or wear-and-tear like other forms of tile, and it is easy to maintain. Use ceramic tile to make an elaborate mosaic or install large tiles to make a small bathroom appear larger.

See this ceramic tile on Amazon

2. Cork Tile

Consider installing cork tile made from the bark of oak trees for the flooring of your small bathroom. Cork is a desirable form of flooring because it is eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, and is resistant to mildew and mold. Unlike traditional flooring made from ceramic, porcelain, or natural stone that may be cold underfoot, cork has thermal properties and is soft and spongy. No need to worry about a humid tiny bathroom when you install elegant hexagonal cork tile or cork tile that looks like wood flooring.

See these cork tiles on Amazon

3. Laminate flooring

An affordable and easy-to-clean option that mimics wood or marble. A laminate tile is an attractive option for bathrooms because it is available in styles that look similar to hardwood or stone, but without the hefty price tag or troublesome installation. Keeping laminate flooring clean is easy, it feels comfortable underfoot, and this type of flooring typically lasts for ten years. Give your bathroom the look of luxury without breaking the bank, and enjoy a higher performance that wood flooring cannot achieve.

4. Luxury Vinyl Tile

This is an inexpensive option with plenty of visual oomph! Give your bathroom the look of traditional flooring with high-end appeal when you choose luxury vinyl tile. Luxury vinyl tile is appealing for bathroom flooring because it is built to resist water damage, scratching, staining, and doesn't readily degrade because of foot traffic. You can find luxury vinyl tiles that look like hardwood, natural stone, or ceramic tile. Install luxury vinyl tile in a small bathroom where humidity and moisture require high-performance flooring.

See this vinyl tile on Amazon

5. Natural Stone Tile

The beautiful, classic, and durable option. There's something inimitable about natural stone tile. Installing natural stone tile in a bathroom gives a home a more commanding presence, increases property value, and is typically a costly investment. Thanks to advancements in technology, it is easier to find sealant for natural stone tile to preserve the material against water damage, wear-and-tear, and stains. Natural stone comes in an array of beautiful colors and styles, and it is very durable. You can outfit a smaller bathroom with an expensive stone tile and create an illusion of spaciousness by installing larger tiles too.

See this stone tile in Amazon

6. Porcelain Tile

This type of tile comes in varying styles, is affordable and waterproof. Install porcelain tile for the floor of your bathroom and create a space that is more visually inviting. Porcelain tile is easy to care for, comes in on-trend colors and styles, and is a durable choice for wet bathrooms. Create a mosaic tile design with geometric tiles or opt for larger tiles to make the bathroom appear larger. You can find glazed porcelain tiles that look like wood, marble, natural stone, and are available in world-inspired patterns.

What Size Tile Looks Best in a Small Bathroom?

Keep things simple, clean, and feeling luxurious by installing larger tiles in your small bathroom. Using large tiles reduces the feeling of being closed-in or cramped when inside your bathroom and offers lots of drama and visual interest.

Choose a larger tile made from any material and create a bathroom that looks larger and more luxurious. You can afford to install a tile made from marble, granite, vinyl, porcelain, or ceramic. Since installing larger tiles requires fewer grout lines, you are less likely to feel boxed in when using your bathroom, and you create a space that is less busy and time consuming to clean.

Consider installing large tiles made from marble, granite, or ceramic. Installing small size tiles can often have an undesirable effect on a bathroom's energy and increase stress. But, you might get a neat visual effect installing small tile in a bright, neutral color and pairing it with a dark-colored wall treatment.

Check out this gorgeous black tile on Amazon.

Check out this bright hexagonal tile on Amazon.

What is the Easiest Flooring to Install in a Bathroom?

Installing flooring for a bathroom is usually budget-friendly and more manageable because you need less material. Some of the easiest flooring to install is waterproof vinyl or ceramic tile. You can also look into cork or laminate flooring, which is also water-resistant, affordable, and comes in styles that mimic wood or marble.