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When it comes to small bathrooms, choosing the right flooring is crucial. With limited space, you'll want flooring that is water-resistant, easy to clean, affordable, and visually appealing to make the space feel larger. Here are some of the best small bathroom flooring ideas.

Tile

Tile is a classic and popular choice for small bathrooms for several good reasons. The hard, water-resistant surface prevents damage from moisture and is easy to clean. Tile comes in a huge variety of styles, colors, shapes, and patterns, allowing you to get creative and make a design statement even in a petite bath.

To make a small bathroom appear larger and brighter, select large format tiles or tiles with small grout lines and use uniform color tile or white tile. You can also opt for rectangular tiles and lay them on the diagonal versus the standard straight layout to give the illusion of more space. Glass and stone mosaic tiles are beautiful but tend to make rooms feel busier and smaller.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is an affordable, waterproof bathroom flooring option perfect for small spaces. Sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles are available in exclusive wood or stone looks that deliver style along with simplicity. With vinyl plank flooring, you can even mimic the look of hardwood.

Since the floor is often wet, the texture of vinyl prevents slippery mishaps. Seamless vinyl floors are also a breeze to clean as compared to grouted tile. Just be sure to choose a wear layer thickness of at least 20 mils for durability.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate offers the beauty of wood or tile with more affordability and better moisture resistance. Waterproof laminate floors have protective resin layers allowing installation even in damp spaces like small bathrooms. With options ranging from stone and marble to weathered oak planks, laminate brings high style within reach.

Unlike hardwood, laminate flooring won't warp or catch stains when exposed to leaks or splashes. The attached underlayment provides a comfortable feel underfoot yet floats over uneven sub-floors, making installation simpler as well. Just be sure to thoroughly seal the perimeter with waterproof caulk.

Natural Stone Tile

For a spectacular showpiece flooring, natural stone tiles like marble, travertine, or granite slabs cannot be surpassed. Yes, natural stone costs more, but even a petite bathroom shines with the inherent beauty and elegance of stone in a mix of soothing earth tones.

Stone tiles do require sealing to avoid stains and special care should be taken with the installation and grout to allow for slight shifts in the foundation. Carefully maintained though, natural stone floors will last a lifetime and raise resale value as well.

Porcelain Tile

Finally, consider large format porcelain tiles for small bathrooms aiming for a modern, sleek look. Porcelain tiles offer the color choices, patterns, and realistic textures mimicking natural stone or concrete at just a fraction of the cost. New digital inkjet technology even creates vivid decorative designs on porcelain tiles with precision.

Since color and pattern possibilities are so broad these days, porcelain tiles are no longer cookie-cutter. Still, the uniformity of color from tile to tile allows you to be bold in petite bathrooms without overwhelm. Durable, stain resistant, and easy maintenance make today's porcelain a standout.

Final Words

Creating an illusion of space and a unified design aesthetic are the main goals when tiling a small bathroom's floors, walls, and even ceilings. With all the varieties available from naturally inspired stone looks to checkerboard geometrics, the right flooring can transform your water closet. Evaluate priorities like budget, lifestyle needs, and décor goals, then determine which flooring fits you best.