Bathroom Laminate Flooring
Bathroom laminate flooring is laminate made for bathrooms: boards with a moisture-resistant core and sealed joints that cope with splashes, wet feet and steam far better than standard laminate. In a family bathroom or cloakroom where water is wiped up, it gives you a hard-wearing, wood-look floor that feels more like a living room than a tiled bathroom.
We are honest about its limits: no laminate is fully waterproof, so it is not for shower rooms, wet rooms or bathrooms where water often stands on the floor. For those, bathroom vinyl flooring is the safer choice. If laminate suits your bathroom, choose a board the maker rates for bathrooms, from our water-resistant laminate range, with a textured, anti slip surface for grip.
Wood looks in light oak, grey and white keep a bathroom bright, and tile-effect laminate gives a stone look that is warmer underfoot. Compare all your options in bathroom flooring.
Not sure which floor is right? Order free samples and see them in your own light, or call our team on 020 3287 6206 for honest, no-pressure advice.
Duron Golden Oak Herringbone Laminate Flooring 12 x 101mm
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Duron Golden Oak Herringbone Laminate Flooring 12 x 101mm
Is laminate a good choice for a bathroom?
It can be, in the right bathroom. Standard laminate has a fibreboard core that swells if water gets into the joints, so it is not suitable. Bathroom-rated laminate has a treated core and sealed joints that resist water for the time the maker states, which is enough for everyday splashes if they are wiped up. Ask yourself how your bathroom is used: in a family bathroom with a bath and a mat, or a downstairs cloakroom, laminate can work well; in a shower room where the floor gets soaked, or a wet room, choose vinyl.
How to choose bathroom laminate
Water rating
Check that the maker rates the product for bathrooms and how long it resists standing water. Longer is better.
Grip
Wet feet on a smooth floor are a slip risk. Choose a textured, embossed surface or an anti-slip rated board, and avoid high-gloss finishes in bathrooms.
Look
Light colours make a small bathroom feel bigger; tile-effect laminate gives a stone look with more warmth underfoot; long planks laid along the room make it feel longer.
Fitting laminate in a bathroom
How it is fitted matters as much as the board itself.
- Lift the toilet and, if possible, the basin pedestal so the floor runs underneath; cutting round them leaves more edges to seal.
- Use a laminate underlay with a damp proof membrane on concrete, or the one the maker specifies.
- Click every joint fully closed; some bathroom laminates also call for a joint sealant along the edges.
- Leave the expansion gap the product asks for at the walls, then seal it, and every edge round the bath, shower tray, toilet and pipes, with a flexible bathroom sealant.
- Finish with skirting or beading, and a threshold strip at the door.
Our installation guides explain the laminate fitting steps.
Bathroom laminate or bathroom vinyl?
Laminate: a harder, very scratch-resistant surface, feels more like wood underfoot, suitable for dry family bathrooms and cloakrooms with care. Vinyl: does not absorb water at all, softer and warmer, quieter, and suitable for every bathroom, including shower rooms and (with the right product) wet rooms. If in doubt, choose vinyl.
Looking after bathroom laminate
- Wipe up standing water and dry splashes after a bath or shower.
- Use an absorbent bath mat without a rubber backing, and hang it up to dry.
- Keep the sealant around the bath and shower in good repair.
- Clean with a well-wrung mop and a laminate floor cleaner; never a steam mop.
Common mistakes
- Fitting standard laminate because it matches the rest of the house.
- Leaving the expansion gap unsealed round the bath and toilet.
- A rubber-backed bath mat that traps water on the floor.
- Choosing a high-gloss board, which is slippery when wet.
Where bathroom laminate works best
Downstairs cloakrooms, family bathrooms with a bath and a good mat, and en-suites that are dried after use. Where the floor regularly gets soaked, such as a shower room or a children’s bathroom with lots of splashing, vinyl is the better choice.
FAQs on Bathroom Laminate Flooring
Only laminate the maker rates for bathrooms, with sealed edges and water wiped up promptly. Standard laminate swells if water gets into the joints.
It is water-resistant, not waterproof: it copes with splashes and standing water for the time the maker states. It is not suitable for showers or wet rooms.
Vinyl, in most bathrooms, because it does not absorb water. Bathroom-rated laminate is an option for dry family bathrooms and cloakrooms if you prefer its harder surface.
Smooth and glossy laminate can be when wet. Choose a textured or anti-slip board and keep the floor dry.
Yes, seal the expansion gap at the walls and around the bath, shower tray, toilet and pipes with a flexible bathroom sealant, and any joints the maker says to seal.
No. In shower rooms and wet rooms the floor gets soaked regularly; choose a vinyl made for wet areas instead.
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