Will Wood Floors Work in Bathroom Remodels?

Many people love the look of sleek, sophisticated look of wood floors. Polished to a high shine or accented with decorative rugs for a stylish look – many people go out of their way to keep their wood floors in great shape or fit them into bathroom remodeling wherever they can. However, bathrooms are usually one place that people avoid placing wood or wood laminate flooring. After all, water can damage both wood and wood laminate flooring – and no room in the house sees more day-to-day water wear than the bathrooms in your home. However, for those who really want the look of wood floors in their bathroom, is there a way to make it work as part of your bathroom without replacing your floors every two years?

The short answer is yes – it is possible to enjoy the beauty of wood in your bathrooms if you are willing to make some accommodations. You see, in its unprotected state, hardwood flooring is naturally very absorbent. It will absorb water and other liquids that it encounters repeatedly, and for long periods of time, which is not what you want long term. This prolonged contact with moisture will cause unattractive plumping, warping, expanding, and even staining, which will ruin your beautiful new floors. So, the goal with any hardwood flooring in any high-quality bathroom remodel is to prevent the hardwood’s absorption of liquids.

This can be accomplished with the use of a quality finishing agent, usually a polyurethan- based sealant. These finishing agents create an invisible protectant surface on top of the wood, which will allow you to clean up any drips or spills without them damaging the wood. If you decide to go this route, installing hardwood flooring with a protectant applied during the process, there are several things to keep in mind.

First, the quality of the protectant chosen is important. A product that offers a high-quality finish specifically designed to stand up to water-heavy environments will be necessary. Discussing such options with a builder knowledgeable in this area is also key. After all, builders deal with these scenarios daily so take advantage of that expertise.

Understand also that sealant will only protect the top of the wood. That means if water drains down into the cracks, damage could result in the sides and from below the wood. So be sure your builder has experience with this process and do not be afraid to ask for references from other homeowners who have installed hardwood flooring in their bathrooms.

Wood is a beautiful choice for bathroom floors and can be integrated into bathroom remodeling projects. With a little extra effort and common sense, hardwood can be an eye-catching design element in any room of your home.