Can you lay floorboards in the bathroom?

[WisteriaLane]

Hi everyone, 

I've recently been pinning all these great bathroom images and I've noticed all the ones I like have chevron floorboards laid down. Aesthetically they look great but I would be a bit concerned about having timber in a wet area and how durable the material would be. Would love to hear your thoughts..would you do it? do you like the look? I've added a picture as an example:

[kaylah_rose]

Hi @WisteriaLane,

You can certainly achieve the look you are after. There are quite a lot of options now to achieve a timber floor look in a wet area without the hassle of worrying about timber being in a wet area. 

• There is a particular product that is becoming quite popular. http://www.mafi.com.au/mafi-in-bathrooms/ Not sure of its value, however it is all-natural timber that is designed to work in bathrooms. I haven't used it personally, but it seems to get quite good reviews.  
• You could also try timber laminate floorboards. You would have to have a search around, but you can find ones that are made specifically for bathrooms. 
• There are also timber look tiles now, that are quite on trend. These would be perfect for a bathroom, as there would be no concern of warping or cracking. However if you are after the natural texture of a timber floor, these wouldn't achieve this. 
• If you do want to use just natural timber, you definitely can. It just needs to be sealed and prepared in the correct way. 

This blog post http://theinteriorsaddict.com/timber-in-the-bathroom-yes-and-not-just-on-the-block seems to have a lot of good insights into the process to help you decide what to do. The look you want is possible without hassle which is good news!

Good Luck!! 

Kay

[Dan]

Definitely consider timber look tiles. I was quite sceptical when I first looked into them, however we just used them in a renovation and they look amazing! Versatility of tiles with the in vogue look of timber, can't beat that.

[Jason]

Welcome to Workshop @Dan, and many thanks for sharing your experiences.

I look forward to reading more about your projects soon.

Jason

[AndreaNg]

Here's a similiar look with vinyl flooring...

[aly]

Looks great @WisteriaLane! My sister recently pulled up some old lino in her house and sanded and polished the beautiful floor boards which laid beneath. This extended from their kitchen/dinning right through to their laundry and toilet. It looks great and i'd definitely suggest they do the same to their bathroom now!

[RenoQueen]

The timber look tiles can look good in a bathroom. Just don't put them on the walls. I think it looks terrible.

[RenoQueen]

Love this home in Perth with its beautiful use of timber in the bathroom:

[KingStreetReno]

We had timber floorboards in two bathrooms in our last rental and they looked great. I am still debating whether to put them in my new bathroom, but think I will end up going with tiles.

[PJA]

No doubt they look great.
Water makes wood swell.
You will be forever worried about areas where water may get in.
We have Gerfloor timber look vinyl flooring and get other vinyl styles on promo from time to time.
No wood no worries.
Vinyls are also warmer and quieter.