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Hardwood Floor in the Bathroom

You love the look of hardwood floor so much, that you must have it installed in your bath-room to go with your new floor in the bedroom...

Consider this: real wood may not be the right flooring choice for some of your bathrooms. If you are like me, and love hot showers, and even hotter baths... (I know, the short cold showers are better, but not at 5 in the morning on a cold winter day...), or your partner is one of those dolphins that splash and drip all over, and then leave the soaked towels in a heap on the floor... your new hardwood floor will not feel at home in your bathroom.

But you want it so badly, you must have it!

Well maybe we can find a solution?

How about choosing tiles in your master bath-room, and opting for some wood accents in the cabinetry, and going with hardwood in another bathroom. Maybe one not used every day as a steam bath?

Or perhaps, you could consider a high quality engineered flooring? It would be a perfect choice for a bath- room.

Here you will find information about engineered hardwood flooring.

If you still want the real thing in your bathroom, maybe you will be willing to compromise and have it installed in the powder room?

Now this is a perfect spot for your new real wood floor. There is no steam, there should not be any damage from dripping water. You are safe here. Go for it!

If you are not convinced... and your heart is set on the gorgeous hardwood floor in your master bath however, read on:

Here are couple of things you should know...

Wood is a natural product, it means that it will breath and move throughout it's "life" in your home. It will shrink if the air in your home is dry and it will expend if the air is humid. It will expend a lot in your bathroom. If your routine of hot showers continues, (and why shouldn't it? - remember, our decorating choices should never force us to change our habits, or make our lives more difficult), the wood floor in your bathroom will expend, twist and move, forming "hills and valleys". All this will not happen right away, of course, but it will be visible with time. This is just from the steam.

Morning Rush in your Bath

Now let's look at another aspect of your daily life. Let's say, that you are not a morning person, and you wake up as late as possible each morning to go to work... we all know someone like that; you jump in the shower, then jump out and create a puddle of water on the floor. You do not have time to wipe down, because you are already late!

Yes, we all have those nice bath-room floor mats, but how often those are soaked with water? Day after day, week after week, that water seeps between the wood pieces and is absorbed by them as well. Again, all the best finishes available on the market will not withstand that kind of damage. If someone tries to convince you that they will...run! They are not exactly truthful.

So here we are with a wet spot on your wood floor, each morning. Mold has a nasty cousin and it doesn't go far without it.

Where are you, Mildew?

Now this sort of damage can not be repaired just by washing, or forced drying, or even sanding. The affected wood pieces must be replaced.

This is not to scare, this is to educate you. Your decisions will be based on the actual knowledge and there will not be any surprises later on.

How do I Repair my Bathroom Hardwood Floors?

Too often we have people calling us and asking questions like: "I left a wet mop in the corner on my parquet, how do I clean the black moldy stain that formed?"

O boy, what do I tell you, and not make you even more upset?

"I'm sorry, there is not much that can be done with water damage like that... the affected wood must be replaced..." It would be a lot easier on everyone if we all as customers, knew more about the products we buy, before we buy them.

So here is my own, little crusade... I want our visitors to know as much as possible about their hardwood flooring options, before they can make their decisions on the flooring choices for their home.

That process truly can be fun and exciting.

Please remember that any choices that you are faced with regarding the decor of your home should consider first and foremost the lifestyle of your family.

Your decisions should be educated and well thought over. If you want to have hardwood in your bathroom and at the same time know that there is no extra time in your schedule to maintain that floor properly... choose a different floor covering, one that you will be able to handle and maintain.

It is all up to you; when you know what to expect and what type of maintenance is involved you can make those decisions.

We are all different, and what is working for me and my family may or may not work for yours. You can install hardwood in your master bath, but it will require an extra effort on your part. As long as you know that from the start, you will be fine.

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