Bathroom Flooring Ideas for Aging in Place
Bathroom with gorgeous tile by Unsplash. Unsure if the tile is non-skid . . .
Non-skid flooring: the sexiest feature in your bathroom.
Just kidding! I know bathroom flooring can be a dry, boring topic.
I’m trying to make it more fun for you because the type of flooring you use in your bathroom is actually very very important!
Non-skid flooring protects you from unwanted falls and slips. The number one opportunity for you to fall at home is while you step out of the shower (CDC).
Facts are facts, America!
Non-skid flooring goes by many names like “non-slip”, “slip-resistant”, or “anti-slip” flooring. All of these terms mean the exact same thing.
For sanity’s sake, we’re going to refer to it as non-skid flooring throughout this blog post.
You NEED to have non-skid flooring in the bathroom of your home if you want to live in your home forever and ever and ever. We don’t want you to fall at home because that leads to injury, hospitalization, and even . . . death.
I’ve worked with countless people who’ve fallen in their bathroom at home. The road to recovery is a long, arduous journey. I don’t want you to experience that.
Keep reading below to learn about the best types of non-skid flooring for you bathroom or watch the video.
What to Look for in non-skid flooring:
When you’re looking at different types of flooring, please be on the lookout for a couple of things:
The dynamic coefficient of friction (COF). This is a rating that shows how much resistance the flooring has. The higher the rating, the more resistance. The industry standard is 0.4, but there are a lot of manufacturers that exceed that rating.
Flooring that meets ADA guidelines (Americans with Disability Act). This just means that the flooring manufacturer can advertise its product as having enough resistance for you to safely traverse across this floor in your home.
Of course, the ADA is not the end-all be-all when it comes to choosing the best flooring in your private residence. In fact, the beauty of making changes to your home (AKA home modifications) is that you DON’T have to follow ADA guidelines.
I just wanted to give you a couple of starting points when looking at flooring in order to choose the best non-skid flooring for your unique situation.
Now, let’s take a look at flooring that will do the best overall job for you:
Types of Non-skid bathroom flooring for aging in place
1) Non-skid ceramic or porcelain tile bathroom flooring
If you want a traditional bathroom tile look, this is a great option for you.
You can find ceramic and porcelain tile in all types of shapes and color to match your bathroom aesthetic. There’s even non-skid tile that looks like other flooring materials, like wood!
Many flooring manufacturers exceed ADA guidelines for the coefficient of friction on the tile. That alone increases your chances of installing tile that’ll keep you safe while moving around in the bathroom.
Non-skid bathroom tile certainly gives me peace of mind as I watch my toddler skedaddle around on wet surfaces.
The best part is that you can install non-skid ceramic or porcelain tile in the bathroom and no visitor in your home would think twice about the floor keeping you falls free! They’d just waltz in and admire your beautiful bathroom.
2) Non-skid vinyl bathroom flooring
This type of flooring is easy to maintain and inexpensive compared to the cost of other types of flooring. It’s also stain-resistant and durable with the use of mobility devices, like walkers and wheelchairs.
Non-skid vinyl gives a bit more padding with a fall in comparison to non-skid ceramic or porcelain tile. I mean, I guess that’s a look on the bright side if you happen to fall in your bathroom, heaven forbid!
The downside to non-skid vinyl is that this flooring uses a lot of petroleum during the manufacturing process. So this type of flooring may not be the best for you eco-warriors out there.
According to the Flooring Girl, it’s best to use sheet non-skid vinyl instead of a non-skid vinyl floating floor in the bathroom. Water can easily become trapped under a floating floor and grow mold and mildew. It’d be best to hire a professional to customize the non-skid sheet vinyl for you to make sure it’s done correctly the first time.
3) Rubber flooring
Rubber flooring may not be the most attractive flooring in the world. It reminds me of school and working out at the gym. But there are benefits of rubber flooring when it comes to stopping falls in the bathroom.
Rubber flooring does not get slick when wet! You could throw a bucket of water on the floor and safely get around.
It’s also easy to maintain and feels warmer to the touch on your bare feet in comparison to the cold feeling of ceramic or porcelain tile or vinyl flooring.
A drawback to rubber flooring is that it’s VERY costly at $1-15 per square foot. This would be quite the investment upfront, but it could save you some money in the future by keeping you falls free and out of the ER.
Do Not Use these types of flooring for your bathroom
In addition to the flooring recommendations above, I gotta give you my DO NOT use list as well:
1) Cork or Bamboo bathroom flooring
While I appreciate how environmentally-friendly, cushy, and warm to the touch these materials are, they can’t hold a candle to other types of flooring when it comes to water resistance.
Cork and bamboo soak up water like a sponge, which means no falls. BUT it means that you’re going to have a mold problem like no other! Eventually, cork or bamboo flooring will need to be replaced sooner than you’d like.
If you really really wanted cork or bamboo flooring, you’d need the most well-ventilated bathroom of all time and not spill a single drop of water on the floor. Let’s get real and skip cork in the bathroom, okay?
2) Carpet bathroom flooring
I don’t know why or how someone ever thought carpet in the bathroom was a good idea. Carpet loves to hold onto every piece of dirt and debris on the driest of days, so you know it’s going to hold onto any liquid too!
You don’t want nasty mold growing in your carpet under your precious feet. Just keep the carpet in the bedroom and maybe the living room, too. Never ever in the bathroom.
3) Concrete, hardwood, natural stone bathroom flooring
Here are some flooring types that come with an official warning from yours truly: concrete, hardwood, and natural stone. All of these floors get extremely slick when wet. They’re all high fall risk in my eyes.
Of course, you can add non-skid flooring solution or non-skid strips, but why would you do that to natural stone? I mean, come on! Add those things to the cheaper, uglier flooring.
Don’t waste your time and money putting concrete, hardwood, or natural stone in the bathroom.
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what type of bathroom flooring do you like best for aging in place?
I hope this gives you an idea of the best type of non-skid flooring to put in your bathroom. It’s my mission to help you live at home for a lifetime, so please contact me with any questions!
I want you to tell me what types of non-skid flooring are you drawn to? What do you have in your bathroom right now? What’s the worst flooring? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
If you learned something new, please consider sharing this with a friend.
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(Pssssttttt . . . did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)