Is There Any Wood Flooring That Is Safe for Bathroom Use?

Cork Flooring

• Cork is a resilient, water-resistant wood that feels warm underfoot on cold winter mornings. While tan and shades of brown remain the most popular color choices, you can find cork flooring in a variety of colors. In most cases, a polyurethane finish is recommended, but cork is so naturally water resistant that one manufacturer even supplies a cork flooring product designed for use in the shower stall.

Ipe Flooring

• Ipe is a beautiful chocolate-colored tropical hardwood that feels warm underfoot, but it is harder and more chip resistant than many ceramic tiles. Unlike conventional wood flooring, Ipe is water resistant, mold resistant, and will not warp, buckle or rot when wet. A polyurethane finish will help keep clean-up simple.

Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring

• Reclaimed wood flooring adds a rustic quality to the bathroom, thanks to vintage oak, ash, or walnut planks that were seasoned in century-old warehouses, hotels, or railroad trestles. The original lumber came from old growth forests that produced a denser, hardier wood with much greater color variations than modern flooring. A polyurethane finish is recommended.

Conventional Hardwood Flooring

• Properly installed and protected, many of the same hardwoods used in the rest of the home will be suitable for use in the bathroom. Red oak, maple, ash, hickory and some bamboo varieties are acceptable for bath areas, but they must be protected by two or more coats of a hard polyurethane finish.