When it comes to redecorating a home, the laundry room usually ends up being overlooked. After all, the space tends to be a utilitarian room that consists of a washer, a dryer, and possibly a few shelves and tables for store and laundry-folding purposes.
However, if you want your laundry room to be as functional and beautiful as the rest of your home, it's important to include the space in your redecorating plans, starting with the flooring.
Things to Consider When Choosing Laundry Room Flooring
Before you start mulling over the possibilities and choosing the best flooring for your laundry room, there are a few things to consider. After all, you want not only an attractive floor but also one that will hold up over time and remain relatively undamaged, given the untoward events, like water leaks, that could happen in a laundry room.
Here are three essential things to think about before you head out to examine different types of flooring.
The Potential for Leaking Water and Stains
Think about what could possibly go wrong in a laundry room. A washing machine can overflow, leaking water out of its faulty doors onto the floor. The water lines that run from the walls to the washer (and the sink) can burst, flooding the space with water. And then there's the spill: bleach, laundry detergent, liquid fabric softener; it can all end up on the floor, potentially leaving behind stains.
What are your best options for preventing damage in these situations? A floor that's not only able to withstand puddles of water and minor flooding, as well as one that's easy to clean so that those spills don't leave behind permanent marks.
Heavy Appliances Sit on the Floor
Let’s be honest—your washer and dryer certainly aren't light. Whether you choose a set that sits on top of each other to save room or want individual units that rest side by side, both have the potential to damage your floor with their weight.
In order to avoid permanent dents and gouges in your new flooring, it’s best to choose a type that can stand up to the weight of your appliances without having to resort to additional measures to prevent damage.
How Often Will You Use the Room?
Depending on the size of your laundry room, you may use it for more than just washing and drying clothes. Hanging racks can provide a space for your clothes to air dry, while pull-down ironing boards allow you to handle all of your laundry's needs in one place, as long as you have the space. What does this mean for your flooring?
Well, if you plan on ironing, folding, and doing other laundry-related tasks in the room, then you'll want a type of floor that's comfortable to stand on for long periods of time. If you only have enough space for your washer and dryer or prefer to handle those tasks elsewhere, then you can get away with a less comfortable type of flooring. It all comes down to how much time you think you'll spend on your feet in the space.
What Does Your Subfloor Look Like?
With so many laundry rooms in basements, it's important to factor the subfloor into your flooring decision. Some types of flooring, like engineered wood floating floors, can be easily placed over a moisture barrier and a concrete subfloor. Others, like traditional hardwood planks that need to be nailed down, will actually damage that concrete subfloor.
On a positive note, if your laundry room sits off of your kitchen or lives on a floor of your home that isn't the basement, then you have plenty of flooring options to choose from. Concrete subfloors are typically only in basements and homes set on a concrete slab, leaving most subfloors made of wood or particleboard.
Possible Laundry Room Flooring Options
Now that we've covered some of the things to consider when choosing flooring for your laundry room, it's time to go over your options. There are many options to pick from, all of which have their own pros and cons.
Keeping in mind what a laundry room floor needs to stand up to (flooding, plenty of use, heavy appliances, and so on), here are some of the best types of flooring for the job.
Engineered Wood
Engineered wood, sometimes sold as planks that snap and lock together, is a great option for laundry room floors. Since it isn't made of solid wood, it can hold up to floods and puddles better than hardwood planks. In addition, it costs less, making it an affordable alternative. You can even install an engineered wood floor on your own, as long as you have the right tools.
Since this type of flooring goes over a moisture barrier, it can be laid on either a concrete or wood subfloor and said subfloor is protected in case of water leaks. The top veneer, which consists of a clear layer, is easy to clean and will resist most spilled liquids, such as laundry detergent and bleach, although they should still be cleaned up as soon as possible.
Hardwood Flooring
Although hardwood flooring from Hardwood Bargains can work in a laundry room and makes for an attractive floor, there are a few things to think about.
For example, since the wood will absorb water, you need to make sure that you will clean up any spills or floods as soon as possible. Otherwise, you could damage the planks. In addition, you also have to watch out for bleach spills since they might permanently stain the floor if they're allowed to sink in.
The upside? Hardwood floors can stand up to the appliances that you're planning to put on them, and they can be stripped and re-stained more than once. Also, there are many different varieties of hardwood flooring available, from hickory to maple and then some, allowing you to pick the color and grain you like best. Plus, since this type of flooring can be either glued into place or nailed, it will work over both concrete and wood subfloors.
Various Types of Tile
Tile is another great option for laundry rooms. Not only are there many different types of tile to pick from, but all can hold up to the spills and puddles that occur in a space used to wash and dry clothing. With that said, tile, no matter the variety, isn't the most comfortable thing to stand on, so keep this in mind if you plan to use the room quite often for all of your laundry tasks.
Three of the best types of tile to consider are porcelain, ceramic, and stone. The latter is usually the most expensive, but since laundry rooms tend to be small, one might just be the place to work this pricey flooring into your home.
The other two, porcelain and ceramic, are fairly waterproof when installed properly and will last just as long as stone tile. All come in numerous colors, making it easy to find a type that will flatter everything else in the room.
Vinyl Flooring Options
Vinyl flooring tends to get a bad rap because most people associate it with the linoleum tile and sheets of yore. However, the vinyl sheets and tiles on the market these days are pretty different. They look attractive, stand up to the foot traffic of a laundry room, and can be installed on concrete and wood subfloors.
Plus, as long as they are properly glued to your subfloor, they will hold up to puddles and minor floods, as well as bleach spills, without many problems. Vinyl flooring, like tile, can be difficult to stand on for long periods of time, but the pros outweigh the cons here.
Which Types of Flooring Should You Avoid?
Some types of flooring do not belong in a laundry room. For example, cork flooring is easy to dent and damage, so those heavy appliances will do a number on it. Carpeting does not stand up to water at all, making it something to avoid entirely.
Although you may be tempted by these two options, as both are comfortable to stand on, they are not the best for a laundry room and should be placed elsewhere in your home if you still want them.
There are plenty of options, so don’t shy away from giving your laundry room the new, fabulous flooring it deserves!
Sources:
7 Laundry Room Flooring Options | The Spruce
How to Choose and Install Flooring for Your Laundry Room | MMDIY
5 Great Options for Laundry Room Flooring (and 3 to Skip) | Bob Vila
