Unless you're able to hire someone to help you out with cleaning your dirty clothes, you likely spend quite a bit of time in the laundry room. If you're like us, you probably have to restart the process of sorting, washing, drying, and folding as soon as you finally finish putting away last week's load. We adults have to venture into our laundry rooms constantly in an effort to remain presentable to the public, so why is it that so many of us accept a drearily designed room for this important task?
Lots of laundry rooms have the same general aesthetic: cold, stark, and utilitarian. Unfinished walls, fluorescent lights, and concrete floors add to the uneasy feel. Some of you merely have a corner of your basement that you call your "laundry room". While the important thing with these rooms is to make sure that the clothes that went into them dirty come out clean, there is no reason why you shouldn't try to spruce things up a bit! With a new coat of paint and the right floor, you'll never want to leave your laundry room!
What floor will actually work for a laundry room?
There are a few things you'll have to consider when picking the right flooring for your laundry room. The floor will need to be able to stand up to water, consistent foot traffic, and changes in humidity. That automatically pulls carpet, laminate, and hardwood flooring from the race. We're then left with luxury vinyl tiles, vinyl sheets, ceramic tile, and stone. We can work with that!
Let's start with vinyl. In most cases, vinyl sheet flooring is going to be our first recommendation for laundry rooms because it is easy to clean, water and stain resistant, and budget friendly! Plus, you have a wide range of styles and colors to choose from that will ensure a personalized look!
As you might imagine, vinyl tiles are similar in most ways, but they have do have one disadvantage that puts them in our #2 spot. That is space. Those cracks between any kind of tiles run the risk of soaking up any water that may spill or flood in the laundry room, which will inevitably lead to damage or warping in the floor itself. You can seal these spaces, but it's just nice to avoid the worry altogether with vinyl sheets.
Moving on, we have ceramic tile. Another great choice, ceramic tile will turn your laundry room into a real showstopper. A natural finish will not only be safe from water and chemicals, but will also resist the scratches that inevitably come with heavy foot traffic. This is a particularly good choice if you like to wear shoes around the house or have lots of family members and/or pets running around.
And finally, we have stone flooring. This one is hard to beat if you're looking for something that will add an airy elegance to your laundry room. Stone tiles are durable and stunning, but they do come at a heftier price for installation and materials. If you love these tiles and they're in you budget, go for it; otherwise it may be better to look at one of the other three options to make sure you don't break the bank.