What to do bathroom floor. Floor in the bathroom: how to make the right choice? How to make repairs in the bathroom with your own hands: photo and sequence of actions

Before choosing a floor covering, you should pay attention to the various options. Today, there are a lot of options, but not everyone is suitable for the floor in the bathroom. We will consider the most successful flooring options in the following categories:

• The most durable flooring ever.
• The most durable bathroom flooring.
• Eco-friendly flooring options for the bathroom.

This means that all of the options mentioned are durable and strong. Every option, except perhaps cheap vinyl tile, can also be called an eco-friendly coating.

What is the best bathroom floor?

The flooring in the bathroom undergoes a lot in its lifetime - things fall, the room is constantly humid, sometimes the temperature goes off scale, the floor is often washed and disinfected with chemicals. That is why it is important to choose a quality coating that can last for a long time and will not lose its appearance in a year or two. What is the best flooring for a bathroom floor?

The bathroom floor must be durable, durable, able to withstand high humidity conditions and resist the threat of stains and fungus. If you are looking for a flooring that is the most resistant to these factors, as well as easy to maintain and environmentally friendly, here is the list for you.

1. Ceramic tile.

This is probably the most durable coating option that can be used on the floor in the bathroom. Ceramic tiles are resistant to physical pressure. Bathroom ceramics are usually covered with glass glaze, which not only prevents moisture from penetrating into the porous structure of the material, but also makes the flooring more decorative. The icing can be any shade, often a pattern is printed on it.

When properly installed, good quality ceramic tiles will look great for decades without much maintenance and care. Of course, over time, scratches begin to appear on the glossy surface. If you opt for a tile with a pattern, small scratches will hardly be noticeable.

Caring for ceramic tiles on the floor in the bathroom will be as follows. You will need to seal the joints between tiles from time to time to prevent water from entering, which causes mold and mildew to grow. In some cases, you may need to remove the grout with a grout knife and then reapply it so that the floor looks brand new.

1. glass mosaic.

Glass is probably not the first thing you think of when choosing bathroom flooring. And in vain! The glass used for flooring is fired and made very hard wearing and crack resistant. Moreover, glass is not afraid of moisture. And all the stains on it are easy to erase.

1. rubber floor

Such a versatile material as rubber is becoming more and more popular in bathrooms. It has long been used for floors in commercial areas such as hospitals, gyms, nursing homes. The rubber floor is soft and safe. It is easy to keep clean. However, do not purchase recycled rubber bathroom tiles from unknown manufacturers, the smell from such rubber will disappear very soon. Rubber is afraid of some chemicals, contact with them may leave stains that cannot be removed.

In Western countries, rubber flooring is becoming more and more popular due to the fact that its use is considered environmentally friendly. Rubber flooring is often made from old car tires, which, instead of polluting the environment, once again serve the benefit of man. What's more, rubber flooring doesn't use much energy and is generally environmentally friendly.

1. Concrete floor

Concrete flooring can only be chosen as an option for the bathroom if it is on the ground floor, as it is a very heavy material. To date, there are many technologies on how to make concrete flooring more decorative. In any case, the concrete flooring looks rather poor if it does not fit into the design of the bathroom. A skilled designer will make sure that the concrete floor will look amazing in the interior of the bathroom. Concrete is a cost-effective coating option.

The coating must be treated with a sealant before use, as it is very porous in its natural state. Concrete flooring is easy to clean and maintain.

The advantage of using a concrete floor, in addition to its budget, is its unconditional strength, but the disadvantage is its hardness, this can be dangerous for the elderly or young children who can fall and get hurt.

What floors should be avoided in the bathroom?

There are several popular types of flooring that are best avoided in the bathroom. And it's not even that they do a poor job and will not last long in conditions of humidity and temperature changes. The point is their gradually deteriorating sanitary condition, which sooner or later will make such floors a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. These coatings include:

• Laminate
• Parquet
• All types of carpets,
• Wood (If you really want to, you can use bamboo flooring. Bamboo is more resistant to water than wood, but still susceptible to damage from splashes and moisture over time.)
• Linoleum

I hope this material helped to decide on the most successful flooring options for the bathroom.

Bathroom remodeling is one of the most time-consuming tasks. The reason for this lies in the fact that communication pipes and constantly high humidity are located in the bathroom. You will have to get around more than one obstacle, equipping the floor, and use special moisture-resistant materials. In this article, we will tell you how to make the bathroom floor aesthetic, strong, durable and protect yourself and your neighbors from flooding.

There are various options for arranging floors in bathrooms. It depends on the subfloor material and many other factors. In almost all apartments of multi-storey buildings in our vast Motherland, the floor arrangement in the bathroom can be such a pie:

• Concrete floor slab - the initial base.
• Rolled or built-up waterproofing.
• A concrete screed about 5 cm thick - in old Soviet buildings it was not made very well.
• Again waterproofing - at this stage it can be coated or painted.
• Leveling screed - from a cement-sand mixture or a modern self-leveling mixture.
• Floor covering: various tiles, wood, waterproof laminate, cork floor, linoleum, self-leveling floor.

The scheme of "warm floor" in the bathroom

A relative innovation is the "warm floor" system, which can also be installed in the bathroom. It is mounted at the stage of the leveling screed and will make your stay in the bathroom even more comfortable. The presented scheme for arranging the floor in the bathroom is universal. For its qualitative implementation, it is necessary to responsibly and painstakingly perform the following stages of work.

Rough surface preparation

If repairs are being made in a residential apartment, the first step is to remove any old flooring. If it was linoleum, then we hook it with a spatula or a knife and rip it off. But most often in the bathrooms, tiles were laid on the floor, so you can’t do without a perforator. We break the tile and remove all the remnants. During the dismantling of a tile or other type of tile, the screed will most likely be broken: cracks, splits will appear, it may even crumble.

Therefore, it is desirable to remove the screed as well. Before us should appear a concrete base in all its glory. We sweep all construction debris out of the bathroom, then vacuum to get rid of dust particles. At this stage, it is necessary to close up all the cracks and holes that are visible to the naked eye so that they do not increase in the future. To do this, you can use "tile" glue.

If the floor is being arranged in the apartment “after the builders”, there will be less preparatory work, since nothing needs to be removed. The concrete floor must be cleaned of debris, dirt and visible cracks should be repaired.

Before applying waterproofing, the surface should be primed. Therefore, we treat the floor with a primer, thereby improving the adhesion of the waterproofing material to the floor surface.

When choosing a material for waterproofing, one should be guided by the stage at which it is applied, and which part of the surface we want to isolate.

The waterproofing of the floor in the bathroom is carried out with an overlap on the walls of 10 cm

If a floor slab flaunts in front of us, and not a concrete floor, then for a start we take rolled or deposited waterproofing. You can use bituminous mastic and treat the entire surface, cracks and joints with walls well, making an overlap of at least 25 cm on them.

Coating or paint waterproofing can be applied to the concrete floor. And if you plan to isolate the walls, for example, at the junction of a shower cabin or washbasin, then you should choose pasting waterproofing.

Application of coating waterproofing

• We prepare the mixture. To do this, pour the dry component into a container, pour the liquid component and stir. The ratio should be 1:1, knead thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency is obtained.
• Using a roller, apply the mixture to the entire surface of the floor. In hard-to-reach places and junctions with walls and communications, you can use a spatula or brush. Consumption is approximately 2 - 3 kg / m 3, but more accurate figures are indicated on the packaging.
• In places of joints and connections we lay a waterproofing tape.
• We form a "trough" that will protect against seepage of water through the walls. To do this, in parallel with the coating of the floor, we apply the mixture to the walls so that its upper edge protrudes 5-10 cm above the level of the future floor.
• We apply the waterproofing mixture in two layers. After applying the first one, we take a break of 4-6 hours. Then apply the next layer and wait for it to dry. All subsequent work is resumed after at least a day.

Easy painting method

Painted waterproofing of the floor in the bathroom is short-lived

The painting method is easier than the coating method. Its main disadvantage is its short life. The average service life of paint waterproofing is 3-5 years.

If you nevertheless decide to use this particular method, then we apply the solution with a brush or roller on the floor and walls.

Important! Waterproofing the floor in a wooden house will require additional steps. To protect the wood from the influence of moisture, a thin linoleum is laid on the subfloor with an overlap on the walls of 5–10 cm. This will serve as additional protection.

What you need to decide before pouring the floor

Since you have decided to make the floor in the bathroom with your own hands, it is quite possible that you will want to move the toilet to another place, equip a drain so as not to flood the neighbors, or install a “warm floor” system. Whether such design changes will be undertaken should be decided at this stage.

If you are planning carry the toilet, it must be connected by a pipe to the sewer. For this pipe to function properly, it must be at an angle. In this case, the overall floor level will rise by at least 10-15 cm, or the toilet will have to be installed on a separate pedestal. Therefore, at this stage, we dismantle the old toilet bowl, install it in a new place and connect it to the vent pipe. You can not install the toilet yet, but only mount the pipe.

Drainage equipment will also raise the floor level by a few centimeters and for the same reason. In addition, it will be necessary to fill the floor with a slope towards the drain, so that water from the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe bathtub flows down to it. We install the drain and mount the outlet pipe. In the future, it will be necessary to ensure that the neck of the drain protrudes above the screed. In the meantime, in order not to clog the pipe, it is temporarily worth plugging it with something, for example, with rags.

Pipes of the water "warm floor" in the bathroom are mounted before the floor is poured

Increasingly in bathrooms underfloor heating installed. The tile is very cold to the touch, not too pleasant to stand barefoot on it in the morning after a warm cozy bed. A "warm floor" can provide a very comfortable feeling. In the bathroom, you can install a water floor or electric. The "warm floor" system, consisting of pipes through which warm water passes, is connected directly to the heating pipe, if one is provided in the bathroom. Another way is to connect to pipes with hot water or heated towel rails. Despite the doubts of the masses, electric "warm floor" can also be installed safely in the bathroom. The only drawback of this choice is the high cost of electricity, but the electric floor is extremely easy to install.

Important! If you want the water to remain in the bathroom in case of flooding and not flood the entire apartment or house, the floor in the bathroom must be made lower than the general level of the rest of the premises. The second option for solving the problem is to equip a high threshold so that water does not overflow.

Therefore, before pouring the floor in the bathroom, we mount all additional communications and determine at what level the floor and threshold should be.

Leveling the floor - screed

Leveling the floor in the bathroom is a must. Any floor covering, whatever you choose, requires an almost perfectly even base, especially if it is tile. High-quality screed - a guarantee of durability and strength of the finish coating. That is why this issue should be approached with all responsibility.

Leveling cement-sand screed floor in the bathroom is necessary if the base has significant flaws or height differences

Previously, there was not a particularly large choice, and everyone performed a floor screed cement-sand mixture. Today the market has a lot to offer building mixtures based on non-shrink cements, as well as others self leveling compounds. All of these options are viable.

The technologies for performing screeds with various materials do not differ too much and have a common structure:

1. On the walls we outline the level to which we will fill the screed, considering whether we have additional pipes that need to be hidden. To do this, you can use a water or laser level.
2. We install beacons at a distance of 1 m from each other. You can use wooden bars, metal corners, or you can purchase a plastic T - shaped profile. We fix them on the cement mortar. To do this, lay out the tubercles of the solution on the floor, in which alabaster is added. We lay the beacons and, constantly monitoring the horizontal level, we press them into the solution. Align the beacons according to the marks on the wall.
3. We prepare a solution for screed. It can be a traditional cement-sand mixture, and self-leveling in case the floor has minor irregularities. We knead them in a bucket with a drill. We follow the instructions on the packaging with the self-leveling compound. We make sure that the amount of water is optimal.
4. Pour the mixture to the top edge of the beacons. The self-leveling mixture will fill all the empty space without outside interference, and we use the rule to level the cement mixture.
5. We apply a rule, the length of which is at least 20 cm longer than the distance between the beacons, to the slats of the beacons. We stretch it towards ourselves, thereby filling the voids, leveling the solution and removing the excess that protrudes beyond the beacons.
6. To remove air bubbles in the self-leveling mixture, roll over it with a spiked roller.
7. We are waiting for the screed to dry. The term depends on the brand and composition of the leveling mixture. It is extremely important to follow the instructions and observe the required microclimate in the room, avoiding drafts.

Important! If you decide to install an electric "warm floor", then the screed is poured in two stages. Beacons can not be installed. Fill the first layer, wait for complete drying. We lay the thermal insulation and spread the "warm floor". Pour the second portion of the leveling mixture and level.

Which flooring to choose?

On the floor surface leveled with a screed, any finishing floor covering can be laid. This will be the final stage of arranging the floor in the bathroom.

Linoleum in the bathroom rarely laid. Rather, it is an economical option or a temporary way out. It is very easy to lay linoleum, it does not require additional care, it is easy to clean, it serves as a waterproofing, but at the same time it quickly “wipes off” and becomes unpresentable.

Natural cork floor in the bathroom is a good solution for lovers of comfort and warmth

Provides maximum comfort. The cork is very pleasant warm to the touch, it is impossible to slip on it, which cannot be said about the tile. It springs very well, returning to its original state. In addition, it does not absorb foreign odors and water, and is also resistant to the influence of pathogenic flora, fungi simply do not multiply on it. There is a very significant nuance. Only solid cork has the ability to not absorb moisture, not HDF-based floors. You should choose a cork array 4 - 6 mm thick, glued to the base. Another important advantage of the cork floor is its naturalness, environmental friendliness and hypoallergenicity.

Self-leveling floor in the bathroom is able to mentally move you to other lands

Started equipping relatively recently. Firstly, this floor is easy to install. In fact, the last layer of the leveling screed may be the pouring of the self-leveling floor. Secondly, such a floor itself has water-repellent properties, the need for additional waterproofing disappears by itself. Thirdly, the temperature mode of operation of the self-leveling floor allows you to mount the "warm floor" system directly into it. And one of the most important advantages of this floor is the variety of patterns and colors. You can arrange a floor that imitates natural stone, or use other decorative fillers.

But this technology also has a number of disadvantages:

• It is necessary to prepare a perfectly even base.
• Freshly prepared mixture is extremely toxic and flammable.
• Unnatural coverage.

How to make a self-leveling floor in the bathroom

All the preparatory work has already been completed: the waterproofing has been completed, the screed has been poured. It remains only to apply a mixture of self-leveling floor:

1. Prepare the mixture. To do this, pour the dry component into the water and knead with a drill with interruptions of 1-2 minutes until a homogeneous consistency is obtained.

Important! Please note that for the preparation of a self-leveling floor mixture, it is the dry component that is poured into the water, and not vice versa, as is the case with other mixtures. The resulting solution begins to solidify after half an hour - 40 minutes, so it makes sense to prepare it in portions, and not all at once.

2. Be sure to observe the temperature and humidity conditions. The optimum temperatures are +15 - +25 ° C, humidity is not more than 80%.

3. We will pour the mixture in stripes. We fill the first strip along the wall, starting from the corner opposite the doorway.

4. Level and adjust the thickness of the layer with a squeegee or spatula.

5. Roll the layer with a spiked roller to remove air bubbles.

6. We fill all the other strips according to this algorithm: they filled it in, straightened it, removed the air.

7. The self-leveling floor dries for about 3 days, but it can be used already after 6 - 12 hours after pouring, by which time it will acquire sufficient hardness.

Important! The "warm floor" system can be turned on no earlier than a week later.

Tile in the bathroom on the floor - a classic traditional option

Tile on the floor in the bathroom The room "entered" with a confident step for a long time and continues to occupy a leading position among floor coverings for the bathroom. A variety of shapes and materials allows you to satisfy the taste of even the most sophisticated customer. The disadvantage of tile is its relative fragility. If a tile is cracked, it must be replaced, but while the damaged one is being dismantled, others nearby may also be damaged.

The wooden floor in the bathroom looks very nice, but not very practical.

It can only be made from teak or larch, as not every wood will withstand constant changes in humidity levels. The arrangement of such a floor requires careful additional waterproofing. And although the wooden floor is natural, warm, beautiful, it makes sense to lay instead moisture resistant laminate.

Laying the flooring will mark the end of the work on arranging the floor in the bathroom. No matter how long this painstaking process takes, this is an indispensable experience that should be in the luggage of every efficient owner.

When repairing a bathroom, the importance of proper floor screeding is not always taken into account. Often, careful carrying out of this stage is observed only during the arrangement of an apartment in a new building. However, in old houses, it is sometimes simply impossible to perform a quality renovation of the premises without laying a new subfloor.

The screed contributes to the correct distribution of the load on the floor from furniture and household appliances, and will also reduce the negative consequences of small leaks in the bathroom. It is important to know the technology of such work and their features. Let's take a closer look at how to make a floor screed in the bathroom.

It should be noted that the process of arranging the base screed is quite laborious. Of course, it is necessary to start with the dismantling of the old floor.

Dismantling the floor during the repair

After the old screed is removed, you will have to tinker with cleaning the room. As a rule, you need to collect and take out a large amount of construction debris, clean and prepare the surface well.

Before you make the floor in the bathroom, thorough preparation is recommended. Laying a new screed is accompanied by a lot of additional work that necessarily precedes installation.

Bathroom floor waterproofing

This is the first thing you need to take care of when finishing the floor in the bathroom. It should be noted that standard polyethylene as a waterproofing material is not the best choice. The cement screed corrodes it and a few years after the repair of the insulating flooring simply will not be.

In the bathroom, you can not do without reliable waterproofing. If even a slight flooding occurs, you can fill the ceilings in the apartment from below. This will incur large repair costs for neighbors. Therefore, the materials for laying on the floor should be chosen the most durable. It is better to purchase bituminous mastic or special material in rolls for insulation.

Bituminous mastic for insulation

A layer of bitumen is applied to the prepared clean floor surface. Then a waterproofing layer is made on top. It is better to choose rubberized in rolls. The material is heated with a gas burner and glued to the base with bituminous mastic.

Do not forget to waterproof also sections of the walls from below at a height of about 150 - 200 millimeters.

It is also desirable to cover with insulating material those areas of the floor in which the risers are placed.

Screed and floor insulation

Doing repairs to the floor in the bathroom with your own hands, you need to take care of thermal insulation. Insulation of the screed itself is an important stage of work, but the effect of this procedure will seem insignificant if you do not additionally provide for a floor heating system. By equipping your bathroom with underfloor heating, you can immediately feel all the advantages of these modern designs.

Warm floor in the bathroom

Underfloor heating systems save energy costs, create a cozy and comfortable atmosphere in the room. Warm floors allow you to walk barefoot on tiles without fear of catching a cold.

Today, a wide range of different underfloor heating systems is on sale. Some of them consume very little electricity, so this design will not "eat up" the entire family budget. There are cable models that need only 500 watts to heat the floor in a small bathroom. If you make a choice in favor of a water-heated floor, you will save even more.

In order to properly insulate the floor screed, a foam sheet with a thickness of about 50 millimeters is laid on the waterproofing. A special screen is placed on top of it, which will conduct heat into the room from heating appliances.

Floor insulation with foam

The next stage involves the laying of a reinforcing steel mesh with a cellular structure. The size of the holes in it is 100X100 millimeters, and the thickness of the wire is 2 - 3 millimeters.

In the case of installing a floor with a water circuit, the pipeline must be laid out after the grid. The electric underfloor heating is laid differently - the heating elements of the structure are installed on the finished screed.

Filling the screed with the installation of beacons

Since standard bathrooms and toilets are relatively small, the process of working on a screed or pouring the floor in the bathroom with your own hands is easier and faster. The small area of ​​the room also makes it easier to install beacons.

The process of pouring the floor on beacons

In the work it is necessary to use a long rack level (about two meters). Beacons are laid on hills of cement mortar, laid out in a line with intervals between them equal to 0.5 m. The function of beacons is performed by guide profiles for drywall ud. They are inserted into the solution, and then the position of the beacon is checked using a level. Then, having measured the desired width from the first, the second beacon is set.

Now the level must be installed on two beacons at once, but the general principle of installation remains the same. You need to remember to check for a clear horizontal when installing guides. You need to pay attention to the second lighthouse itself, and to the distance between the first and second. Then, following the technique described above, arrange the remaining profiles for the screed.

Pouring the base on the lighthouses

In cases where the floor is poured on top of the foam, it must be cut off at the installation points of the beacons. These are places with located "mounds" of cement. If the foam is left, the beacons may move. Before you pour the floor in the bathroom with your own hands under the tiles, you must definitely take into account this nuance. "Playing" beacons will make the screed uneven, and this, in turn, will complicate the process of finishing the tiles and require a large amount of tile adhesive.

The floor screed in the bathroom under the tiles should not be too thin. Otherwise, cracks may appear in it. The thickness of the fill is usually at least 50 mm. This is important to remember when installing beacons. To install them, the height is marked from the floor itself or from the foam sheet.

The sequence of laying the screed in the bathroom

First of all, in order to make high-quality floors in the bathroom with your own hands, you need to properly prepare the solution. Prepare cement and sand.

Preparation of cement slurry

It is important to determine the proportions. The answer to the question of what mixture to fill the floor in the bathroom with depends on the type of base for pouring. If you need to immediately pour a concrete base, a solution in a ratio of 1: 4 is suitable. This is 1 part cement and 4 parts sand. Styrofoam screed involves using a mixture in a ratio of 1: 3. In this case, you need to take three parts of sand.

The mixed composition for pouring is poured onto the floor surface between the beacons and leveled using the building rule. The tool is placed with both ends on beacons located next to each other.

Leveling a cement screed floor with a rule

Thus, the entire screed in the bathroom is gradually poured. During operation, it is necessary to ensure that the mortar is laid strictly according to the level of the beacons.

After a day, the filling will harden a little. Then you can remove the guides, and cover the recesses left from them with cement.

The next step is to level the surface, smooth out all the protrusions and bumps. This is done with the pointed end of the rule. After that, the rough filler floor in the bathroom is covered with a thin plastic film and left to dry.

The finished screed must dry

Polyethylene reduces water evaporation and makes the concrete screed more durable.

Types of mixtures for floor screed

As a rule, leveling mortars for floors are made from gypsum or cement. The latter for bathrooms and bathrooms is preferable. Filling mixtures are produced in special paper bags with a polyethylene backing. It protects the material from moisture penetration.

Mix for dry floor screed

Water must not be allowed to enter the package, since damp solutions are absolutely not suitable for creating a strong and even screed.

It is also important to check the expiration date of products. Each mixture is designed for a certain period of use. Stale material can degrade the quality of the finished flooring solution.

Often, manufacturers include various modifying components in the composition of leveling mixtures. Such additives can make the coating better, as well as make the finished solution more plastic, which is important in the repair process.

For example, special synthetic fibers reduce the likelihood of cracking when the screed hardens. A screed made on the basis of a solution with such substances can even be used as a floor finish.

There are such types of mixtures:

The first type of solutions is used as an external surface finish. They allow you to get rid of defects and protrusions of the coating. The mixture must be applied in a thick layer, which makes it possible to end up with a smooth base.

The screed itself is also classified in a certain way according to the property and condition of the material:

1. Dry screeds.
2. Semi-dry.
3. Wet.

So, a wet screed is considered the easiest to perform. It is made up of concrete and sand. The composition prepared in this way is poured onto the subfloor and distributed over its surface.

Pouring screed mixture

However, this filling takes a long time to dry.

Wet screed is made on thermal insulation or waterproofing material. The heat-insulating layer is used for decoration in country houses and in apartments on the first floors of buildings. A wet screed with two leveling layers is also used. This option is necessary if you plan to finish with linoleum or parquet. The so-called knitted screed is suitable for living quarters.

Semi-dry screed also includes sand and cement. However, unlike wet pouring, plasticizers and other components are added to these mixtures. Due to the presence of these additives, a semi-dry screed dries faster and with its help you can easily level the base by removing all bumps and protrusions.

Leveling the base with a semi-dry mixture

In addition, less water is required to knead such a solution. This will make the floor structure lighter and more durable.

A dry type of screed is a composite product of several layers. Crushed stone or expanded clay is placed at the lower level, and gypsum fiber is placed on top. Laying such a floor is not difficult, and there is not much dirt left. However, the dry finish of the base has a significant drawback: it is not able to withstand a large load.

Principles of work with mixtures for screed

When performing repair work, it is necessary that the air temperature in the room where the floor is poured does not fall below +5 degrees and does not exceed +25. Humidity should be no more than 90%.

Drafts should be avoided during operation, as they impair the quality of the screed. It is necessary to calculate in advance the time for the poured base to dry, sometimes with a margin, since some types of compounds will “set” for a long time.

When preparing a mixture for pouring, it is necessary to follow the proportions and all the instructions that manufacturers list in the instructions on the package.

Some time after the completion of work, while the floor is still freshly poured, it is better not to walk on it. Especially this advice should be heeded by those owners who decide to make a foam base screed. To remove beacons, you can put wide sheets of OSB on the surface after processing. Such protection will prevent damage on a new, recently poured floor.

After the screed dries, remove the beacons

The floor level must be taken into account during the installation of beacons. The floor in the bathroom should be slightly lower than in the rest of the apartment. This threshold helps to avoid flooding.

Thus, the process of self-filling the floor in the bathroom is a type of repair work that is quite accessible to every owner. It is only necessary to use high-quality materials for the screed and follow the technology and all stages of filling.

The bathroom is one of the most difficult rooms in terms of decoration. The main problem is that the materials used for finishing should not only be beautiful and durable, but also suitable for rooms with high humidity. Even if you do not plan to spill anything on the floor, but instead of using a bathroom, you will not be able to get rid of the liquid on the surface, it will not be possible to get rid of moisture.

Condensation that accumulates on walls, ceilings and floors is an inevitable consequence of taking a shower or bath. And the contact of ordinary finishing materials, not intended for use in rooms with high humidity, with water will soon cause deformation, deterioration in appearance and, as a result, the need for repair.

Do not forget that the numerous pipes located in the bathroom can leak, which will invariably lead to a deterioration in the quality of the non-moisture resistant coating.

The choice of finishing materials for the bathroom is a complex process, as there are many materials on the market from traditional and inexpensive to exotic and designed for a large budget. Undoubtedly, it is worth choosing the material for finishing, taking into account the premises and the style of the interior.

Linoleum flooring in the bathroom

It is very rare to meet this material in the bathroom, since the advantages of such a coating largely overlap with its shortcomings.

Pros of using linoleum in the bathroom

The main "plus" of linoleum as a material for finishing the bathroom is its low price, as well as ease of installation. You only need glue and linoleum itself, and you can lay it yourself without resorting to the help of specialists.

The disadvantages of this material are much more:

• it is very slippery;
• mold and fungus form under linoleum;
• in places of stagnant water there is an unpleasant "musty" smell;
• it is easily squeezed.

You can avoid such problems by choosing the right material. So, for example, you can purchase linoleum not with a smooth, but with a corrugated surface, it will significantly reduce the risk of falling and damage to health. However, a grooved surface will make cleaning more difficult, as dirt will clog in the recesses.

To prevent linoleum from being squeezed under heavy objects, for example, a washing machine, it is necessary to purchase a special thickened coating. You should also take care that the material is moisture resistant, then it will last longer.

Another requirement concerns installation - when laying, it is necessary to install the floor covering on the wall so that water accumulating in the corners does not come into contact with the edge of the flooring. You should also purchase a special waterproof glue.

Bathroom floor tiles

Tile is undoubtedly the most popular among all bathroom finishing materials. It has not only a number of important advantages, but also the widest range. Another "plus" of this choice can be called the durability of floor tiles, with proper care, they can last more than 20 years.

The undoubted advantage is moisture resistance, the tile is not afraid of contact with either moist air or water. In the event of a pipe break, you do not have to change the floors in the bathroom.

The only (but very significant) drawback is poor thermal insulation, the tile transmits the cold of the concrete located under it. This applies to both tiled and ceramic-granite tiles. You can fix the problem by installing a "warm floor" in the bathroom, but this way out of the situation is associated with additional costs.

You can choose such a coating and avoid additional heating costs with the help of vinyl tiles (PVC tiles), which has collected all the advantages of previous materials, but is completely free from their shortcomings. For example, we looked at such a tile in the ViniPol store and we immediately liked it. The good thermal insulation of vinyl tiles allows you to use this flooring in comfort without additional floor heating.

In addition, vinyl tiles are less exposed to the environment, in the event of heavy objects falling, the risk of damage is much less than that of porcelain tiles and tile.

Finishing the floor in the bathroom with laminate

The use of laminate flooring in a bathroom can come as a surprise to many people as it seems completely unsuitable for high humidity areas. Laminate resembles wood, which is known to rot. However, modern technologies make it possible to protect the lamellas from water penetration. To finish the bathroom, it is recommended to use a laminate with high moisture resistance.

This material has a lot of "pluses": a wide price range, ease of installation (and dismantling if necessary), strength, wear resistance, good thermal insulation. The main disadvantage, however, is of considerable importance - it is almost impossible to avoid the penetration of moisture into the cracks. Optically, the gaps may not be noticeable, but water can accumulate in them, so there is a high risk of decay of this material.

Finishing the floor in the bathroom with natural stone

This material can be attributed to the elite, the creation of such a floor for the bathroom is possible only with a very large repair budget. The most commonly used natural marble. In addition to the undoubted beauty and sophistication of the material, one can also note its wear resistance, strength and safety (the porous surface prevents slipping).

The most significant drawback is the high price. We also advise you to pay attention to the tone and pattern of each tile, the natural material cannot be identical, the tile must be selected. The ideal option for decorating a bathroom with marble is a consultation with a specialist who can make a beautiful composition from individual tiles. In addition, professionals should also lay natural stone, so the cost of finishing will consist not only of the cost of the materials themselves, but also the cost of the work of specialists.

Finishing the floor in the bathroom will not take you much time if you can decide on what characteristics the coating should have. In this situation, it is much easier to choose the right material, taking into account all its advantages and disadvantages.

Finishing the bathroom is a procedure that is carried out to improve the aesthetic perception of the room, maintaining the hygienic properties of the sanitary premises. When designing a bathroom, not only the appearance is important, but also the wear resistance of the coating, which is operated in conditions of high humidity. Properties depend on the quality of finishing materials. Particular attention is paid to the selection of material for the walls and floor of the room, because repairs in the bathroom are done for a long time.

It is widely believed that the design of the bathroom is best done with ceramic tiles. The main advantage of the tile is its high maintainability. There are many alternatives on the market with similar characteristics, but at a lower cost.

When choosing a material, you need to build on the characteristics of the room. Resistance to temperature effects, resistance to moisture, fire and wear, environmental friendliness, durability, ease of operation and maintenance - these are the requirements that bathroom finishing materials must meet.

If you perform wall cladding with a material that meets all these characteristics, then the next repair in the bathroom can be pushed back for a long time.

How to decorate a bathroom

The principles of finishing the bathroom are reduced to the choice of stylistic design of the room, the acquisition of high-quality materials, and the carrying out of facing work.

Wall decoration in the bathroom can cause difficulties for the owners of sanitary rooms with a small area, because the main aspect is the maximum preservation of space, and the design idea recedes into the background.

To replace the tiles in a large room, more effort will be required. The presence of complex edges, irregularly shaped bathtubs or drywall constructions will complicate the process of laying a ceramic product.

For these reasons, materials such as paint and plaster, wall panels, wallpaper or self-adhesive films are chosen for bathroom wall repairs. Unlike ceramic tiles, these moisture-resistant materials are cheaper and easier to carry out.

Ceramic tile

Bathroom tiling is still popular today. This is due to the variety of types of material. The shape of the models can be square and rectangular, triangular and hexagonal, round and oval.

You can add inserts of glass, mirrors, metal materials. The atmosphere is created by border frames, patterns and applications. The options for finishing the bathroom with tiles are numerous thanks to the large selection of colors.

Glazed ceramics are resistant to mechanical stress (which is important for drilling tiles) and moisture. This tile is very smooth, so this tile is not used to cover the floor in the bathroom. Individual decorative elements made by glazing the surface look good.

Unglazed tiles are fired clay. Finishing with tiles gives the surface properties such as high strength and resistance to mechanical damage. There is no protective coating, so the tile looks natural. Common are beige, brown tones. The product is suitable for making the floor in the bathroom.

The advantages of tiles on the walls and on the floor in the bathroom are: the ability to care for the surface with aggressive chemical mixtures, resistance to wear and water, a large selection of tiles for repairs.

Among the shortcomings can be noted the fragility, the complexity of installation. For laying, special surface preparation is required, since the tiles are laid on a flat wall. For these reasons, an alternative to ceramic tiles may be chosen for bathroom renovations.

Self-adhesive film

Reliable and inexpensive material for bathroom design. The special compositions of which the film is made allow it to be glued even in the bathroom. The main component is polyvinyl chloride, it provides good protective properties, although no material other than tiles can withstand direct contact with water.

For finishing, you need to carefully level and clean the surface. The material is applied very carefully, gradually remove the layer of protective paper from the reverse side and press the film against the wall.

The choice of colors of "self-adhesive" is large: rolls with a matte or mirror finish, with a glossy side, there are options with a 3D effect. The product may have a pattern that imitates any material: wood, stones, tiled flooring.

Self-adhesive material is durable, affordable. Such a product is an alternative to tiles in the bathroom, because the film is easy to glue, the surface does not require maintenance. The disadvantages include poor resistance to high temperatures, a high probability of shrinkage or stretching.

Dye

A popular option for wall decoration is painting. There are many types of paint, they are suitable for any style of decorating the room.

The basis of one type of paint contains an acrylic polymer, as well as titanium dioxide and marble chips. After application to the walls, a fine-grained porous film is formed. Latex mix is ​​found in stores. After painting, a pleasant appearance remains for a long time. The painted surface can be washed and detergents containing acids can be used.

Silicone paint has a number of advantages. It does not allow microorganisms to multiply. The walls in the bathroom do not have to be prepared and leveled, because the paint emphasizes the relief of brickwork, concrete slabs and plaster. The surface is resistant to temperature changes and high humidity.

The basis of silicate paint is liquid glass, which is mixed with resin and silicon. In order for the composition to acquire a rich color, manufacturers use oxides of different metals. Before starting work, the surface to which the composition will be applied should be treated with a primer. The advantage of paint is that you can do the work of applying it yourself, but the surface dries for a very long time.

Plastic panels

The product is made from a material harmless to health (polyvinyl chloride). A popular option for wall cladding in an apartment is the use of laminated panels. This coating demonstrates resistance to mechanical damage. The surface of the panel has a special protective film that can protect the pattern from fading, and the plastic base from cracks and scratches.

For installation, it is not required to bring the wall to a state of smoothness. To install the panels, a wooden or metal prefabricated frame is used, under which wall defects will be hidden. When the base is ready, the facing material is attached to it with the help of self-tapping screws. Under the metal profile, you can hide communications: wires, pipes.

Sheathing a bathroom can be done without drilling holes, if the wall is fairly even. Use building glue or liquid nails, do not mount the frame. If during operation one part has become unusable, the element can be easily replaced.

It should be borne in mind that wall cladding with plastic material has a number of disadvantages. The panel cannot withstand heavy loads, an object falling from the shelf can damage the part. Condensation forms on the surface, in the future this leads to the defeat of the wall by the fungus. Paneling the walls of the bathroom reduces the area of ​​​​the room, since the frame takes up space.

Moisture resistant wallpaper

The stores sell different types of wallpaper, they differ in the material included in the composition, in the width of the roll and in the pattern. Paper wallpapers swell from dampness, so they are not suitable for lining the bathroom. Vinyl analog and glass wallpaper can be glued in the bathroom instead of tiles.

Use the material on all walls will not work. Wallpaper can be glued on areas that are located far from faucets, washbasins. The surface must be away from places that are in direct contact with water. Areas that will be splashed should be finished in a different way. The classic option is to use tiles in the area near the sink and shower, and the upper part of the wall is decorated with wallpaper.

The coating will last for several years if you choose an adhesive that can perform its functions in a humid environment. The use of moisture-resistant wallpaper is not the best solution for finishing a bathroom, although the cost of such repairs is low.

Decorative plaster

The mixture consists of a viscous filler and other ingredients. The composition can be both natural and artificial substances. Popular ways to finish a bathroom with plaster are leveling the surface for subsequent wallpapering or painting, or creating a decorative relief on the wall surface.

Roughness is achieved due to various components of the composition: pieces of natural stone, polymer granules, glass, cellulose fibers.

When choosing plaster for wall decoration in a sanitary room, moisture-resistant samples should be preferred. Builders are advised to purchase compounds that manufacturers produce for decorating building facades. Mixtures are created with the addition of acrylic and polymer resins.

Facing the bathroom with plaster allows for a seamless finish, it is possible to work with hard-to-reach areas of the wall, curved surfaces around the jacuzzi. The next advantage is a long service life. The covering does not fade under the influence of direct sunshine, is steady against friction.

Choose one or more shades of plaster for coloring. This is possible due to the large selection of colors and textures. You can treat the surface in the bathroom, made in classic, minimalist, ethnic and modern styles.

Different types of plaster can be combined with other materials, it looks good on the surface next to tiles, mosaics and wallpaper. Preparation for work consists in dismantling the old coating and priming the surface.

The disadvantages of textured plaster include the possibility of cracks (in the event that 2 years have not passed after the construction of the building and the soil has not settled).

Mosaic

A frequently used method of finishing bathroom walls is laying mosaics. The coating looks attractive, it adds luxury to the room. A tiled wall consists of small pieces of stone, glass, ceramic or metal. Chips vary in size from 1 to 10 cm. Samples with equal sides are popular, but there are also mosaic details of a rectangular or more complex shape.

There are several types of styling. Mosaic, sold in bulk, is laid one chip at a time. The process takes a lot of time, and the master must be experienced. If the work will be done by a beginner, then it is better to choose a material that is a grid with applied mosaic details. This option is faster, but it will not work to assemble a panel with a pattern.

A lot of money can be spent on ceramic mosaic surface cladding, glass chips will cost less. In addition to the cost of materials, the cost of installation should be calculated, since laying work is expensive.

The surface is not susceptible to mold, and dirt can be removed with a damp cloth. The mosaic coating is resistant to temperature fluctuations, it can last for decades, retaining its former appearance.

Due to the fact that there are no visible joints, it is possible to cover bathtubs, columns, arches and other irregularly shaped surfaces.

The disadvantages of mosaic coating depend on the material from which the chips are made. For example, glass parts can be easily broken, and cracks appear on the mirror elements upon impact. Metal chips can deteriorate from chemical processing.

What to give preference

Materials for the bathroom are different, among the large selection you can find the right option. Before buying, you should take into account the individual characteristics of the bathroom, the mode of operation of the room. The same coating can manifest itself in different ways.

Sometimes non-standard solutions are used in the design of the bathroom. Materials used include stone, marble, glass and mirror tiles, mosaics, wood veneer or treated natural wood. The choice today is large, it will satisfy the requirements of a wide variety of consumers.

An important criterion for choosing a material for facing should be its appearance and quality. In this case, the bathroom will be not only beautiful, but also practical.