Laundry Room Flooring

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Table of Contents

• What to Consider When Choosing Laundry Room Flooring
• Best Types of Flooring for Laundry Rooms
• Tips for Choosing Laundry Room Floors
• Schedule an Appointment with 50 Floor Today

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You spend a lot of time in your laundry room washing, drying, folding and organizing your clothes and other linens. So, you want your laundry room’s flooring to be attractive and easy to clean and maintain. Your laundry room will likely see lots of different types of messes that your flooring will need to be able to handle. For example, if your washer or dryer were to malfunction and cause a leak, you want flooring that can withstand significant water damage.

Deciding what kind of flooring to use in your laundry room will require you to research and weigh out the pros and cons of each option. You’ll have several factors to consider when choosing your laundry room floors, and your decision will ultimately depend on your personal preferences, lifestyle and how you plan to use your laundry room.

 

What to Consider When Choosing Laundry Room Flooring

As with any big decision you make as a homeowner, upgrading your laundry room flooring will require you to carefully consider your options. A few factors to consider when choosing laundry room flooring include the following:

• Purpose: How will your family usually use the laundry room? For example, if a mudroom also serves as an entrance to the home, you might want flooring that can withstand heavy foot traffic and muddy sneakers. If, on the other hand, it’s a separate room in an entirely different area of the house, your flooring might not have to be quite as heavy-duty. Ask yourself how often you and your family will be using this area, then make your decision about the remaining factors accordingly.
• Price: How much money are you willing to spend on your laundry room flooring? Every type of flooring will vary in price based on the material. Depending on how often you plan on using the laundry room, it might be worth investing a bit more money into a more durable or attractive type of flooring. If, on the other hand, your laundry room likely won’t see too much use, you might decide to choose a more affordable type of flooring. Consider the size of your laundry room when you set your budget, as purchasing flooring materials to cover a larger room will cost more.
• Aesthetic: People who plan on spending a significant amount of time in their laundry room may prioritize how aesthetically pleasing the flooring is. You might also want a great-looking laundry room if it also serves as an entrance to your home that guests may use. Hardwood and vinyl are the most aesthetically pleasing flooring types for laundry rooms.
• Durability: Does your laundry room flooring need to be more durable than anything else? This consideration is especially important for households with pets that might be running around with long nails and tossing around hard chew toys and bones. Kids might also be rough on your laundry room flooring if it’s in an area of the home where they might run through it. Think about how much activity this room will see, then decide how durable your flooring will need to withstand it.
• Location in your home: Where is your laundry room located in your home? It could be in your basement, the garage, the second floor, the first floor or another area of the house. The placement of the laundry room will affect the type of flooring you choose because it changes the environment the material must be able to exist. For example, basements typically have more moisture than other rooms of the home, so you’ll need a more moisture-resistant type of flooring if your laundry room is downstairs.
• Maintenance requirements: How easy to clean do you need your laundry room flooring to be? If you can already see the kids tracking their muddy sneakers and dirt-covered soccer cleats through the laundry room or anticipate many spills and other messes in this room, make sure you choose a type of flooring that can stand up to this. Remember, you may be using cleaning products such as laundry detergent and fabric softener that contain chemicals that could leave stains on some types of flooring. For households that might not use the laundry room quite as often, however, easy maintenance may not be as important to you as saving money.

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Best Flooring for Laundry Rooms

Now that you know what to consider as you update your laundry room flooring, you might wonder about your specific choices. Although everyone’s preferences and situations vary, a few types of flooring are typically the best option for most households.

Here are four of the best flooring for laundry rooms options:

1. Vinyl

Many homeowners choose to use vinyl flooring for laundry rooms because it’s one of the best materials in durability and endurance. Vinyl flooring is ideal for laundry rooms with lots of use, such as those that serve as an entrance through the garage.

Pros of Vinyl Flooring

You might choose to install vinyl flooring in your laundry room because:

• It comes in several styles: You can choose from vinyl flooring in planks or other styles that mimic the look of stone or wood.
• It’s water-resistant: Vinyl flooring is ideal for laundry room use because it can withstand significant spills and moisture from wet clothes or shoes.
• It’s an economical choice: If having a beautiful or luxurious aesthetic in your laundry room isn’t a top concern for you, vinyl flooring is a cost-effective way to get durable flooring.

Cons of Vinyl Flooring

Of course, every option has its cons. For vinyl flooring, they include that:

• Its surface is too slippery: Vinyl flooring has a finished surface that could cause it to get slippery when wet. Even though vinyl is moisture-resistant, be sure to clean up large puddles quickly to avoid slipping or having the water seep between the panels.
• It creates a casual vibe: Vinyl flooring may not be able to recreate the same luxurious aesthetic that hardwood or well-made laminate. If appearance is your top priority, you might want to go with another option.

2. Laminate

Laminate flooring contains certain synthetic materials that replicate hardwood. Although laminate flooring doesn’t have the exact look and feel of hardwood, it comes close and is typically lower in price.

Pros of Laminate Flooring

Some pros of laminate flooring include the following:

• It’s mostly water-resistant: Laminate flooring can withstand small spills and leaks. As long as the material isn’t completely soaked, it can withstand some moisture.
• It’s easy to clean: It’s easy to wipe up spills and dirt from laminate flooring and is also exceptionally stain-resistant.
• It’s budget-friendly: Laminate flooring is a more economical option than some other materials, such as natural hardwood.

Cons of Laminate Flooring

Meanwhile, laminate flooring also has a few drawbacks:

• It can be challenging to replace: If laminate flooring becomes scratched or damaged, you may have to replace the flooring in the entire room to fix it. Since most laundry rooms are relatively small, this may not be an issue.
• It’s not completely moisture–resistant: Laminate flooring isn’t quite as moisture-resistant as other options, such as vinyl and tile.

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3. Tile

Another common choice for laundry room flooring is tile. Tile flooring is a durable and longest-lasting option for laundry rooms, as long as the owner follows proper maintenance routines.

Pros of Tile Flooring

The pros of having tile flooring in your laundry room include that:

• It’s water-resistant: You’re probably used to seeing tile flooring in bathrooms and kitchens since they have excellent water-resistant properties. Tile flooring is ideal for laundry rooms because it can withstand accidental spills and other moisture.
• It’s easy to clean: Tile is extremely easy to clean in the case of dirty clothes, shoes or other items making their way into or through the laundry room.
• It’s possible to get slip-resistant tiles: You can choose from several types of slip-resistant tiles that can prevent you from falling even if the floor gets wet while you’re doing laundry.

Cons of Tile Flooring

The cons of installing tile flooring in your laundry room include the following:

• It requires maintenance: When you have tile flooring in your home, you must maintain and clean it regularly. The grout between each tile can become dirty or damaged over time, an issue you can fix yourself or hire a professional.
• It’s cold: If you like doing laundry barefoot, tile flooring can get chilly on your feet in the fall and winter. It also doesn’t create the warm ambiance some types of flooring do.
• It’s somewhat pricey: Depending on the type of tile flooring you choose and the size of your laundry room, your material costs can quickly add up.

4. Hardwood

Homeowners often view hardwood flooring as the most luxurious option for flooring. It looks elegant and comes in many different types, so homeowners can customize their flooring with colors and stain patterns. You can even adjust the thickness of the wood, depending on your aesthetic preferences.

Pros of Hardwood Flooring

The pros of using hardwood flooring for your laundry room are that:

• It’s attractive: Almost everyone can appreciate the beautiful appearance of real hardwood flooring. It’s elegant, classy and timeless. Hardwood is known for its warm texture and color, which creates a welcoming environment.
• It’s customizable: Since there are so many different wood species to choose from, you can completely customize your hardwood flooring to satisfy your taste.
• It’s durable: Hardwood flooring can last 10 or more years with proper maintenance and cleaning. They’re incredibly durable and can withstand wear and tear from households with pets and children.
• It’s popular: Since hardwood flooring is so popular, it will boost your home’s resale value to install it anywhere in the house, including the laundry room.

Cons of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring may be a great option for many homeowners, but it does come with some drawbacks, such as that:

• It’s not completely moisture-resistant: While it’s easy to clean up small spills from hardwood flooring, it’s not great at resisting long-term moisture, such as a leak or spill that goes unnoticed for several hours and eventually turns into a puddle.
• It costs more: Since hardwood is attractive and durable, it’s usually more expensive than other flooring options.
• It requires lots of maintenance: Hardwood floors are easy to clean, but they also require more regular maintenance than other types of flooring. For example, you might have to reseal the wood from time to time.

Tips for Choosing Laundry Room Floors

Now that you’re familiar with your laundry room options for flooring materials, you might still need some guidance on how to make the decision. Here are some tips to help you choose the best route for your laundry room flooring:

• Be realistic: Whether it concerns your budget or how much use your laundry room will see, be realistic about your needs. Don’t spend extra money on extremely durable or attractive flooring for a laundry room you’ll only use a few times a month. Instead, you can put that money into nicer flooring for your living room or other high-traffic areas of the home. Also, we wouldn’t recommend choosing carpet flooring for your laundry room. You could buy a small carpet to put over the flooring if you want to give the space a cozier feel.
• Examine your current flooring: Look at the flooring in your laundry room. Is it damaged or dirty? If so, you might want to invest in more durable flooring that’s easier to maintain than what you have now. On the other hand, if you’ve had the same flooring for years and it has no sign of wear and tear, you might not use the space enough that it calls for such high-quality materials.
• Consider your home’s resale value: If you’re planning on selling your house eventually, you might want to consider how the flooring you choose will impact its resale value. Investing in top-of-the-line laundry room flooring may be worthwhile if it will boost your home’s resale value and help the house stand out in the real estate market. Be sure to consider both quality and appearance if you’re planning to sell soon.
• Look at samples in person before deciding: Everything looks different in person compared to online, including types of flooring. You want to be able to see the material, color and style in person before going through the installation process only to realize it doesn’t look quite right. Whether you visit a store or have a flooring expert bring samples to your home, taking the time to look at your options in person will pay off in the long run.
• Get advice from a professional: Talking with a flooring specialist is a smart way to ensure you cover all your bases when choosing your laundry room flooring. They’ll be able to bring up points you might not have thought of, as well as suggest laundry room floor ideas specific to your unique situation. By working with a company that will send an expert to your home with several flooring samples, you can see each option in person in your home’s environment while getting individual assistance from a professional.

Types of Flooring to Avoid

When you have a room in the house with constant exposure to moisture, messes and chemical solutions, it’s important to stray from flooring types that can’t withstand these components. When shopping for your next laundry room flooring, avoid these floor types:

• Carpet: The soft fibers on the carpet’s surface easily absorb and trap moisture, spills and other everyday messes. In the laundry room, stains from water and detergent can soak into the carpet and take some time to come out again. Installing any of the hard flooring options discussed in previous sections is a better choice to avoid this damage.
• Marble: Although marble offers a luxurious look to any living space in the home, it’s a porous material that reacts to spills and chemicals. When water or detergent gets onto marble flooring, the stone surface absorbs these liquids and stains the material. Exposure to these messes can cause spots and a crusty film that can be challenging to remove.

Laundry Room Flooring Ideas and Inspiration

Although they may not have much space, laundry rooms are great for implementing personal aesthetics through flooring colors and styles. If you could use some extra inspiration for your laundry room, consider these few design choices that can make your vision for the perfect space come to life:

Colors

Colors are fascinating because they can create illusions with only a single shade. For example, lighter floor colors allow a room to look larger than it is because it draws attention to other furniture, decorations and wall colors.

If you want your laundry room to look more spacious, consider choosing beige, white, light gray, light brown or pastels for your floor. If your top priorities are cleanliness and easy maintenance, you can also go with a darker floor that hides messes easily. In laundry rooms, stains and spills are incredibly common. While light colors might make these messes more evident, dark shades mask them and add elegant style to your laundry room.

Styles

Adding different layouts and patterns to your floor can give your laundry room extra flair. Luckily, with the various shapes and sizes that vinyl, laminate, hardwood and tile floors come in, the possibilities for any aesthetic laundry room are endless.

Here are a few different styles you can choose for your laundry room floors:

• Rustic with a modern twist: Nothing says cozy quite like the look of hardwood. You can go with the relaxing ambiance that hardwood, vinyl and laminate flooring offer. With these wood appearances, you can choose gray, beige, white or black floor panels that give your laundry room a cozy cabin feel with styles that match modern trends.
• Timeless tile: Many homeowners and business owners have hexagon, penny and other shaped tiles in their laundry rooms. While the idea may seem dated, the look fits perfectly with modern flooring trends. Create visually aesthetic floors by installing shaped tiles in your laundry room.
• Symmetrical patterns: Patterened tiles and vinyl come in aesthetic patterns that can fit boho, minimalistic and other styles you love. With designs that include flowers, curved lines and dots, there are many symmetrical patterns you can create for a modern aesthetic in your laundry room.