Innovative Flooring
Your laundry room doesn’t have to look like a place of chore punishment. Many of us have washers and dryers banished to the basement or crammed into a small room of our homes. You don't need to do this to find extra space, though.
While some homeowners are gifted with spacious rooms dedicated to laundry, most of us have our machines in an undesirable spot in the house. But you don’t have to feel like you’re doing laundry in a dungeon! You can make your home feel like one comfortable, cohesive space. The easiest place to start? It’s the laundry room’s floor. Read on for some great laundry room floor ideas.
Ideas for Your Laundry Room Floor
When it comes to a laundry room floor, you can often find several things situated upon it, such as:
- A washer and dryer.
- Tools or equipment.
- Heavy storage bins.
- Baskets of laundry.
- Drying racks.
For laundry room flooring, you’ll need something durable, as laundry rooms tend to see a lot of foot traffic if they’re in a mudroom or basement. Plus, there’s a good chance you’ll be in there quite a bit of shuffling around other storage items. You’ll also want flooring that’s easy to clean. Dirty laundry plus liquid detergent will results in the occasional floor mess.
Consider your needs by following these guidelines when deciding on your laundry room’s flooring:
- Durability.
- Budget.
- Ease of upkeep.
Types of Laundry Room Flooring
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring has long remained an established and popular option for laundry room flooring ideas, and for good reason. It is cost-effective without sacrificing durability or style. It’s easy to wipe down for frequent spills, making it an excellent choice for a laundry room.
Luxury vinyl can be designed to look like tile or wood, and the similarity is so striking you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference. If your laundry room is on the first floor or an area that’s pretty well integrated into the rest of the house (i.e., not tucked away in the basement), you might want to consider a higher-end luxury vinyl floor.
Standard vinyl flooring is the best bang for your buck if you’re looking just to spruce up your laundry room space without spending a lot of money on the project. With a new vinyl floor, you can expect to pay an average cost of $2-$11 per square foot.
Vinyl Plank Flooring
If you’re after a farmhouse chic design at a low cost, then look no further than vinyl plank flooring. When we think of the modern farmhouse—a style that’s retained its popularity for a few years now—we think of hardwood floors, comfortably stuffed furniture, lots of exposed wood, and vintage designs refreshed for a contemporary home.
Vinyl plank floors encapsulate the farmhouse design but in a way that is easy on your wallet and is manufactured to meet the needs of a heavily trafficked laundry room. Vinyl plank flooring, sometimes called floating planks, can be installed DIY, so you can skip labor costs if you can tackle the project yourself.
Floating vinyl planks can be installed over top of existing floors, making this an achievable project for any DIYer. Luxury vinyl flooring or plank flooring can cost between $6-$20 per square foot on average.
Ceramic or Porcelain Tile
Ceramic and porcelain tiles can cost between $3 and $20 or more. As far as overall material costs go, ceramic and porcelain are surprisingly middle-of-the-road compared to the low pricing of vinyl and the more expensive granite flooring. Ceramic or porcelain flooring will give your laundry room beauty and durability, making this space blend seamlessly with the rest of your home’s design.
Granite Flooring
Who says you can’t install high-end tiles that tout a level of excellence deserving of a laundry room? Why settle for anything short of beautiful when it comes to your floors? For homeowners with the cash to spend on updating their laundry rooms, check out the option of granite tile.
The main difference between ceramic or porcelain and granite tiling is the quality. Granite is simply a better quality material. Keep in mind that with the more expensive material, you’ll see a more expensive labor cost to install it. Granite tiles can run $30 and up per square foot, depending on which grade of granite you settle on.
Rubber Flooring
Check out rubber flooring for a cheap option that provides easy-to-install floors for your laundry room. Rubber flooring typically comes in interlocking tiles or wall-to-wall sheets.
Rubber flooring is an excellent choice for laundry rooms that don’t call for luxury looks or high-end flooring. It’s not as durable as vinyl, but rubber’s surface is effortless to care for should you need something that is easily wipeable. A bonus is that rubber is cushy and comfortable—perfect for a laundry room where you’ll likely be on your feet!