The subfloor
The top layer of flooring is just for looks, while the subfloor is where the real magic happens. It determines whether your floor will be squeaky, tiles will crack, or the floor will warp. There are different types of subfloors like timber, chipboard, plywood, and concrete, each with their strengths and weaknesses.
If you have timber or chipboard, it’s better to replace or add a layer of strong plywood. Plywood is durable and stable, especially for rooms with added weight like dormer conversions. For certain situations (like large tiles), we used concrete boards which offer even more stability.
Vinyl click flooring
This is a type of laminate flooring basically, but thinner and made out of plastic materials. The vinyl click flooring is waterproof and can be submerged in water for a long period of time. This option is great for a bathroom since it feels relatively warm to the feet. You can also use underfloor heating with this.
Tiles
Tiles are a classic option in a bathroom and it was popular 500 years ago, and it’s popular now as well. There are various tiles to choose from. The labour costs are higher with tiles since it takes much longer to fit, but you get a higher quality feel.
The main problems with tiles is that you need to have grout between them and they conduct heat easier (making them feel colder to the feet). You can overcome the grout issues by using epoxy grout (which is a much better grout in all aspects), having larger format tiles and having underfloor heating.