Meet the Preservation Collection: Inspired by our best-selling floors with an 8-week lead time.
×
You have questions, we have answers. Explore the most frequently asked questions about hardwood flooring below. Need assistance or want to know more? Contact Carlisle or call 800-595-9663 today to get all your inquiries answered.
There are several types of wood flooring that can work well in a bathroom. Since bathrooms have higher levels of relative humidity and moisture, engineered wood planks are one of the best types of wood flooring options. For homeowners who prefer a solid wood floor instead, White Oak offers more resistance to water than other wood species, and Hickory and Maple are harder woods that can provide more protection from heavy foot traffic. Alternately, homeowners may install floors made of reclaimed timber in a bathroom, since any water damage will blend in with the weathered character of the wood. For smaller bathrooms, wide plank floors made of solid hardwood or engineered floorboards can make the room seem bigger. Any hardwood floor within a bathroom should be finished with a stronger sealant to prevent damage to the wood floor as well as the underlayment and the structure beneath the flooring surface.
Explore and select from our gallery of our most popular finishes, specially categorized by the personalities and traits of the floor designs.
ExploreEngineered floors are made with multiple layers of material to create a floorboard with a solid core that is more resistant to expanding or contracting when exposed to higher levels of moisture and humidity. Engineered floorboards have a top layer of hardwood, making them look and feel just like solid wood floors. The top layer, also called the wear layer, is glued to 5 to 11 layers of material like plywood, fiberboard or Baltic Birch, with the grain in each layer running in different directions. This construction makes engineered wood flooring ideal for installation in bathrooms and laundry rooms, over concrete slabs or radiant heat, or in locations below grade like a basement.
Engineered floors do not scratch any more easily than solid hardwood floors. Susceptibility to scratches and scuffs depends on the species of hardwood used for the top layer of an engineered floorboard. Boards made with softer woods like Cherry and Walnut will scratch more easily than harder woods like Hickory and Maple.
Prefinished floors are made with boards that are cut, sanded, stained and sealed at a manufacturer’s facility before being delivered to a home or business for installation. Because these boards are finished under factory-controlled conditions, they can be treated with stronger sealants on all sides of the wood to provide more protection against moisture and wear. Prefinished floors can be installed quickly, allowing homeowners to avoid the mess of sawdust, the odor of sealants and the inconvenience of needing to vacate the premises for several days while the sealants dry.
Because they can be treated on all sides of the wood with stronger sealants like aluminum oxide, prefinished floors may perform better in bathrooms and other areas where there are higher levels of moisture and humidity present.
Reclaimed floors are made with floorboards that have been salvaged from old homes, barns, factories and other buildings slated for demolition. Reclaimed boards retain all the nail holes, cracks, splits, original saw marks and color variations in the wood, adding character and visual interest to the floor. In bathrooms, reclaimed floorboards offer rich, warm comfort that only time can create.
When installing engineered or solid hardwood floors in a bathroom, homeowners should reapply the top finish layer every so often to prevent moisture from soaking into the wood or seeping into the cracks. Using a bathmat can help to catch any splashing water or drips. Adding surrounds that prevent water from escaping the tub and shower will help to preserve the beauty of the hardwood floor. A bathroom fan will help to keep the humidity level lower.
Aluminum oxide is considered the toughest finish for hardwood floors. When added to a polyurethane finish, aluminum oxide forms a highly protective coating that’s extremely durable and water-resistant. However, aluminum oxide is only available in prefinished floors, since the finish must be applied under special factory conditions. A urethane finish is the best alternative to aluminum oxide when sealing a bathroom floor.
Wide plank floors are made with floorboards that are much wider and longer than standard commercial flooring. While commercial floors use floorboards that are 2 ¼” to 3” wide and roughly 4’ long, wide plank floorboards may be as wide as 20” and up to 16’ long. Wider planks mean fewer seams in the floor, which creates a less busy look and adds a sense of spaciousness to any room. Wide plank floors also allow the beauty and personality of the wood to be fully revealed in each floorboard.
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors is a premier provider of hardwood flooring of extraordinary quality. Our options for bathroom floors include unfinished and prefinished wide plank floors made of solid hardwood, engineered floorboards and reclaimed timbers. Our expert design consultants work with each customer to choose the type of wood, structure, color, texture and pattern that will achieve the ideal result in any room of the house.
