Carpet in the bathroom

While it"s possibly the most unlikely choice of flooring in a bathroom, carpet does have its redeeming features. Bathroom Finder explores the warmer bathroom floor option.

The bathroom carpet pros

There"s nothing worse than cold tiles on a winter morning, and while a bath mat may stave off some of the chill, a bathroom lined with carpet is much friendlier on the toes. It"s also much less slippery. For this reason, carpet in the bathroom is a very sensible choice for elderly people, for whom a fall in the bathroom could have serious repercussions, or carers of disabled children or adults. The carpet just means one less thing to worry about.

Carpet can also be waterproofed to a large extent - and while some major splashes could make it into the fibres, the general day-to-day moisture will not affect the fibres to any great extent. Mildew and moisture resistant backing is commonly added to most carpets these days, but as an additional measure, you can also install a moisture resistant pad beneath the carpet to protect the floor beneath. Additional waterproofing and mildew treatments can be added if needed.

Also, some people have their shower and bath in a separate room to the sink and dress area, and so carpet can be a great option for dress area alone. And finally, carpet is a much cheaper option, ranging from as little as $1 a metre up to the more expensive $5-$10 price range.

The bathroom carpet cons

The biggest con to carpet is, of course, mould and mildew build up underneath. This is especially likely to happen in the areas closest to the toilet, sink, bath or shower recess. One option might be to use removable carpet tiles, which can be washed, dried and re-laid without too much hassle.

Another con is the feel of wet carpet. If you only have adults living in your house, splashes might be kept to a minimum, but nothing says wet floor like a couple of kids in a bath! While the carpet may be a safer option to ensure your kids don"t slip and hurt themselves on those sodden floors, the sodden floor itself might present it s own "ick" factor.

Lastly, the fibres of a carpet can make a big difference to how well it suits bathroom use. Natural fibres tend to absorb more moisture than acrylic fibres, so this is important to factor into your carpet buying. Some manufacturers produce carpet especially for bathrooms, so this might be a better option to look into.