Floor in the toilet: tiles, linoleum, self-leveling, underfloor heating, material selection, types of work, execution technique, necessary tools, step-by-step work instructions and

2024 Author: Aaron Duncan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 03:30

Choosing bathroom flooring is no easy task. This is explained by the wide range of building materials offered and the high requirements for this room. What to look for when buying bathroom flooring and can you do it yourself?

Types of bathroom flooring

In order not to be disappointed in the purchase already in the first month, the choice should be approached very responsibly. It must be remembered that there are several requirements for flooring in the toilet:

1. Immune to moisture. The toilet, and in particular the combined bathroom, is characterized by an increased level of humidity. If the material does not meet this requirement, then the destruction of the floor covering will begin in the coming months.
2. Resistance to chemical compounds. It is important to keep the bathroom clean at all times. Numerous detergents and cleaning agents are used for this purpose. It is important that the floor surface does not react withhousehold chemicals, otherwise damage will occur.
3. Appearance. This indicator is one of the most important, as many buyers are primarily guided by external parameters.
4. Strength and durability. The longer the service life of the floor covering, the longer you will not have to remember about repairs.

Among the suitable floor materials for the toilet are:

• tile tiles;
• self-leveling floor;
• linoleum.

Advantages and disadvantages of tiles

Despite the wide variety of floor coverings, tiles are considered one of the most sought after. This demand can be explained by a large list of advantages of this material:

• Easy maintenance. Dust and dirt are easily removed from the surface of this decorative coating, so you will need a floor cloth and water for cleaning. There are no streaks on the tiles.
• Strength. Such a floor can withstand any furniture and household appliances.
• Immune to moisture. Even with a constant high level of moisture and frequent washing, the tiles on the floor in the toilet are not deformed, retaining their original appearance.
• Resistant to household chemicals. Tiles endure contact with antibacterial compounds.
• Service life. With proper care, such a floor can last about 50 years.
• Fire safety.

Calling the advantages of this finishing material, do not ignore its disadvantages:

• The tiles are cold. This characteristic becomes especially noticeable in winter.
• Not impact resistant. If heavy objects fall on the floor, cracks may appear in this area.
• A level floor is required. If the base has potholes, drops and other flaws, then you can’t put tiles on the floor in the toilet. Pre-alignment required.

Materials and tools for laying tiles

Before laying the floor in the toilet, you should stock up on all the necessary tools and materials:

1. Tile. When choosing the right option in the store, you should remember: the surface should not be completely smooth. Doing so will help prevent falls and injury on wet floors.
2. Tile adhesive.
3. Plastic crosses for forming tile joints.
4. Construction pencil for marking.
5. Tile cutter or grinder.
6. Building level.
7. Male rubber.
8. Metal corner ruler;
9. Grout for filling tile joints.
10. Spatula for applying and evenly distributing glue.
11. Dry wipe.

How to put tiles in the toilet on the floor

The end result largely depends on the quality of the base, so preparatory work is carried out before laying. The old decorative coating is removed before the screed. The base is checked for defects and the drops are checked using a level. If the differences are 1-6 mm, you can use a self-leveling compound. With more pronounced differences, experts adviseapply concrete screed.

After the screed has hardened (it takes 3-5 days), a primer is applied to the base. This layer prevents the development of fungus and enhances adhesion to the base. After that, you can start laying the tiles.

Advice! First of all, the installation of the whole tile is carried out, and only then the cut parts are reported in the remaining gaps.

1. The first step is to mark the base. To do this, one of the walls of the room determines the middle and draws a straight line to the middle of the opposite wall. Similarly, find the middle of the other two walls and connect them. The result is two lines that intersect in the center of the room. It is from this point that you should start laying tiles on the floor. With your own hands in the toilet, you can lay the masonry quickly enough, which is explained by the small size of the room.
2. Glue is applied to the first tile with a spatula. Apply tiles in accordance with the markup. The correctness of the masonry is checked with a level, if necessary, make changes with a mallet.
3. The second tile is also covered with a layer of adhesive and installed. In this case, special crosses are placed between the two tiles. Again, the level is checked for differences and corrected if necessary.



4. After laying the entire whole tile, use a pencil and a ruler to make marks on the remaining tile for cutting. These pieces will fill in the gaps near the toilet and in the corners. The installation principle is the same.
5. The next step is fillingtile joints with grout. It is convenient to do this with a rubber spatula. Excess material on the tile is best removed immediately with a dry cloth before drying.

Advantages and disadvantages of self-leveling floor

Self-leveling floor - a relatively new type of flooring, but now it is in high demand among consumers. Most often they order a self-leveling floor in the toilet, bathroom and kitchen. There are several advantages to this type of flooring:

1. Easy maintenance. Special washing and cleaning is not required - all dirt can be removed in a few minutes with a cloth and water.
2. Immune to high humidity and household chemicals. Such a coating can be washed frequently with detergents and cleaners (non-abrasive).
3. Original appearance. With the help of coloring components, it is possible to obtain absolutely any shade of the coating. Moreover, only self-leveling floors allow 3D design. In the next photo, the floor in the toilet is made using this technique.



4. Perfectly flat surface.
5. Warmer finish (compared to tiles).

This finishing technology also has serious drawbacks:

1. High cost, which consists of the cost of materials and the work of craftsmen.
2. Duration of the process. It will take 3-4 weeks to complete the self-leveling floor in the toilet.
3. It is extremely difficult to cope with such a task on your own.

Materials and tools for self-leveling floor

Temthose who are going to make a self-leveling floor in the toilet with their own hands, you should take care of the availability of all the necessary tools and materials in advance:

1. Dry mix for self-leveling floor. It is polyurethane, methyl methacrylic, epoxy and epoxy-urethane. Each of the presented products has different characteristics. For home use, masters recommend choosing polyurethane floors.
2. Primer coat.
3. Capacity for preparing the solution. It must have a volume of more than 15 liters.
4. Squeegee. This tool is used to adjust the thickness of the material layer.
5. Shoe caps with metal spikes.
6. Electric drill and special mixer attachment.
7. Spike roller for uniform distribution of the composition.
8. Building level.
9. Several spatulas of various sizes.

Progress of work on pouring the floor

The installation process of the self-leveling floor consists of several stages:

1. Preparing the base. This is a long and labor-intensive stage, as the result should be an even base without debris and dust. The slope should not be more than 4 mm. Depending on the type of old decorative coating, the course of work varies. The tile can not be dismantled, it is enough to check the reliability of fastening. Concrete is cleaned with a wire brush or sandblaster. For a wooden coating, a grinder is used.
2. Defect elimination. Chips, cracks, potholes should be covered with putty (for wood), tile adhesive (for tiles) or cement mortar (for concrete).
3. Careful removal of debris and dust. The easiest way to do this job is with a construction vacuum cleaner.
4. Primer floor in the toilet. Apply 2-3 coats of primer to the surface. For this, a roller with a long nap is useful. Each subsequent layer is thoroughly dried.
5. Preparation of the solution. Each manufacturer of a mixture for self-leveling floors offers its own preparation scheme. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare the solution in strict accordance with the instructions. Stir the solution for at least 15 minutes using an electric drill with a mixer.
6. The finished solution (2-3 buckets) is poured onto the floor and spread evenly using a tool called a squeegee. In this way, continue to pour the solution until the entire surface of the floor in the toilet is filled.
7. To eliminate bubbles, it is enough to move the spiked roller over the mortar.
8. After the solution dries a little, it is covered with paper or film to protect it from dust.
9. After drying (it will take about a day), the floor is covered with polyurethane varnish to add shine.

Advantages and disadvantages of linoleum

Linoleum can compete with the previous two finishing materials. In the list of its advantages it is worth noting:

• Resistant to water. Properly laid linoleum is immune to moisture and prevents the growth of bacteria and fungus.
• Easy care. This floor finish in the toilet and bathroom is unpretentious in maintenance, and stains do not remain on its surface.
• Tolerates contact with householdchemistry. For cleaning in such a toilet, any detergent will do.
• Long service life. So that repairs do not have to be done in a few years, it is better to choose wear-resistant types of linoleum (wear resistance class - 22-23 and higher).
• Relatively warm material.
• No joints or seams.
• Relatively cheap finishes. If you choose between tiles, self-leveling floors and linoleum, then in the latter case, the costs will be much lower.

As a disadvantage, you can specify the relative softness of the material. So, under mechanical stress, the surface of linoleum can be scratched or otherwise damaged.

Materials and tools for laying linoleum

Before laying linoleum on the floor in the toilet with your own hands, you need to purchase the following tools:

• Glue for linoleum (do not choose the cheapest, the durability of the coating depends on it).
• Construction knife for cutting material.
• Hard rubber roller.

How to properly install linoleum

To increase the life of the coating and reduce the risk of fungus and mold, builders recommend removing old flooring (tiles, old linoleum, paint). It is better to scrape off the material to the very concrete base. After that, it is necessary to eliminate cracks and potholes with a cement mortar. After complete drying, the base is cleaned and dirt and dust are removed. A construction vacuum cleaner will help with this. Next is the installation of the coating:

1. Linoleum layout. To achieve a good result, there are 2 ways to do the job. Linoleum can be cut according to the exact measurements of the toilet in a spacious room, or you can roll out the sheet right in the toilet and cut it on the spot. In the second case, one should strive to ensure that the joints between the material and the walls are minimal. In this form, linoleum is left indoors for 1-2 days, allowing it to lie down and straighten out.



2. The next step is cutting the sheet where necessary. The gaps between the wall and the material should average 5mm.
3. Bend one half of the linoleum and apply adhesive to it and return to its original position. To eliminate bubbles, linoleum is rolled with a hard roller. Glue the second half of the sheet in the same way.

Heated floor in the bathroom

For those who want to make the floor in the toilet at home as warm and comfortable as possible, experts recommend installing a warm floor. This system has several advantages:

1. Possibility of temperature regulation with thermostat.
2. Eliminates moisture and associated odor.
3. Reduce the risk of mold and mildew.
4. The "warm floor" system in the toilet allows you to use floor coverings that are uncomfortable under other conditions. These include tiles.

Types of floor heating systems

Manufacturers offer several types of underfloor heating systems, differing in principleactions:

• heating mats (thermo);
• infrared film;
• cable floor.

The characteristics of these systems vary, so experts recommend different systems for different floor coverings. In the case of using laminate or linoleum, you should pay attention to the infrared film floor. For tiles, cable floors and heating mats are the best allies.

Installation of underfloor heating

The system is installed during the laying of the flooring, so it should be provided in advance.

Heating mats are a design that is a rectangular sheet, equipped with heating wires. In the case of using this system under tiles, the sheets are laid on tile adhesive. The undoubted advantage is the ability to change the shape and size of the mat. This feature can be used to avoid obstacles in the bathroom.

The cable system is represented by a single-core or two-core cable. When installing the floor, the cable is laid in a cement screed. During the operation of the system, the screed is heated, and therefore the floor acquires the optimum temperature. The advantage of such a device is space saving. In addition to the screed, an additional layer is not required.

Infrared floor heating has the appearance of a thin film divided into sections.

It is laid immediately before laying tiles or other material on the floor of the toilet. MainThe advantage of infrared floors is energy savings.