ᐅ Vinyl flooring in a walk-in (curbless) shower

I like the wordplay in your username @Stone82, who apparently doesn’t want (or is not supposed to) install tiles (stone).

I share the opinions already expressed and see no point in installing lower quality materials for more money and effort. In any case, I don’t like such products and prefer either natural stone or wood or something similar—never stone in wood look or the like.

I understand the basic idea of having a uniform floor, but the rooms as well as the budget must fit that concept, because this type of flooring often causes considerable issues if the installation is not done perfectly.

It also seems to be somewhat of a common trend that tends to be short-lived, so I would always opt for more classic solutions. As my tiler already mentioned, nowadays formats are getting larger (and more expensive) before they shrink again—this has all happened before. Even with tiles, I don’t see a compelling reason to choose an especially expensive format unless the two factors mentioned above (intentional overall design and budget) are in place.

Arauki11 schrieb:

formats are currently getting bigger (and more expensive)

Bigger, yes, but large formats have now become very cheap. You can get 60x120cm (24x48 inches) tiles for as low as 29–39€/sqm. A few years ago, that was unthinkable.

nordanney schrieb:

Bigger, yes, but large formats are now "dirt cheap." You can get 60x120cm (24x48 inches) tiles starting at 29-39€/m² (3-4 USD/sqft). A few years ago, that was unthinkable.

Okay, I see that I'm a bit out of date on this. There must be new trends now, which are usually showcased right at the entrance.

Stone82 schrieb:

She just imagines having a uniform floor throughout almost the entire house.

In a way, she’s not entirely wrong to think so. On a single level, for example on the ground floor, where doors might be left open or not even present, having one type of flooring can create a sense of spaciousness through consistency.
However, this definitely doesn’t apply when dealing with different levels or different functions. For example, a utility room or a technical room can be excluded if those doors are usually kept closed. Also, a bathroom or any other room with a completely different design can give a house a more varied character.
The same goes for bathrooms. Some people are just less inventive (without meaning that negatively) and prefer uniformity, partly because they’re not willing or able to stretch their creativity that far. Some are more creative; others more pragmatic.

Whether or not you want to install plastic flooring in your home is another consideration. Vinyl (PVC) seems to have replaced laminate recently, while you could also say that laminate once replaced PVC flooring.

Stone82 schrieb:

But I didn’t expect this wish to be quite so specific.

Well, would you lay laminate flooring in the shower? It’s basically the same idea.

Stone82 schrieb:

Admittedly, vinyl flooring feels more comfortable than tiles.

These days, most people build with underfloor heating. To be honest, there’s no real need to focus so much on “warm surfaces.” Tiles have their advantages. Personally, I avoid all the back-and-forth issues related to heat/cold, heating/cooling, etc. For me, tiles are still the best choice in a bathroom. Of course, not the entire floor has to be turned into a luxury spa zone like the bathroom itself. 😉

Take a trip to Denmark, where it is quite common to have bathrooms fully covered with vinyl flooring. They also use American-style toilets and don’t have tiled backsplashes. There are certainly companies in Germany that can do this. It just needs to be cut and sealed neatly.