Wood from the Restroom? Absolutely!

Wood from the Restroom? Absolutely!

The conventional wisdom is that tile is your go-to for toilet surfaces. We see tile anywhere, from the bathroom at work to the subway, to everybody’s house.

I love tile, but only because it’s so popular does not mean we have to design with it. And tile and grout are not as impervious as you might think and are not needed for looks, cleanliness or durability in moist places like kitchens and baths.

In fact, it is possible to do wonders with wood, even in the bathroom. The way it feels, sounds and even reflects light is fantastic. Additionally, it supplies color and thickness, and can soften the look of hard ceramic finishes.

TR Building & Remodeling Inc..

While wood is a durable choice for bathroom floors, in addition, it is fantastic on the ceiling. It adds a sense of natural heat in a space where, well, the majority of us are au naturel.

Yes, this ceiling is above a shower. It is possible to imagine the potential moisture issues. I recommend having a fan in the toilet, but adding another barrier between the steam rising from the shower and what is behind the ceiling might be smart here. I recommend sealing the wood surface using boiled linseed oil and/or urethane. I also recommend sheeting the ceiling joists using 15-pound tar paper (the black paper you see under roof shingles) before installing the wood.

Tar paper is water resistant and will retain moisture which really does make it through the ceiling (not much, if any) inside the area. The moisture will vanish back into the area and dry with the remainder of the atmosphere, particularly if you’re using planks rather than a tongue and groove material.

Wood on an accent wall — in this case, beveled siding — softens and adds texture. Moisture is obviously an issue in a moist area, and the usual go-to toilet coating is semigloss paint.

When it comes to wood, I enjoy the feel to be the star, so that I prime the base coat with oil (it’s plump, so do it out) and be certain that the end grains and backs become coated to thoroughly seal the wood.

Installing wood is often easy, fast and cleaner than asphalt shingles.

Inspirations Toilet and Kitchen

When you are remodeling a bathroom, there are lots of materials you can use for the walls that’ll help battle ever-present moisture. Water-resistant drywall (often called green board) and cement board are very popular, but they’re not necessary or any more durable than natural softwood planks like eastern white pine.

Bare wood will stain, but coating it with a water-based urethane can keep all that natural wood grain vibrant. And with different-colored wood cabinets and storage is a wonderful touch, using clean, horizontal lines drywall can’t touch.

I recommend tongue and groove stock, rather than planks, to create a continuous barrier to minimize moisture migration to the walls.

Becker Architects Limited

Think creatively. Wood is used on decks and docks, where it is continually shifting between moist and wet (and getting snowed on). So why don’t you use it the shower floor or another bath area?

This pallet floor is habit detailed with this shower meeting. An easily customizable pallet built from any range of broadly accessible lumber species — walnut, cedar, Douglas fir — can be made for a typical shower using a sealed and poured shower pan set up of tile. Or it could cover tile, which is my preference, since I find it a lot easier to wash.

I also enjoy the idea of creating a simpler element motivated by this layout: a wooden bath mat. Wood is easy to seal and wash with basic household materials, and it’s much less slippery than glazed tile.

See more wooden shower floors

Erickson Zebroski Design Group, Inc..

Using wood in the toilet enables a mixture of materials to create depth and warmth across different materials and styles. This concrete wall might have appeared cold and heartless were it not for the towering rafters along with V-joint roof decking above. Scale down this feature to convey precisely the same effect in a more compact space.

HomeTech Renovations, Inc..

I have installed wood flooring in bathrooms. Not only does it deliver a candy fashion, but it’s durable, in large part because urethane finishes are fantastic. I put 15-pound tar paper down to protect the ground from any water that does get through.

Rauser Design

Other reasons to use wood floors in the bathroom, besides looks, are simplicity and simplicity. It’s a lot easier to run flooring which exists in the other rooms of the house through to the toilet. Plus it makes a flow, a sense of continuity, that I find calming.

More:
Thousands of amazing bathrooms featuring wood
Wonderful wood counters for kitchen and bath

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