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traci_teal

Apartment bathroom

8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago

My small apartment bathroom floor is stark white. They used the same tiles on the floor as they used in the shower. Absurd. I am looking for flooring that will not damage the tile. Suggestions???


Comments (21)

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    I assume this is a rental . You could laydown a thin piece of plywood over the tile and then so vinyl sheet flooring ontop of that.

    Traci Teal thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • 8 years ago

    Gel mat(s) rather than rugs ... making sure they have a non-skid back. Gel mats can also help ensure you're not stepping on a cold floor this winter.


    You could keep your bath mat (also with non-skid back) draped over the side of a tub or a towel bar to keep it clean until you're ready to actually use it. Washing it less will make it last longer.

    Traci Teal thanked suezbell
  • 8 years ago

    Consult with the manger to see what, you are allowed to use.


    I do a lot of work for different apartment complexes and the rules vary from one to another as to what a tenant can do.



  • 8 years ago
    Vinyl peel and stick tiles! Check out www.quadrostyle.com
  • 8 years ago

    I am not understanding the issue with the floors. Use nonskid rugs if you don't like the color. They come in every size and color.


    In a rental I would not do anything that needs to be taken off or down or removed or is in any way "semi-permanent". Quite frankly, if I owned a unit and the tenant wanted to put vinyl and plywood over the tiles in the rental unit, I would tell them unequivocally no and would ask for a security deposit that covered the entire expense of remodeling. You aren't asking leave to do anything that potentially increases the value of the unit or upgrades it in any way.

  • 8 years ago

    What's wrong with all white tiles?

    How much time do you spend in that tiny bathroom anyway?

    Just pretty up the bathroom with luxurious towels and bathmat and a fluffy bathrobe and whatever accessories you like and never mind the floor.

  • 8 years ago

    I agree with loobab. In a small bathroom I'd want it tiled exactly the way it is....

  • 8 years ago

    I appreciate everyone’s comments and ideas.

    The tiles are shower tiles. They are not made to be used as flooring. I slip all the time on them, even if they’re not wet.

    What I am looking for is one piece of some kind of flooring, approximately 3x5, that will not damage the tiles. I do not want the hassle of laying down plywood then tiles on top of that. Besides, how would I get the plywood not to slip.

  • 8 years ago

    Put down a 3' x 5' nonstick rug in a color or pattern that you like and your problem is solved.

    I'm currently renting in a remodel which has slippery marble tiles in the bathroom including shower and I just put down a rug which completely solves the problem.

    They come in all sizes and configurations so you can find one or even use two that solves the problems.

  • 8 years ago

    Traci- That doesn't make sense, you are slipping on tiles that are totally dry and you say they are shower tiles? That means that whoever takes a shower with those tiles is going to break their necks! Have they been waxed?

  • 8 years ago

    We put these tiles in my son's kitchen....it was a cheap alternative until he can redo the whole kitchen.


    https://youtu.be/B0TogVZym50

  • 8 years ago

    -a rug (a real deal. they actually withstand mosisture pretty well. and them being heavier keeps them in place. you need small size-will be affordable)

    -a good shower mat

    -a vinyl floor cloth. Also, they're of many styles and come in different sizes. They don't move around and won't damage your tile.

    I completely share your sentiment about wall tiles used on floor..I can slip on those when dry, very easily. I don't know what drives people to use them in bathrooms in the first place. Awful idea)

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    T he problem with using any rug to cover the tiles in a relatively small bathroom -- a room used multiple times each day because it is serves purposes other than just taking a shower -- is that, unless all your family members and guests always remove their shoes when in your home, that rug is going to get walked on by people with shoes not nearly as clean as the feet of someone exiting a shower. But ... to each their own Washing a rug frequently will wear it out more quickly. A gel mat can be cleaned frequently with the same tool used for cleaning the floor without significant wear. A rug used only when feet are clean will stay cleaner for the next use and, generally, require washing a lot less frequently.

  • 8 years ago

    Presumably the floor becomes slippery only after someone has taken a shower. If the floors are so slick that walking on them when dry creates a safety hazard, I would contact the landlord to change because those are very unusual tiles.

    That said, how is it difficult to launder a bathroom rug? Many people have a bathroom rug and launder it with whatever frequency they feel necessary without it being a huge laundry crisis. Wall to wall carpet is disgusting in a bathroom but smallish easily laundered nonslip rugs are easy to keep clean and inexpensive - I bought mine on amazon for I think about $15.

    That said, a large towel on the floor or several towels on the floor actually do make a tile floor non slippery for use on stepping after a shower. I know this because I am currently also using towels to protect me in the bathroom of death which I am renting. I am using towels that were already used but honestly a bathroom rug or a towel - not a big deal to toss in the washing machine


  • 8 years ago



    You have to adapt yourself to your rental, not adapt your rental to your tastes. That’s how rentals work. Landlords don’t allow modification of thir dwellings for a reason.


    Two $10 washable cotton rug’s that get changed out every couple of days fixes any perceived problem.

  • 8 years ago

    Aprilneverends, what is a vinyl floor cloth and where can I find them? Thank you

  • 8 years ago

    Helen, that is exactly what I want to do but I am having a difficult time finding one in that size that i can use in the bathroom and not get mildewy

  • 8 years ago

    you can find vinyl floor cloths online

    this site has a huge choice of patterns https://www.spicherandco.com/home.php?cat=1398

    but I bought mine (made by same company but distributed by a different store) on Garnet Hill. They carry a few patterns, Quality is superb.

    https://www.garnethill.com/floorcloths-by-spicher-and-company/rugs-home-decor/rugs/494210?&defattribvalue=main

    it's vinyl so you just wipe it and it's clean

    It doesn't move on wood..at all. but if your tile is very, very slippery-maybe buy the smallest size to check. You're describing quite an awful tile. I once almost broke my neck, in some open house. On some tile like that.

    If you'd like interesting, maybe bigger bathmat that doesn't skid and you can throw it in the washer-I had some by Anthropologie and was very pleased.

    Obviously you can find them anywhere, I'm just saying I liked their quality.

    As for real deal rug-I have it now in the hall/kids bath, pretty heavily used, and it survived major flooding and emerged like new. What's good about it-you can always repurpose it later, in some other smaller space. They're made to last. You can throw a towel on top of it if you're afraid to ruin it, but these are real hard to ruin. And of course they feel great on feet. I don't baby mine, at all. It smells fine. (I smell it from time to time..lol). Real wool has all sorts of great qualities.

    Traci Teal thanked aprilneverends
  • 8 years ago

    "Absurd."

    Really? Same tiles in shower and floor are absurd? And all white is absurd?

    If the problem is that they have selected tiles with a coefficient of friction rated for walls not floors, that's a legitimate concern. I think if you opened with that you'd have received more helpful advice up front.

    In a rental I would be reluctant to adhere anything to the tile because you never know what kind of residue will be left behind after you're done. If it were my bathroom, I'd look for a rug with a rubber base that would help prevent slipping.

    I have this rug in my entry and the backing is some kind of rubber that keeps it from slipping. It's machine washable. It came from Target and was very affordable. I'm sure they have other styles/colors of similar rugs.


    Target Kenya Fleece Rug

  • 8 years ago

    @Traci - I am confused by your not being able to find a bathroom rug that is washable and in a size and configuration that works for you.

    Bathroom rugs come in all sizes and shapes. They aren't intended to cover a floor completely. Generally people have one or more in the path of where they step - i.e. a large one that fits in front of either the shower or most of where you step out of if it's a tub. You can then add additional ones for coverage. For safety, you don't need to cover the entire floor - just have a nonskid surface where you will be walking.