Carpet...in the Bathroom?

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The words “bathroom carpet,” when used together in a sentence, may seem a bit oxymoronic. Indeed the superior moisture resistance of other flooring materials, such as tile, vinyl, engineered wood, and laminate have precluded carpet from the vast majority of bathroom remodels. Yet anyone who has used a bath mat can attest to some of the advantages of carpet in the bathroom.

Choosing carpet in the bathroom must be a highly selective process, as mold, mildew, and general water damage must be taken carefully into account. Nonetheless, carpeting the bathroom has been and certainly can be done. Following are some pros, cons, and examples of bathroom carpet which will illuminate ways in which you yourself can successfully incorporate carpet into the bathroom.

The Pros of Bathroom Carpet

Carpet offers a plush and slip-resistant surface for the bathroom. The greatest portion of our bathroom time is spent barefoot, so the warmth and softness underfoot inherent to carpet is an obvious benefit.

Carpet is also the most inexpensive flooring option, oftentimes reaching as low as $1 per square foot. Not only that, it is simple to install. You can purchase sectionals from a retailer, which you can cut to fit and install yourself, or you can hire a flooring contractor (often through your bathroom remodeler), to ensure a professional and lasting installation.

Carpet manufacturers have taken steps to mitigate the largest concerns regarding bathroom carpet --mildew, mold, and staining. For starters, moisture resistant pads are available for installation beneath the carpet to protect the subfloor (replacing carpet is relatively easy, tearing up rotted flooring is a much larger job). A good bathroom carpet will also come with a built-in mold and mildew resistant backing. Mold and mildew treatments can also be purchased for additional protection.

The Cons

Staining, mold, mildew, odor – these are the main drawbacks to carpet in the bathroom. Carpet is innately like a sponge compared to tile or linoleum. Bathrooms create moisture, and thus attack carpet, from all sides. The sink, shower, and toilet are all potential splash and leak creators. Regardless of extra padding, treatments or careful attention paid, eventually the carpet and water are going to be at odds.

The disadvantages of carpet in the bathroom increase exponentially for every child living in the house as well. Most moms and dads don't have time everyday to spend laboriously cleaning the bathroom floor -- a big reason why carpet typically loses out to other bathroom flooring materials.

Getting Your Fiber

All types of carpet are made from fibers of some kind. Therefore they are naturally inclined to soak up spills and splashes. As a general rule, when it comes to carpet fibers, more plush and natural fibers such as wool retain the most moisture while synthetic fibers such as nylon retain the least. Subsequently, it becomes obvious that thinner, harder, synthetic fibers will be the most advantageous for use in the bathroom.

Nylon is by far the most common carpet material in use today, regardless of which room of the house we're referring to. Nylon is durable, static-free, maintains its height, and is the best resistor to staining and mildew -- hard to find a better choice for the bathroom. According to carpet.org, nylon carpeting starts at about $8 per square yard (less than $1 per square foot).

Followed by nylon is olefin, made with polypropylene. Olefin is colorfast and holds much of the advantages of nylon carpet. It is just a bit softer than nylon and slightly more absorbent. Nonetheless it is mildew and stain resistant to an extent outstripping most of its rivals. Olefin is most common in Berber carpets.

More Possibilities

Above we briefly mentioned the option of using sectionals and cutting and installing them yourself. Along those same lines, but with an even more bathroom-friendly improvement, come removable squares, or modular carpet tiles. Using FLOR tiles as an example, modular carpet tiles come in roughly 20" sections that can be mixed and matched to form any design. Moreover, they can easily be removed and cleaned or replaced -- a big advantage for bathroom installations. They simply utilize a non-toxic adhesive that sticks to the bottom of each tile, not to the floor, so DIY installation is a snap. FLOR tiles are also low-VOC for added health.

Of course area rugs, the more conventional approach to carpet in the bathroom, cannot be ignored. All of the above information regarding fibers and carpet types will hold true. Although area rugs provide more flexibility because they can be removed, so softer, thicker rugs may be employed -- just pay attention to the cleaning requirements for each type.

If you want to, get unique and go "green" in the bathroom. Have a look at "Moss Carpet" from designer La Chanh Nguyen. Now you can actually step onto real moss upon stepping out of the shower. The bathroom carpet is made of a foam called plastazote -- it looks kind of like a cupcake baking tray. Each cell holds one of three different types of moss, and the humidity, splashing, and drops flowing from a wet body waters the moss. You simply cannot get a more natural feeling underfoot in the bathroom. Designers are putting on the finishing touches and hope to have a product to market by the end of 2009.

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