Laundry Room Floor Ideas That Are Stylish and Durable

How to choose a practical and beautiful floor for your laundry room.

There are several factors to consider when choosing a laundry room flooring. In addition to your space and budget constraints, you'll need to consider design, maintenance, and durability. Luckily, there is a wide range of laundry room flooring options to meet a variety of needs and wants. These laundry room floor ideas showcase both style and long-term durability.

Classic Black and White Checkerboard Tile

A black and white checkerboard pattern gives any laundry room a classic, timeless look. Though it’s a graphic pattern, the small footprint of a laundry room means it won’t look overwhelming. There are many tile options with which you can recreate this look, so you can choose the one that works best with your budget.

Penny Tile

Porcelain penny tile is another way to get a classic look and a durable surface. It’s also easy to customize your floor pattern with penny tile, as you can remove single tiles and replace them with other colors.

Vinyl Sheeting

Vinyl sheeting is actually one of the smartest materials for your laundry room floor. It comes in one piece, it’s seamless, and therefore, there’s little opportunity for water to seep into the subfloor. If you need further convincing, this is one of the least expensive flooring types.

Linoleum

Linoleum is a classic laundry room floor material that’s coming back in a big way, thanks to new groovy colorways and patterns. Be warned, however, that this is not the most durable option. Though inexpensive to replace, linoleum is very vulnerable to water damage. Be sure your subfloor is sealed well if you choose linoleum floor.

Terra Cotta Tiles

Terra cotta is a gorgeous and scratch-resistant option that can last for decades (even centuries!). It’s also one of the less expensive tile options for your laundry room floor. One consideration, however, is that terra cotta requires annual sealing to maintain its durable surface and prevent water absorption.

Cement vs. Ceramic Tile

Though it may be a bold look, patterned cement or ceramic tile is a truly timeless flooring style that can add a lot of cheer to a space. If you go with cement tiles, you’ll need to seal them before and after grouting with a penetrating to prevent staining and water absorption. Ceramic tiles don't require sealing and offer a similar look. This decision might come down to the price of the tiles you like and the amount of effort you're willing to contribute.

Related: How to Tile and Grout a Floor

Choosing Wood Floors

Wood floor adds a warm, traditional feeling to any room. For your laundry room, choose a hardwood like oak or maple, which will be more durable. Seal the wood with polyurethane to protect it further. You could also consider wood-look vinyl planking, which is more waterproof than natural wood.

Related: How to Clean Hardwood Floors for a Polished Look

Stone Tiles

Slate or stone tile is another durable option for your laundry room floor that looks subtly rustic. Depending on the type of stone, this type of tile can be more affordable than more decorative styles, and they style is versatile enough to work with a range of decorating schemes.

Vinyl Planks

Vinyl planks come in many styles, and they’re a durable option for your laundry room floor. Look for the largest planks you can find to minimize the number of seams and maximize waterproofing.

Tile Color Palette

Remember, your laundry room floor may be the longest lasting decor element in the room, so consider choosing something classic. These chic hexagon-shape tiles in a neutral palette would look at home in almost any room, and here, they complement the fun, maximalist treatment on the shelves.

Protect Wood Floors

Pine floor are gorgeous, but they’re a softer wood (ash, fir and redwood are also in this category), meaning they’re vulnerable to scratches and water damage. Protect the wood with polyurethane, which hardens to create a protective seal. Also consider placing protective pads under your washer and dryer so that they glide easily when you need to move them.

Patterned Floor

Patterned ceramic or cement tile makes for a fun base to build the rest of your dream laundry room, and either type of tile will hold up well. This crisp black and white tile would suit almost any color scheme but looks especially fresh with the bright aqua paint.

Related: How to Paint and Stencil Tile Floors for a Budget-Friendly Update

Herringbone Tile Design

If you love herringbone floors but balk at the cost, the laundry room is a surprisingly smart place to spring for this pattern, given the small square footage. Here, black glazed brick-shape tiles create a dramatic but classic look that’s by far the star of the room.

Rearrange Your Tiles

Similar to penny tile, you can reconfigure small square tiles into any pattern you want. And because the color scheme is so timeless, almost any pattern looks good. Even this puzzle-like design looks classic in this early 20th century laundry room.

Make the Space Fun

Not everyone has the budget for a perfectly durable and waterproof laundry room floor, but everyone deserves a fun, functional laundry room. Take inspiration from this painted plywood floor, and use paint, stain, or new grout to dress up what you have.

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