The Sleek Bathroom Floor Material To Avoid In 2025 (& A More Timeless Alternative)

Flooring is one of the top ways to inject a sense of style into your bathroom, especially as it takes up a lot of room in the space. As the bathroom is a high-traffic area exposed to high temperatures and humidity levels, it makes sense to look for hard flooring options such as stone and tile. One style that we are seeing pop up in many bathrooms is high gloss stone, granite, and ceramic tiles. Typically, these styles forgo the standard tile sizes and are cut in large, continuous panels, so there are very few grout lines separating them. These look great, no doubt, with a finish that looks sleek, bounces light, and just feels very luxurious. But this is one bathroom decorating trend you should skip. 

High gloss hard flooring provides two challenges: it is incredibly difficult to maintain, requiring frequent cleaning, and it can easily turn your bathroom into a hazard when wet. Classic small, matte, textured tiles on the other hand provide grip, are easy to keep clean, and can look just as stylish, as in a timeless checkerboard pattern. So even though you might be drawn to the shimmering marble slates or glossy ceramic tiles, they come with serious drawbacks to consider.

In general, glossy finishes show off streaks and stains more than matte or satin-finished ones. Imagine rubbing your finger along a glass mirror versus a matte black faucet. The oils of your fingerprint will show up more obviously on the glass. The same is true of glossy tile and stone flooring. In an exclusive interview with House Digest about tile trends to avoid, Danielle Lancianese, Director of Tile and Stone at Shaw Floors, said, "High gloss tends to show more dirt or smudge marks." One thing to keep in mind is that glossy surfaces are simple to refresh, sometimes with nothing more than a polishing cloth, but Lancianese reminds us, "Although tile is easy to clean, I find that you see more dirt, scuff marks, etc. when you place a high gloss in a high-traffic area." So regardless of how often you clean, you'll notice these imperfections more often. And in a room where the floors will be exposed to hard water and lots of foot traffic, that can become a full-time job. 

Leaving the cleaning element out of it, don't forget that large, glossy tiles make it far easier to slip and slide on the floor. It's not just a finish, but the shine requires rough texture to be eliminated from the tiles. Yes, this may look great, but also means you're basically standing on a wet, super slick surface with no traction after the shower. This is the perfect setup for an unpleasant fall in the bathroom. 

It can be difficult to find a bathroom flooring material that is equally functional and stylish, but one tile pattern we never get tired of seeing is checkerboard. This is a go-to pattern and if you use the right material, can be low maintenance, easy to clean, and of course, timeless and elegant. 

Within the checkerboard category, there's still plenty of room for creativity and individualization. Black and white tiles in identical squares is perhaps the most common and classic version. Small tiles in a matte finish is a very good choice for the bathroom, but don't let this stamp out your creativity. You can also choose to use smaller tiles in a contrasting color to add to the pattern as well. And black and white are far from the only options — there are hundreds of color combinations possible, so there really is a checkerboard tile choice for everyone. 

Not only is the checkerboard floor beautiful and functional in the bathroom, it's the definition of timeless. Checkerboard floor patterns have been identified in paintings from as early as 1500 BC! It's one of few styles that has really stayed on-trend for hundreds of years, so you would be making a pretty safe bet to use it in your bathroom.