Luxury Vinyl Plank Pros and Cons: Bathroom Edition

Have you been wondering about this new flooring called luxury vinyl plank but not sure what the pros and cons are, especially for a bathroom renovation?

Have you been searching for an easy, affordable flooring solution to update your bathroom, but can’t find anything you feel you can tackle yourself?

Want to transform your bathroom floor in as little as one day, but not sure how it will hold up?

This post is for you!

Today we will give you all the pros and cons of luxury vinyl plank, specific to a bathroom installation.

We recently remodeled our TWO bathrooms in ONE week (excluding the shower/tub area). Our master bathroom got the luxury vinyl plank flooring, while our guest bathroom received large format ceramic tiles with grout. So we installed BOTH types of flooring, ourselves, in a matter of a few days in our bathrooms. For a little more about me, check out my about page.

This makes us uniquely qualified to share with you the pros and cons of luxury vinyl plank, specifically versus traditional ceramic tile. Here’s what we’ll cover:

So, by the end of this post, you will know ALL the pros and cons for installing luxury vinyl plank, plus get a list of sources of amazing stone-look tiles that would go well in any bathroom. You will then be able to choose the best flooring type for your renovation project – and turn your design inspiration into a reality!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at NO extra cost to you.

About luxury vinyl plank

What is Luxury Vinyl Plank?

Luxury vinyl plank is made of, you guessed it vinyl. Vinyl is basically plastic. So, it will last forever basically. But it can become damaged, etc, just like anything else over time.

What are luxury vinyl planks made of?

Luxury vinyl planks actually have several layers to the product. The luxury vinyl tile we used by Duralux, consist of the vinyl layer, an IXPE foam backing, and a rigid stone-based core. The top layer has a printed on design, that can look like anything from marble, to stone, to wood.

Types of Luxury Vinyl Plank

There are several types of luxury vinyl flooring. There are planks and tiles. The planks are more like a wood look plank, long and skinny. These are great for living areas and kitchens.

The luxury vinyl tiles are either a 12×12 square or a 12×24 rectangle tile, and usually simulate the look of stone or ceramic tile. I love the stone look luxury vinyl tile for bathrooms.

Home Depot has a number of really cute luxury vinyl tile that look like stone, like this MSI White Ocean 12 in. x 24 in. Rigid Core Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring, below. I have a few more of my favorite stone-look luxury vinyl tiles at the end of this post, from both Home Depot and Floor & Decor.

Pros of Luxury Vinyl Plank

Installation

• The biggest pro (in my opinion) is you can install an entire small or medium sized bathroom floor in ONE DAY.
• Installation costs are low – installation is so easy, it brings your labor cost down considerably and is something I think most people could DIY. (For even MORE ideas to save on bathroom remodeling costs, check out my post, “9 Ways to Save on Your Bathroom Remodel Costs.”
• You don’t need any expensive tools for the install. We basically only needed a ruler, rubber mallet, tape measure, 1/4″ spacers, and a utility knife.
• No demo is required! You can install this right over existing tile.
• No acclimation is required, so you can install it right away.
• Depending on the tile and your subfloor – no need to install an underlayment, and not much floor prep required, mainly ensure it’s clean and dry and fairly level.
• If underlayment is required it’s quick and easy – just roll out a layer of poly. Read your package for the directions, ours said the warranty is void if we installed an underlayment.

Long term ownership

• Very durable and perfect for most rooms in the house, including basements, bathrooms, sunrooms, and laundry rooms.
• Material costs are a huge pro, the tiles we bought were around $2.50/square foot which is only slightly higher than the ceramic tiles we used for our other bathroom. See before/afters of both our recent bathroom remodels here – DIY Bathroom Remodel: Beginner’s Guide.
• The tiles available today look like real stone, or real wood, it’s amazing the quality of the printing!
• Many of the options are 100% waterproof, which is the perfect application for a bathroom floor (not intended for a shower floor though). We actually had a small leak and the water just beaded up right on top of the flooring – so it really is waterproof.
• Resists both scratches and dents, so it’s great if you have kids/dogs/etc.
• It’s much warmer on bare feet than ceramic or stone tile. I have both and totally don’t mind walking on my luxury vinyl tile with bare feet.
• The tile we chose, from Duralux, provides a lifetime residential warranty. Can’t beat that!

Luxury vinyl plank cons

• You can’t grout the tile so if you love the look of grout lines, this may not be for you.
• You need to be careful with the floor cleaners you use – no bleach, wax, oil, or abrasive cleansers. Use a gentle cleaner.
• To make it look professional, you need to remove your baseboards and toilet, then install the tile, then replace that stuff (pretty much the same deal as ceramic). For more tips on DIY bathroom remodeling, check out my post, DIY Bathroom Remodel: Beginner’s Guide.
• Our tile said not to install cabinets on top of the tile, but we did install our vanity on top of it, so we’ll update this post if that was not a good idea.
• Since it is made using layers of different stuff, we did have a couple of tiles that got a tiny bit of the corner of the top layer ripped off a little bit during install. I’m hoping they don’t become worse over time.

How to clean luxury vinyl plank

• Sweep regularly up loose debris to avoid scuffs and scratches
• Mop once per week. I use a Swiffer or take a little bit of floor cleaner and a lot of water in a bucket, and use a microfiber mop.
• It’s better to dry the floor with a dry rag afterwards. I feel like otherwise it takes too long to dry, but probably due to my bathroom having no windows nearby.
• Spot clean stains – water and baking soda, or a little hydrogen peroxide.

Recommendation

All in all, I highly recommend luxury vinyl plank for any bathroom install that you want done quickly and cheaply. Its an easy project for a beginner DIYer. The pro’s definitely outweigh the cons, especially if you are budget conscious and short on time. Plus, maintaining and cleaning luxury vinyl plank couldn’t be easier.

Sources

Here are a few more stone-look luxury vinyl planks that would look great in any bathroom renovation, and remember it can be installed in ONE day! My go-to sources for luxury vinyl planks are Home Depot and Floor & Decor – they both have a wide selection, especially for stone-look luxury vinyl plank.

Which one do you like best? Leave me a comment below with your opinion, I’d love to hear what you think.

If you are ready to take on full bathroom remodel, check out my post, Beginner’s Guide: DIY Bathroom Remodel for our full bathroom before and after, along with all our tips, tricks, and shortcuts we learned during our recent DIY bathroom renovation.