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Original poster

Cold slate shower floor, brrrrrr and eeewww

22 replies

Whatsgoingon12345 · 24/10/2023 07:23

Our shower is above the garage and has slate floor. It’s pretty darn cold and miserable. And damp and just eewww.
im looking at putting vinyl floor down - as a roll or as the hard, click together stuff. Will this help? Is there something better?
can I out underfloor heating on top of the tiles? I see you can get stuff that’s 3mm thick but not sure if that means taking loo/ shower etc up.
thank you! It’s definitely not a spa experience atm!

OP posts:
PrudeyTwoShoes · 24/10/2023 07:55

Hi, I'm not an expert but we recently renovated and FIL rennovates houses for a living so picked up a few things. Be mindful that most vinyl click flooring is 'water resistant' at best - I'm not even sure sure you can get fully water proof ones. I doubt the roll on stuff would be a good idea as I can't imagine that not letting the water under.

Heated flooring is an option and I think they can be put over existing tiles. You'll need an insulating layer first anyway.

Have you considered putting a shower tray in and keeping the existing flooring?

MagpiePi · 24/10/2023 08:14

Do you mean the floor of just the shower cubicle is slate, or the whole room has a slate floor?
If the whole room, then vinyl would help. I’m sure you can get insulated ones that have a warm feel. I sealed mine with silicone round the edge of the shower tray and have never had a problem with water going underneath.
If just the shower floor, you could get a slatted wooden shower mat type thing to stand on. It will probably go manky eventually though.

yomellamoHelly · 24/10/2023 08:21

Can you insulate it from below?

PrudeyTwoShoes · 24/10/2023 08:26

@MagpiePi I assumed op meant it was like a wet room where shower and reat of the floor are all the same. If it is just the flooring outside the shower, vinyl would be fine as long as @Whatsgoingon12345 checks it's ok for bathrooms (not all are).

Original poster
Whatsgoingon12345 · 24/10/2023 09:46

Hello! Thank you so much for helping. The whole house is tatty and unloved so I want to start with the most frequently used rooms.
it’s a 2x2 room with a shower in a tray and slate tiles that ( I think) go slightly under the shower tray? Or maybe they butt the edge of the shower tray and are siliconed in? not too sure.
It’s got some sort of insulation (glass wool?) between the floor and the garage roof.
the shower tray is fine as the water warms it up, it’s the cold slate tiles. The mat never dries (certain people never hang it in the towel rail) and the condensation on the window is insane, even with an extractor fan.
Id love to get underfloor heating and something on top - I don’t know if it’s even possible or whether we’d need to lift the shower,loo and take away the slate ( not happening).
I’ll do some googling, but just wondered if anyone had any tips.
thanks for the click together and lino tip- people do seem to leave great puddles.
Maybe I need a new family rather than a new floor!
i d love someone to invent a battery operated bath mat that warms up. Can’t find one online!

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hedgehoglurker · 24/10/2023 10:03

Is there no heating in there? Could you fit a heated towel rail?

If you can, change the flooring. If not, you can have more than 1 mat. I'd recommend a microfibre type that is easy to wash, absorbant, and dries quickly. A couple of these for by the shower that you can swap and dry between the soakings.

I have underfloor heating in my ensuite, but don't use it as it is electric and very expensive to run. (I don't have a regular routine where I shower at the same time each day, so the timer isn't much use to me.)

I have a heated towel rail which is connected to the gch, and 3 mats which mean I don't have to step on tiles in bare feet.

Also, check that your extractor works effectively. I've read about testing to see if it can suck up a sheet of paper.

zozueme · 24/10/2023 10:08

We have cold tiles, with electric underfloor heating we don't use because of the cost. I'd definitely go for vinyl flooring next time - so much warmer and more forgiving if you drop things on it.

LibertyLily · 24/10/2023 11:01

The previous owners of our current house fitted slate flooring in the bathroom. It looked - as well as felt - so cold, it had to go! (We previously tiled the kitchen floor of our last-but-three house with slate back in 1998 - but even in a warm kitchen I wouldn't be using it now!)

We redid the bathroom floor in brightly coloured porcelain tiles and the difference is amazing...they look so much warmer (optical illusion, obvs) and cheerful compared to the awful dreary slate.

If I was looking for a cheap fix though, I'd definitely opt for vinyl flooring. We did have karndean in a couple of previous bathrooms - no issues with puddles despite the presence of DS and his friends sleeping over - but it got terribly dusty and required constant cleaning. I wouldn't choose that for a bathroom again.

Flewtheflue · 24/10/2023 11:09

We've got a freezing bathroom with a cold tiled floor as well- it's miserable in the winter! I've not fitted it yet, but I'm looking at replacing the tiles with this:
https://storiesflooring.co.uk/products/hydroclick-camille-natural-oak-wr1005
In a VERY unscientific experiment I've left the large-ish sample they sent on the bathroom floor to see how it compares now the nights are drawing in and it definitely got a whole lot less chill factor!

HydroClick Camille Natural Oak WR1005

Stylish, affordable, and water resistant, the HydroClick Camille Natural Oak WR1005 can be installed in practically any area of the home. Benefitting from a hyper-realistic surface, this beautiful floor looks just like the real thing, only it comes at...

https://storiesflooring.co.uk/products/hydroclick-camille-natural-oak-wr1005

Original poster
Whatsgoingon12345 · 24/10/2023 23:27

Ooh thank you!
yes there’s a heated towel rail. I think you’re right liberty it’s just dark and miserable looking as well as freezing. I was hoping with dark walls it would look trendy but it just looks like a dark hole.
thanks for the thoughts on vinyl. The hydro lick looks lovely flew . I did the same with teeny samples from b and q, it does seem an improvement! ( even hopping from one piece to the next)
I’ll get more bath mats, hedgehog I guess I’ll swap them daily - I optimistically think people will hang them up between showers. 😀
I didn’t know that about the extraction thing. Rather think that’ll be part of the problem.
thanks also re heated flooring, even if we can retro fit it, it does sound expensive.
vinyl and new mats it is!
btw it’s a 2m x 2m room. I asked our local bathroom company and they quoted 18k . With a straight face😳

OP posts:
adriftinadenofvipers · 26/10/2023 21:47

I've had Amtico in our main bathroom for 20 years and it still looks good - plus it feels warmer underfoot.

I always said I'd put it in my en suite when upgrading it, but I got seduced by beautiful, big, bold marble tiles, walls and floor...!!

Original poster
Whatsgoingon12345 · 26/10/2023 21:55

Ooh thank you. DH keeps saying amtico as he’d like something quality. I shall look up amtico!

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Justbefore · 26/10/2023 22:18

W’ve put electric underfloor heating (a kind of wire mat) that had a thin layer of concrete poired on top, then a sheet of vinyl (what we used to call lino)

Is fab :)

LVT is such nonsense for bathrooms just get a big sheet of it, there are some beautiful patterns around.

Rainsdropskeepfalling · 26/10/2023 22:22

MN hates it but we have cork flooring in our bathroom. Warm underfoot and doesn't need to be 1970s orange (unless of course you want that)

zozueme · 27/10/2023 10:55

Justbefore · 26/10/2023 22:18

W’ve put electric underfloor heating (a kind of wire mat) that had a thin layer of concrete poired on top, then a sheet of vinyl (what we used to call lino)

Is fab :)

LVT is such nonsense for bathrooms just get a big sheet of it, there are some beautiful patterns around.

@justbefore such nonsense??

zozueme · 27/10/2023 11:00

We have Karndean in our kitchen and I think it would be great in a bathroom.

cupofdecaf · 27/10/2023 11:12

Take the tiles up and completely re do the bathroom. Replace the floor boards with the chipboard stuff that has paths cut out for under floor heating pipes. Wet underfloor heating is much cheaper to run than the electric stuff. Put a suitable floor covering down, think about slippyness for a bathroom. Might be able to reuse the toilet or it might be best to replace.
Wet under floor heating is basically a radiator built into the floor.
Have a towel rail was well to dry towels.

Original poster
Whatsgoingon12345 · 28/10/2023 08:54

Ooh cork! Hadn’t thought of that, i remember that from being a kid, it’s lovely and warm ( I am that old) along with dark brown paint, orange light shades and the smell of patchouli. Probably time for a comeback - as soon as we’ve all bought Victorian style flooring! You’re ahead of the crowd.
cupof I’d love to - it’s not just the upheaval and the money it’s that there is NOONE around. We have had some real idiots turning up to do electrics etc recently, I mean totally dreadful.
seceretly super jealous of a friend who has a DH and dad who can do this stuff. Don’t tell her!

OP posts:
Mosaic123 · 28/10/2023 11:28

You could buy a big cork bath mat, or a few like stepping stones! One next to the sink, one next to the loo and so on. Amazon is a good source.

Original poster
Whatsgoingon12345 · 05/11/2023 07:13

Thanks all.
I’ve just seen the rugs in ruggable, and dunelm actually prefer dunelm patterns. And a tin of hot pink paint! Getting there.
also seen a ready made double glazed window …

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