6 Tips to Follow When You Lay Down Carpet in the Bathroom
To most people, the idea of fitting carpeting in the bathroom is absurd. However, there are several benefits to doing just that; for example, carpets can be extremely warm and are very hard to slip on compared to tiles or laminate flooring. Of course, you will need to make sure you pick the right carpet for the job.
Here are six tips to follow to make sure you get things right.
1. Go for Artificial
In most rooms of the house, people tend to prefer a natural carpet fibre, such as wool. However, synthetic fibres will dry out a lot faster and resist moisture build-up, so they are clearly a great choice if you're going to be installing them in the bathroom. Look for polypropylene, polyester and nylon.
2. Low Pile
It might be nice to step onto a thick, dense carpet, but you'll really want to go for a low pile when you're using carpet in the bathroom. The denser and deeper the pile, the more moisture can be absorbed and the longer it will take to dry out.
3. Find Stain-Resistant Carpets
Water isn't the only thing you need to worry about in the bathroom. What with make-up products, bathroom cleaning agents, shampoos and toothpaste laying around, it's relatively easy to drop something and cause a stain. Luckily, there are stain-resistant carpets out there, so make sure you look for them.
4. Lay Down Waterproof Backing
One thing to remember is that the backing of most carpet won't be waterproof, which means that moisture will be able to seep through and affect the underfloor. This is not something that you want to deal with, so lay waterproof backing underneath the carpet itself.
5. Go Square
Using carpet squares instead of going wall-to-wall is a very good idea when you're dealing with any environment in which moisture damage or stains are likely to occur. Carpet squares are usually low-pile and synthetic, making them perfectly fit for this purpose, and they can be easily removed and replaced individually if anything goes wrong.
6. Use a Mat
Even if you take all the advice listed above, you still want to avoid walking out onto your carpet when you're dripping wet from either a bath or shower. To prevent any moisture issues, make sure you pick up a thick and waterproof mat that can be laid across the carpet to be stepped on immediately when you exit the bath or shower. Once you're mostly dry, you can walk across the rest of the room.