The Bathroom Floor Trend You'll Want To Hop On If You're Sick Of Cleaning
Keeping the bathroom floor clean involves more than simple sweeping and mopping because of the hard-to-reach spots that require special attention. Dust in the corners and around your fixtures, as well as the grout between tiles, need a bit more elbow grease during your cleaning. Dealing with grout is especially grueling and we're always looking for ways to avoid the intense scrubbing and make it easier. Luckily, grout-less flooring is now on the rise so this can become less of a problem.
House Digest is always seeking expert insights and what's new in homes to keep you updated. For current trends, we spoke to interior designer Brad Smith who told us that bold colors, smart bathrooms, and sustainable luxury will be all the rage in 2024. We also looked into the 2024 Bath Trends Report by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and noted that industry professionals named easy-to-maintain designs as one of the main themes for the year (via NKBA). This is seen through the demand for tile styles with less grout on bathroom walls and floors.
Why tiles with no grout are trendy
Grout is a necessary evil because it's helpful for your tiles and the floor underneath but challenging to maintain. It is a hard-to-reach surface that is very susceptible to absorbing moisture and dirt so it's a prime location for mold growth that needs regular scrubbing. If you're sick of this chore, you'll be happy to know there are alternatives. From textured to large-format tiles, the 2024 NKBA report predicts that more people will seek out flooring options with little to no grout.
Groutless tiles, also known as jointless or continuous tiles, are also trendy because they are more stylish. With grout-free floors, you don't have to worry about matching the color to other elements in the space and preventing and then rectifying discoloration over time. This opens up more control over the floor design, creating a cleaner and more open look that is attractive in the bathroom but also in other top spaces like the living room and bedroom.
Materials for grout free flooring
Porcelain seems to be big when it comes to groutless tiles. Some trendy options are porcelain sheets, rectified edge tiles, and extra-large format tiles. Atlas Plan specializes in turning porcelain stoneware slabs into bathroom tiles that connect seamlessly without grout. Their Boost Tarmac is a black concrete-style slab used to make large format tiles of 160x320 centimeters (about 62x126 inches) that can be used on both the floor and walls to create a solid, cohesive look. Boost Balance Ash is also a concrete-style large format tile but it comes in a refreshing warm beige that can light up the bathroom.
Cosentino's Dekton collection also includes large format tiles with "minimal joins" (via Cosentino). Made from porcelain, they are designed to mimic natural stone and won't pose any problems with water absorption. Some nice colors in the collection are Nacre, which is light and soft, and Keon, another concrete look. Beton ciré and certain types of wood are other materials that can be used for grout-free flooring.