- Lay ceramic floor tiles as usual--putting down a thick cement board underlayment first--but instead of using tiles of a consistent size and color, mix it up. Lay large tiles for part of the floor, smaller tiles of a different color for other parts, even use mosaic tiles. Use the differences in colors and sizes to make patterns on the floor with borders and paths. Pick one of the tile styles and use it for the backsplash of your sink to tie the floor to the rest of the room.
- The opposite extreme of an avant-garde, mixed-up ceramic tile floor would be a classic one of brick or natural slate stone. No, you don't actually use paving bricks or flagstone for this project (not unless you want your floor joists to collapse from the weight), but rather brick or stone tile. This is real brick or stone that has been sliced thin, like tile. Lay it like tile, setting it and grouting it. Seal it afterward with brick or slate sealer (since these materials will soak up dirt if you don't).
- Yes, wood. Normally, a wood floor is the last thing you'd want in a bathroom, but the sealers available today to protect it make it feasible. Get an inexpensive paint, an unfinished plank floor, lay it as instructed, and paint it whatever color you want with a good quality, flat acrylic paint. Even paint designs into it if you want. Apply three or four coats, letting each coat dry and then lightly buffing with fine sandpaper to allow the next coat to stick. Seal it with floor-grade polyurethane, which dries like a layer of glass over everything. Make sure to caulk all the edges with a clear silicone caulk to prevent moisture from getting under the wood.
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