Houzz Study Reveals that Ceramic Still Reigns in Bathrooms

Palo Alto, CA, November 18, 2019--Houzz has released its 2019 U.S. Bathroom Trends Study, which reinforces ceramic's hold in the space. 

With regard to flooring, the study found that ceramic/porcelain tile continues to be the most popular flooring material both inside and outside the shower, among renovating homeowners updating flooring in these two spaces. The popularity of natural stone in flooring outside showers is on the decline (25% in 2019, down from 30% in 2017). Instead, new flooring materials such as vinyl/resilient and engineered wood flooring materials are on the rise (combined 10%, up from 6% in 2017). 

The study also reported that saster bathrooms are making extra space for showers. Four in five homeowners upgrade their shower during master bathroom renovations (83%) and over half increase their shower size (54%). This is particularly notable when considering that only 22% expand their master bathroom square footage during renovations. For many master bathroom renovators, shower expansion alleviates the pre-project pet peeve of a small shower (38%), which is second only to having an outdated space (59%). In addition, 24% of renovating homeowners remove their master tub and more than four in five of those choose to enlarge the shower in its place (84%).

Homeowners are making substantial investments on their master bathroom renovations. The space commands the second highest median spend in home remodels at $8,000 nationally, a 14% year-over-year increase from 2017 to 2018. Median spend also increased for major master bathroom remodels, from $10,100 to $12,000, respectively, as well as for minor remodels, from $2,000 to $2,300, respectively.