Do You Need Baseboards in a Bathroom?

Baseboards are primarily for aesthetic purposes, but they can provide visual and functional benefits. Not only does it create a visible outline in the room, but it can also protect the drywall from damages caused by a wide variety of factors, which brings us to the bathroom. So, does the bathroom need a baseboard?

If your bathroom’s wall and floor finishing is fully tiled or made of other waterproof material, you can skip the baseboard if you want. However, having that extra layer of protection for the joints between the bathroom floor and wall can be a worthwhile investment.

So, having a baseboard will help improve the overall longevity of a particular room, bathroom included, as it will minimize water damages around the joints. We’ll discuss the benefits of baseboards and answer the most frequently asked questions revolving around this home, finishing down below. 

Benefits of Baseboards

Below are all the benefits the baseboards can provide in all the rooms installed. 

Protection from Damage Caused by Physical Impacts

The bottom of the wall is the most susceptible to damages caused by impacts. As such, having a baseboard will help protect your wall from possible dents and cracks caused by pretty much anything within your household. 

Prevents Water Damage

Not only is this applicable to the bathroom, but it is also a concern throughout the house built using drywall. Drywalls are highly susceptible to water damage, and having this extra layer of protection will help prevent water from seeping into the material and causing it to rot. In addition, in the bathroom setting, a baseboard will help further improve the guard around the joints. 

Hides Crooked Walls

Sometimes you cannot avoid having crooked walls. Even if it is slightly warped, you can’t ever ignore it once you notice it. In these cases, a baseboard is a practical way to hide these imperfections in the structure of your home. 

Prevents Dirt from Getting into the Joints

Another advantage of having baseboards is the extra seal it provides the floor and wall’s joints, preventing dirt from getting stuck into these crevices. 

Prevents Gaps Caused by the Expansion and Contraction of Hardwood Floor

Besides protection from dirt and moisture, baseboards can also prevent gaps from forming in homes that feature hardwood floors. The changing season brings a wide swing in temperature throughout the year, and wood is a material affected by this change in temperature, which might cause it to contract and expand. 

As you would guess, this expansion and contraction might lead to small gaps between the floor and wall. A baseboard will help prevent this issue and keep the house structure’s joints well sealed. 

Baseboard and Caulking

One of the most common questions regarding baseboards in the bathroom is whether caulking is in order. To answer that, we need first to understand the use of caulk. Caulking is the simplest method to seal gaps in the floor or wall. Caulking is often the easiest and cheapest solution for the wall or floor with small crevices caused by imperfections in the house’s structure. Applying caulk will help keep dirt, water, air, and other elements out of the small openings, hindering its integrity in the long run. 

Caulking is necessary when tiling the floor and wall, especially in the bathroom, wherein every step to improve water resistance must be taken. Now, back to the question at hand – 

Should Bathroom Baseboards Also Be Caulked?

Yes, absolutely. Baseboards in the bathroom will benefit significantly from caulking as it will further ensure that no gaps or small spaces will be left for water to seep into. In addition, baseboards with caulk will enhance their functionality and guarantee that they will provide excellent protection and sealing while adding to the bathroom’s aesthetics.

What Type of Baseboard Is Best Suited for the Bathroom?

You have two main options to choose from: wood or tile baseboard. We recommend going with the latter as it is water-resistant and durable, while wood baseboards will require an extra coating to achieve their water resistance. On the other hand, if you prefer the aesthetics of wood, we suggest going with a poplar wood baseboard because it is hardwood and withstands moisture quite well. 

Benefits of Caulking a Bathroom Baseboard

To summarize, here are the reasons why you should also apply caulk to your bathroom baseboard. 

• Caulking the baseboard further ensures that water, dirt, and air will not seep into the joints. 
• Bathroom baseboards tend to appear neater when the caulk is applied. 
• The top section of the baseboard tends to leave gaps no matter what you do. Adding caulk will effectively solve this weakness. Also, you can paint over caulk so that it won’t stick out like a sore thumb. 

Is It Possible to Not Use Baseboards in the Bathroom?

If you prefer to go the baseboard-less route in your bathroom, that is also possible if your bathroom checks specific requirements. If your bathroom features a fully tiled floor and wall, you can probably skip baseboard installation altogether. 

Installing a tile on both floor and wall can provide a little buffer between the tile and the underlayment. There is enough space for caulk to finish the job and provide complete sealing against dirt, water, and air. An all-tile bathroom with caulk will offer the same protection as a baseboard. 

Proper caulking applied in-between the floor and wall tile will be able to achieve the following benefits:

• Waterproof the bathroom.
• Flexibility in between the joints.
• Seals the corners and edges against dirt and grime. 
• Helps maintain the quality of the tiles.
• Seamless visual transition from the wall to the floor. 

As you can see, a fully-tiled bathroom can go about without the need for a baseboard. However, a baseboard will always be a good idea as it further improves the overall integrity of the room both visually and in functionality. 

Conclusion

The baseboard is an integral part of the home as it improves upon the overall integrity of any room from different types of damage. Also, baseboards can enhance the aesthetics and increase the resale value. There are several types of baseboard materials– much will depend on your budget. Bathrooms can go about with or without a baseboard, as long as it meets the standards we indicated earlier. All in all, there is no downside to installing a baseboard in the bathroom.