Teak Shower Floors (Pros and Cons & Bathroom Designs)

Here’s our guide to teak shower floors, including what they are and their pros and cons.

Teak is a popular hardwood known for its strength and durability.  Teak wood can withstand extreme heat and cold, making it an excellent choice for outdoor use; it is also becoming a trendy choice of wood to use indoors. 

Its durability, with its high quantities of oil and rubber, contributes much to the fact that teak wood is unlikely to be afflicted by rotting or many other wood-damaging elements. 

The warm color and its natural grain are elements that make it one of the most attractive woods to designers and homeowners. 

These natural benefits of teak wood, such as its strength, durability, color, water-resistant properties, and tendency not to splinter easily, make it an extremely adaptable wood and one of the best choices for bathroom shower flooring.

What Is A Teak Wood Shower Base

When planning for a bathroom design, one thing that should always be considered carefully is the shower floor – after all, we should be standing on something that will be soothing and relaxing for our feet. 

Wooden floor showers made of teak are an elegant upgrade, warm up the bathroom, are very calming, and are a lovely way to handle the floor itself. Due to the teak wood’s high oil content makes it more moisture-resistant than other types of wood. 

Teak wood is one of the viable options for a shower floor since it has a slip-resistant surface and requires less maintenance even in the dampest conditions; its inherent oils make it resistant to fungus, bacteria, mildew, and other impurities.

However, we strongly recommend doing routine cleaning and deep cleaning at least every 3 months or when you notice some soapy build-up.

For a modern design look, teak wood shower floors are perfect because water trickles through the slats and into a large pan underneath; this floor conceals the water drains, making way for a fluid, sleek, and minimalist statement. 

The dark, rich, stained wooden slats paired with tiles and other wood accents create a bold and modern design space.

Teak Shower Floor Pros and Cons

Teak Pros

Beautiful Appearance: This exotic shower flooring often boosts the appeal of the bathroom due to its aesthetic design elements.

Durability: This hardwood has incredible strength and durability.

Provides Slip Resistance: Due to the natural texture of the wood it can help make your shower’s flooring safer to step on.

Naturally Mold Resistant: Its inherent natural oils make teak wood water-resistant and highly resistant to mold and mildew. This helps the wood to preserve its beauty in moist environments and makes it possible to deter wood-eating pests.

Add a Warm Ambiance: The wood can add warmth, rustic feel and character to the bathroom and can give you a soothing and relaxing feel on your feet.

Eco-Friendly: Since lumber is a renewable resource, it can be eco-friendly when sourced sustainably.

Teak Cons

Can Change Color and Fade: While teak wood responds well to moisture, it ages faster and changes its color to a shade of silvery grey in moist environments. 

Sensitive to Certain Chemicals: Even though it contains natural oils that ensure effective moisture protection and prevent mold contamination, it can be impacted by colored chemical compounds such as hair dye, bath salts, and gels. These abrasive components could compromise the teak’s appeal. 

Needs Sealing: While the material is incredibly durable, if not treated, finished, and sealed well, it will roughen up and wear out eventually. 

Requires Regular Maintenance: Maintenance of these floors requires a fair amount of time and effort to ensure they keep looking their best.  While the design appeal is worth having this exotic material, it can get costly.

Its Price: It can cost much more than other products for a shower’s base.

Teak Flooring Q & A

Here are some of the most popular questions regarding using this wooden flooring for an enclosure or stall.

How Long Does Teak Wood Last in the Shower?

Even hardwood won’t last long when exposed to enough water. Still, the surface has a natural oil that gives it waterproofing characteristics and unusual resistance to molds and mildew compared to most other woods.

You can expect teak wood to last a minimum of 10 to 15 years in the shower.  When teak wood is treated and maintained properly and used for outdoor furniture, it can last as long as 50 years.

Which is Better in the Shower Teak or Bamboo?

Both teak and bamboo are excellent choices in the shower primarily because both have high water resistance, but teak can handle water better than bamboo. 

Being a type of hardwood, teak has a darker and more luxurious finish than bamboo, and because bamboo is lighter in weight, it cannot handle as much weight. 

Bamboo costs less than teak, so it remains a popular choice simply because bamboo is more affordable. 

Bamboo is more sustainable than wood because it matures rapidly and is less prone to warping.  On the other hand, using teak in the shower is considered a worthwhile investment because it can last for decades, which is enough to get your money’s worth.

What is the Best Material for a Shower Stall Floor?

Whether you are designing, renovating, or constructing a bathroom, the shower floor requires special consideration. Choosing the right material from various options is a big factor to consider.

When choosing the best shower flooring for your bathroom, remember that the material you choose must withstand the constant moisture in the bathroom and be completely sealed. 

Take into consideration the type of flooring and ease of maintenance.  Your material should be able to hold up to the “stress” of constant cleaning, which often requires using harsh chemicals and rough cleaning materials in order to free it from mold, mildew, and soap deposits.

Consider the frequency of resealing and reconditioning of your shower floors well.  Bathrooms should be functional, safe, and clean and give you the feeling of relaxation.

Shower floors also need visual appeal that would accompany your bathroom design scheme.  Just because an enclosure base needs to be durable and hold up well doesn’t mean you should not consider the aesthetic look and how it can add to the bathroom’s ambiance. 

From a durability standpoint, ceramic and porcelain tiles are often considered the best materials for a shower floor. Read more about bathroom tiles here.

Other popular materials for shower floors include tiles, marble, wood, pebbles, slate, acrylic, fiberglass, and enameled cast iron floors.

For more related types of bathroom showers, visit this page.