Choosing tiles

When it comes to decorating your home, there are some decisions that are much more difficult to make than others. And the difficulty of the decision really depends on how long you’re going to have to live with your choice.

For instance, the colour you decide to paint your downstairs cloakroom in isn’t going to cause you any sleepless nights. If you get it wrong, it’s easy and cheap to slap a new hue over the top and no-one will be any the wiser. This gives you the confidence to be a bit more daring in your colour choice, and enables you to be swayed by the latest fads and trends.

On the other hand, if you’re investing in new tiles, the likelihood is that you’ll want them to last a very long time. But how can you tell what colours and designs you’re still going to like in, say, a decade’s time? It’s not easy…

Whilst we can’t help you predict the future, we can help you with a few practical steps in not making fundamental mistakes.

Size of tile

If you have a small room, using larger tiles is going to look odd. For small kitchens or bathrooms, it’s best to use smaller, lighter coloured tiles to give a feeling of space. And conversely, larger rooms will suit larger tiles, especially on the floor.

Type of tile

In an area of your home that you use a lot, it’s always best to pay a bit extra and get porcelain tiles which are much harder wearing. And even if one does get chipped, the damage will be less noticeable because the tile colour runs all the way through. A chip in a ceramic tile is more obvious because the clay is a different colour to the glaze, so you’ll either have to replace the tile, or learn to live with the chip.

Porcelain tiles are ideal for bathrooms because they are non-porous and therefore you do not need an additional seal to waterproof them.

If you’re planning on tiling a floor that has underfloor heating, you’ll still be able to choose almost any tile you like. The trick is getting adhesive with the right kind of flexibility because, when the heat is on, there’s going to be slight movement – with the wrong kind of grouting, you risk cracking the tiles.

The best way to work out what kind of tiles you’d like on your walls and floors is to come to one of our stores and see them for yourself – our Staples Corner store also has a large showroom with examples of kitchens and bathrooms to show what can be done! You can also ask for advice from any of our staff members as they’re fully trained in all things tile-related.