Which Bathroom Tiles Are Best for You?

If you’re asking yourself the question “Which bathroom tiles are best for me” then you’ve come to the right place, we’re tile experts who have over 11 years of experience in the game and we’re asked this question In our stores on a daily basis. Now, everyone naturally has their own likes and dislikes so we won’t go into too much detail when it comes to colour, and will predominately focus on tile types and finishes as these are 2 big factors when it comes to deciding on your bathroom tiles.

Tile Types

When it comes to household tiles there are two main types seen, and they are porcelain and ceramic. They might look similar but they are very different in functionality and not knowing the difference could be disastrous to your bathroom, and your wallet. So below you can read about the differences between the two.

Porcelain Tiles

When porcelain tiles are being fired in a kiln, they are cooked at very high temperatures eliminating cavities reinforcing the tile making it a lot stronger and more durable. As porcelain tiles are a lot stronger than ceramic tiles, we typically recommend that they go on the floor as porcelain will dramatically outlast ceramic when dealing with household environmental stress. Additionally, due to the materials they’re made with they’re naturally more stain resistant, making them easier to maintain.

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic isn’t fired at as high temperatures as porcelain, so it’s easier to implement design, colours, and patterns during the manufacturing process so we typically recommend ceramic tiles for the wall. This is because people will notice wall tiles more than they will floor tiles as they’ll always be in people’s line of vision, so it’s better to have the nicer patterns in places people can actually see them. This isn’t to say ceramic tiles can’t go on the floor, but you run a much higher risk of cracked tiles than you would with porcelain tiles due to them not being as strong.

Tile Finishes

Like types of tiles there are two main tile finishes, and they are polished(or gloss) and matt, and there are some considerably different functionalities between the two.

Polished Tiles

Polished tiles are all about appearance and transformation, they’re capable of creating some very impressive “optical illusions”. For example you can make a small box room appear larger through the light reflection that bounces off the tiles, opening the room up more and making it look bigger than it actually is. Additionally, if it’s a dim room the sun can reflect off the tiles brightening up the room, potentially saving you some money in the darker months.

Matt Tiles

Matt tiles focus more on functionality, they don’t offer the same visual effects that you get with polished tiles. They have different benefits such as anti-slip due to them having a more grippier texture, which can be extremely useful in wetrooms like the bathroom where a slippery wet floor can become a real health hazard. They also handle dirt and mess a lot better, as with polished tiles the light reflection tends to highlight dirt and put it in a bit of a spotlight. Whereas with matt tiles, the dirt and dust tend to blend in meaning they don’t need as much maintenance.

Which Bathroom Tiles are Best?

Now that we’ve covered the different tile types and finishes that go into a bathroom, it’s about time we helped you decide which bathroom tiles are best for you. We’ll explain the different combinations we commonly see so you can choose which is best for you to build your perfect bathroom.

Porcelain Matt floor tiles with Polished Ceramic wall tiles – This is the style we most often recommend, you get the porcelain durability on your floors so your tiles last longer, and you get the anti-slip safety that comes with the matt finish. You also then get to enjoy the beautiful designs that ceramic tiles can offer and not have to worry about damage or cracked tiles. The most universal choice as works perfectly in any household.

Full Porcelain & Matt – You’ll be able to rest easy knowing you have a durable safe bathroom that won’t need it’s walls and floors changed for a good number of years. It will hide dirt better so you won’t need to worry about cleaning it every day thanks to the matt finish. It’s low maintenance nature makes it a good choice for families with children, and you also won’t need to worry about water-slip risk due to it’s finish.

Full Porcelain & Polished – A Great choice if you don’t have a lot of natural light in the room or if it’s small, you’ll lighten and widen it completely transforming it. If there’s no shower/bathroom it works even better as there is little slip risk from water spill.

Full Ceramic & Polished – You can turn your bathroom into a work of art with a full ceramic tile redo. If you’re trying to add some life to your property ceramic tiles are a great place to start as they come in all sorts of designs and colours. A great choice for a low traffic downstairs bathroom.

Hopefully this post has given you some inspiration into what bathroom tiles are best for you, but if you still have any questions please feel free to visit us in store, or call us on 0330 912 0434.

We look forward to seeing you soon!