Top Tips for Choosing Bathroom Tiles
With the myriad of decisions facing you when you decide to remodel or create a bathroom in your home, the one you expect to be most enjoyable is choosing the tiles. They set the tone for the entire look and feel of the finished space and will likely be the first thing you notice. Of course, the excitement of finally choosing your tiles might suddenly turn to indecision in light of the overwhelming choice available. Should you go light or dark? Big or small? Shiny or matt? Sleek and contemporary or textured and natural? It’s enough to make that enjoyment turn to stress and worry about whether you are choosing correctly.
Well, fear not! Today, I’m sharing nine tips for choosing your tiles, making it easier than ever to narrow down what you really want to make that dream bathroom a reality.
Choose Your Wow-Factor Feature
What do you imagine will be the first thing to catch your eye when you walk into your bathroom? Will it be a gorgeous shower enclosure? Perhaps consider using your main tile in this space. Will it be a free-standing roll top tub? Then choose the perfect feature wall tile to become its backdrop. Maybe it’s a stunning antique you’re repurposing as a vanity? Think about what tiles you’ll want to use for your backsplash. If you decide early on what the focal point of your bathroom is from the start, you can then begin to choose tiles that will complement and enhance your chosen feature.
Choose a Stand Out Tile
One easy way to begin choosing your bathroom tiles is to find one design that you really love. Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with a certain pattern, bold colour, or an interesting shape. This will become your feature tile in the room which can be used either as an accent on the walls or perhaps to add some drama to your floors or shower enclosure. Your stand-out tile should then be used to determine your accent tiles (which leads me nicely on to my next tip!).
Consider Your Accent Tiles
Once you’ve chosen your feature tile, then consider just one or two other tiles to compliment it. You’ll want to make sure that the complementary tiles do just that – choosing too many bold tiles in a room will create too many focal points, so something neutral, plain, or a simply textured style should do nicely here, allowing your stand-out tile to take centre stage. Many of our ranges contain a number of tile patterns and styles which will compliment each other perfectly for an easy way to a cohesive look.
Choose Your Floor Tiles
If you’ve already chosen the feature tile for your space, you may want to consider your bathroom floor tiles merely as complementary tiles. However, if you’ve opted for something a little simpler for the walls then the latest trend is to create a little wow-factor with a patterned floor. You can create a bohemian look or something a little bolder, or you can even get the look of real wood with our wood effect floor tiles for the perfect rustic or Scandi finish.
Tile Size vs Room Size
Generally speaking, if your room size is small (as many bathrooms are), you may wish to hold off on using any large format tiles in the space. Choose tiles that will complement the size of your room, so medium sized tiles for a mid-size bathroom or mosaic tiles for a very small cloakroom. Have a read of our How to Choose The Right Tile Size feature if you need a little help in this area, it’s really rather useful!
Get Creative with Tile Layout
Of course, even choosing a simple tile doesn’t mean it has to be boring! There are so many patterns that can be created by utilising metro style tiles or rectangular tiles in an interesting layout to add a little something special to your design. Check out our post on all the different ways to lay tiles for lots of ideas.
Add Texture
If you are looking to create a spa-like feel for your bathroom, then you may want to consider a nature-inspired tile. Stone effect tiles, slate, travertine, natural stone tiles and marble effect tiles will all give you a look firmly rooted in nature. Complement these textures with natural wood tones for a relaxing and rejuvenating finish.
Consider the Feel Factor
Bear in mind that if you are using tiles on a shower floor, you’ll want something that is both comfortable on bare feet but still has enough grip so that you aren’t slipping around. Using small tiles or mosaic tiles here is normally a good idea as the additional grout lines will provide increased slip resistance without being irritating on your soles. If you’re looking at creating a wet room, we have a large selection of tiles which are suitable for wet room flooring installation too.
Consider the Practicality of Finishes
There’s no doubt that a smooth tile will always be easier to clean. Water may have more of a tendency to settle on heavily embossed tiles, natural tiles with dips and crevices, and pebble tiles and the like, so bear in mind that you may need to be a bit more tenacious about a cleaning schedule. When choosing your tiles, ask yourself how willing you are to be vigilant about keeping your tiles looking their best over the lifetime of your bathroom.
Source : https://www.tilemountain.co.uk
