Posted on Date 20th Dec 2023
How to choose the right tiles for your home
Choosing the right tiles for your home
Tiles are integral to any home makeover project whether its your bathroom, kitchen or living room. Why? Your tiles play a pivotal role in setting the tone, colour, even style of your room.
However, choosing the right tiles for your floor and wall takes a lot of thought and is something you shouldnt rush into especially with so many tiles on the market.
This is why weve created this handy guide to help ensure you pick the right tile for the right room.
Calacatta Polished Marble Effect Tiles 60120
The best place to lay your tiles
Tiles just dont come in different sizes, shapes and finishes. There are also different tiles for different rooms. Browse the Tile Warehouse site and youll find tiles just for walls, tiles just for floors and tiles that can be used on both or even outdoors too. Confused? Dont be. This guide will help explain everything you need know.
Its important before you start your project to have an idea of where you would like your tiles to go in your room and the effect you are trying to achieve with them.
If you are looking to create a sense of space, particularly in a smaller room, then you might want to think about applying the same tiles to the floors and walls. Alternatively, if youd like to make a statement, then you might want to think about bright, bold colours or patterns to add a sense of theatre to a wall to ensure it becomes a real feature in your chosen room.
Dont forget about your garden, especially as you head into the summer months, and how you could potentially take the indoors outdoors by using the same floor tiles in the kitchen as well as the patio to extend your living space. As you can see the options are endless, and we havent even scratched the surface.
Make sure to order sample tiles
Once youve got an idea of where you want your tiles to go, then its always advisable to purchase a sample. Not only do you get to see the tiles close up, but it also gives you the opportunity to place them in the room or rooms you are thinking of tiling to see how the tiles look in different lights. Dont forget that Tile Warehouse has a dedicated sample service which allows you to order cut samples as well as full size samples for free delivery to your home.
Selecting the right colour tiles
Tiles dont just come in different shapes and sizes. They are also come in a variety of colours. Obviously, the choice is entirely down to yourself, but weve highlighted some of the most popular choices.
White tiles will make your room feel bright and airy and provide the perfect canvas for introducing other colours into the space while neutral colours such as beige or ivory will add warmth and help to keep things nice and neutral.
Grey or black tiles will help make a statement and are great if youve got kids and they love nothing more than touching the walls but choose the room wisely as too many dark tiles in a small space could make it feel unnecessarily dark.
If youre thinking of adding some glamour to your room, then either bright coloured tiles or tiles with a metallic or gloss finish should do the trick.
And dont forget that gone are the days when grouts came in one or two shades. Like the tiles themselves, the choice of colours for grouts is endless, so even if you decide to play it safe, you can always spice things up with a coloured grout.
Choosing the right sized tile
Size matters, especially when it comes to tiles. Its worth thinking about the proportions of your room and follow the principle of bigger tiles on the floor and smaller tiles on the wall or the same size for both.
So, if you want your room to feel bigger than it is, then large tiles are the order of the day. Conversely, mosaic tiles are ideal for adding some extra detail or patterns as well as tiling curved surfaces, while rectangular tiles can make a room feel wider. Square tiles are great in modern homes with all those straight lines.
What is the difference between ceramic and porcelain tiles?
At first glance ceramic and porcelain tiles look very similar. And, while they share common traits, they are fundamentally different in terms of the way they are manufactured and the surfaces to which they can be applied.
Both ceramic and porcelain tiles are made from clay, however porcelain tiles use a much denser clay with the addition of other raw materials, such as quartz. Not only is the mineral make up different, but the manufacturing process also provides each with their own characteristics and qualities.
Porcelain tiles are fired at much higher temperatures and pressed at much greater pressures than ceramic tiles, reducing the voids and cavities in the tile making them less porous and increasing their strength and durability.
As porcelain tiles also have a lower water absorption rate than ceramic tiles, they are less likely to crack or fracture with changes in temperature, making them perfect for use outdoors.
Due to their increased strength and durability, this makes porcelain tiles ideal for heavy footfall areas such as hallways and kitchen floors.
Plain or patterned tiles
The last thing to consider when choosing your tiles is whether to go for plain or patterned. The former is great if you are after a minimalist type look while the latter will help you make a statement which wont fail to get noticed when people visit your home.
The choice when it comes to all things tiles is entirely yours. Hopefully weve given you some food for thought, and whichever tiles you choose, be they plain or patterned, ceramic or porcelain, rectangular or square, with a little help from Tile Warehouse we can help to transform your home.
Do you sell anti-slip tiles?
Floor tiles are usually chosen based on their aesthetic qualities, but the technical side of tiling is important too and your chosen tiles should be suitable for the space in which youre tiling.
Every tile is assigned a slip resistance rating, based on this rating you can assume which tiles are suitable for your project. For example, a high slip-resistant tile, such as the Antique Pulse above, is suitable for a wet areas such as a bathroom where the risk of slipping is greater. For more information on our slip resistance classifications, why not read on our guide to slip resistant tiles.
Why it is important to consider the weight of the tiles
When tiling onto walls dont forget to factor in the weight of the tiles. We would always recommend that the background youre tiling onto can take the weight of your tiles plus the adhesive and grout. As a rule, if you allow for 3kg per m in your weight calculation to allow for your adhesive and grout you cant go wrong.
Generally, skimmed plaster walls or plasterboard have a maximum weight loading of 20kg/m2 while bare plasterboard can take up to 32kg/m2. Backer board are becoming an increasingly popular surface on which to tile. They not only provide a clean and flat surface on which to tile but they also have a maximum weight loading of 200kg/m2. For more details on this please read our handy guide on How to Use Backer Board.
The benefits of buying online
Once youve decided on the tiles for your home why not buy them online. Its quick, easy and something that you can do from the comfort of your sofa. Plus, spend over 300 and you get free delivery at a time and date that suits you.
Dont just take our word for it. Have a listen to what Stuart Matthews, founder of hit YouTube DIY channel Proper DIY, has to say about the benefits of buying online.
Need more information?
If you have any questions regarding selecting the right tiles for your home, then feel free to contact our Customer Services team using our web chat facility.
Recommended reads
If you would like to find out more about tiling your home, then why not check out these other tile related advice articles