Choosing the Right Tiles for Your Bathroom

Choosing the tiles for your bathroom is quite often a make or break decision. Get it right, and your bathroom is likely to be a showstopper. Get it wrong though, and it can be a disastrous issue to fix. Afterall, the tiles set the overall tone and atmosphere of a bathroom renovation.

If your bathroom is looking tired and lifeless, but you don’t have the money for a full bathroom renovation, then changing the tiles is a great way to rejuvenate your bathroom’s style. Afterall, a large area of the bathroom and thus its immediate bathroom design and look come from the floor and wall coverings.

However, selecting the right tiles for your bathroom is a decision that must take into consideration your bathroom’s style, colour, finish, size, shape, practicality and maintenance, just to name a few. Carefully considering all of these factors, so that they all work well together will ensure your tile choice is a success, and lasts for years to come. 

Style

Your first consideration is likely to be the style of tile. If you are simply just updating the tiles in your bathroom, then you’ll want to match the style that is displayed throughout the rest of your bathroom. However, if you are taking on a full bathroom renovation, then you have a bit more freedom in your choice. Though always ensure that your tile choice compliments the fixtures, fittings and cabinetry displayed throughout the bathroom design.

There are such a wide range of options available on the market, from ceramic, wood look, handmade and various decorative designs, you can really have some fun and get excited about your renovation by simply updating your tiling.

Colour

If you are trying to create a modern bathroom design that will last the test of time, then colour choices are important. Neutral colours are a safe bet for a timeless and modern bathroom design. This way brighter colours can be incorporated through styling, to ensure your bathroom is always contemporary and feeling fresh.

Colour can also be used to create an illusion of space. If you are undertaking a small bathroom renovation, then using the same coloured tile on the walls and floor can create a sense of depth and make the space appear to be larger than it is.

In bathrooms that have an absence of natural light, lighter coloured tiles can be used to reflect light and make the space brighter. Lighter colours are more reflective than darker colours, and can assist with creating a beautiful ambience in the bathroom.

Finish

When considering the finish of the tile, take note of how much natural light flows through the bathroom. A great deal of natural light will cause high gloss tiles to act like mirrors and become very reflective. Therefore in well-lit bathrooms, a tile with a satin or semi-gloss finish will be more practical and less reflective.

Size & Shape

The size of your bathroom will dictate the tile size that you choose. Larger bathrooms can accommodate large tiles, whilst small tiles generally work best in small bathrooms. However, this isn’t always the case and depends greatly on the design aesthetic you are trying to achieve.

When using more than one tile size, ensure that the different sizes work well together. For best results, the grout lines should match up. If you have chosen a 400 x 400mm tile for the bathroom floor, then the wall tile size should be a multiple of 400. I.e. 100, 200, or 800mm. This will result in grout lines matching up where the floor tiles meet with the wall tiles; creating a seamless bathroom design that is neat and consistent.

Grout

When choosing tiles for your bathroom renovation, it pays to consider how the tiles will look once they are complete with grout. Tile showrooms often display tiles without grout, however they will look much different once grout is applied. This is especially true for smaller tiles which require a great number of grout lines. These may appear cluttered if the wrong grout colour is chosen. Grouting tiles with a subtle colour that is similar to the tile colour will yield the best results, as the grout lines won’t overshadow the beauty of the tiles.

Practicality & Maintenance

A bathroom is a wet area, and so ‘safety’ comes into play when selecting tiles for a bathroom renovation. Textured tiles are the best solution for a non-slip floor. Every tile has a slip rating that indicates how slip resistant the tile is. Be sure to check this before making your final decision on floor tiles, to reduce the risk of people slipping in your bathroom.

Maintenance requirements are also a very worthwhile consideration when choosing the right tiles for your bathroom. Choosing a tile that requires very little maintenance is best. Even if the price is a little higher, the convenience will pay off in the long run.

At Novalé Bathrooms, we are a highly-experienced bathroom renovation company, delivering dream bathrooms in Sydney and the Central Coast. For more information about our bathrooms and why you should choose Novalé for your bathroom renovation, please do not hesitate in contacting the Novalé team on 1800 NOVALÉ, for a FREE In-Home Consultation.