Selecting tiles for the bathroom is one of the various factors that require much attention to style your bathroom. Tiles are likely the first thing that anyone notices and then visualizes the unique patterns used.
Various confusions rattle in the mind when it comes to choosing tiles. Confusions like whether to choose matte or smooth tiles, light or dark ones, and large or small tiles are quite genuine and require a knowledge of detailing that one should consider before finalizing the tiles.
1. Things to Consider While Choosing Perfect Bathroom Tiles
Following are the factors that must be kept in mind while selecting the right tiles for the bathroom.
1.1. Select a Perfect Material
There are multiple material options available when it comes to buying bathroom tiles. Out of these, Glazed Vitrified Tiles and Ceramic Tiles stay on top with their design options and durability. These tiles do not allow bacteria and odors to arrive on tiles and are resistant to precipitation, dirty spots, and gouges to the surface.
Comes with a wider variety of shades and patterns, the vitrified tiles are the best options to get a smooth and magnificent appearance. Given below are several features that make vitrified tiles the best fit for the bathroom floor:
- Adaptability against gathered moisture or vapor
- A broad range of patterns and designs are available
- Fits in a budget as compared to other materials
- Repel microbes and bacteria formation
- Easy to handle and clean
- Comes with stain resistance
- Have antibacterial properties that resist pathogens
- Have extremely low water absorption properties that make them durable
1.2. Select an Elegant Appearance
Digital Glazed Vitrified Tiles and Glazed Vitrified Tiles always surpass in terms of convenience and appearance. Another advantage of vitrified tiles is their durability. These designs can vary in textures and appearances including wooden, slate, stone, and other instinctive appearances.
These tiles include elegant polished, satin matte, high gleam, wooden, and rocker finishes. Satin Matte and high gleam tiles are mostly used in commercial settings and homes. Several most popular glazed vitrified tiles include Amazon Bottochino, Cementum Gris, Poplar Beige, and White or Nice Pearl.
1.3. Choose An Ideal Finish
The surfaces of the tiles should be selected according to the available space in the bathroom. Different spaces like the kitchen, bathroom, and living room require different types of finishes that match ideally with them. Vitrified tiles come in various textures and surface designs that overcome this problem.
1.3.1. Added Surface Patterns
To give your bathroom a spa-like natural atmosphere, it is better to select tiles that have natural patterns and texture. The marble effect tiles, real stone tiles, rock effect tiles, and travertine-based material tiles give an authentic natural look to the tiles.
Making a combination of these material-based tiles that have genuine textures with wooden tones looks energizing and refreshing.
1.3.2. Marble Effect
According to interior designers, marble effect tiles are the most attractive and trending tiles. Wall areas acquire originality with unique and naturally textured designs. Tiles with a duplicate look of marble are cheaper than the original marble.
Natural marble is expensive and needs regular sealing and cleaning which makes them less popular than the marble effect tiles. Marble effect tiles fit in an average budget and become popular due to these reasons.
1.3.3. Glossy Finishes
Tiles with glossy and smooth finishes are easier to clean than the other rough surface tiles. The tiles that have rough and sculpted surfaces such as pebbles, crevices, and dips are likely to gather water on their surfaces.
Tiles should be chosen by keeping in mind that cleaning of tiles is important to keep the bathroom hygienic and cleanse. Always consider the cleaning and maintenance part of the tiles over their complete lifespan and select the one that suits your requirements well.
1.3.4. Tiles of Cement
Cement tiles are quite durable and come in various textures that look good on the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom floors. These tiles can bring the natural outdoor textures inside the room which makes them an ideal choice for the bathroom floors.
1.3.5. Wooden Effect Split Textured Tiles
Repurposed wood has a unique appearance as it is a beautiful blend of different finishes, colors, patterns, and textures that looks extremely appealing. This kind of wood is pulled out from one zone and gets a new life by getting refurbished to make furniture or flooring.
Fits at an affordable price, this wooden effect split textured tiles are an excellent copy of authentic repurposed wood and give a wonderful personality to the bathroom.
1.4. Select the Size
Selecting the perfect size for the tiles highly depends on the available space that you have for the bathroom. It also depends on the looks you want to give to the bathroom to give a splendid ambiance that can match the style of your entire home well.
Following are some aspects that one should keep in mind while selecting the size of the tiles that fit the styling of the bathroom.
1.4.1. According to Bathroom Space
Using large tiles for the flooring of the bathroom in case of less space availability can make the appearance worse. Sizes can highly affect the visual appearance depending on the tile size you are using.
It’s better to select the tiles that fit your room well and contribute to making the visual appearance better and larger. Mosaic tiles and medium-sized tiles look excellent in small or medium-sized spaces.
However, it is recommended to use larger tiles when you have enough or large space available for your bathroom.
1.4.2. Bathroom Wall Tiles
Tiles larger than 30 x 30 cm give the best look to the walls of the bathroom. 30 x 45 cm to 60 x 120 cm wall tiles are excellent choices that vary from small to large bathrooms. These are the rectangular tiles, which are ideal for styling the walls of the bathroom.
To get an excellent fit and appearance, the rectangular tiles should be fixed horizontally. Subway tiles are also a good choice for the bathrooms with a 1:2 size ratio. The ornamental tiles are used to make a beautiful pattern.
1.4.3. Shower Space
The shower space needs a drainage slope to get rid of the fallen water on the floor. 30 x 30 cm to 60 x 60 cm is the ideal size for small to medium-sized bathrooms whereas sizes up to 60 x 120 cm tiles can be used for larger bathrooms as per your requirements.
Glazed vitrified tiles come with excellent materials to use around walls and floor areas around the shower. These tiles have the ability, right size, and proper material that is best to set up proper drainage and flooring.
To provide a better grip on the floor, the tiles must have anti-skid properties to prevent slide accidents, especially around the shower area. Further, smaller tiles require more stitching that shows more grout lines. The more grout lines, the more regular maintenance it needs.
Tiles should be selected according to the shower space by taking these factors into account such as fine balancing, size, slope, and neat place.
1.5. Calculate Estimated Quantity
Once you are done with selecting the right materials, textures, finishes, and sizes, the only thing remaining is to calculate an estimated quantity of the tiles you need for the available space in the bathroom.
You can use the tile calculators that require the tile size or dimensions and the space of the room to calculate the number of tiles you will require.
Moreover, given below is a quick overview of the aspects that you need to take care of:
1.5.1. Fascinating Pattern
Find a unique pattern, appealing colors, and an attractive shape of the tiles that you want to use for your bathroom styling. These tiles will be the main or focal tiles of the bathroom that can further be used with various patterns on the floor and walls.
However, you can style up your bathroom as per your likes by arranging different textured tiles in metro-style or rectangular patterns. There is a wide range of bathroom tiles from mosaic to large ones and from digital to natural patterns.
Further, there is a COF (Coefficient of Friction) number on tiles that describes the better surface resistance of each tile. With a rating of 0.42, vitrified and ceramic tiles are high in demand and recommended for bathroom floors.
The square footage should be calculated before deciding whether to choose large format tiles for the bathroom or not. It allows you to calculate the final quantity of tiles according to the selected format.
1.5.2. Easy Maintenance
It is crucial to consider that you need something safe that can prevent slipping around the shower area along with something comfortable to walk on barefoot. In this case, mosaic or little tiles are better that provide better grip on the floor due to numerous grout lines on the floor without compromising your comfort while walking barefoot on the bathroom floor.
2. Conclusion
Selecting perfect tiles for the bathroom requires many aspects that must be considered before finalizing bathroom tiles. These factors include elegant styling that can be obtained by choosing authentic textures or patterns, comfortable and durable material, and the size of the tiles. Glazed vitrified tiles and ceramic tiles are the best available and popular options in the market that can easily fit one’s budget.
Last Updated on February 27, 2024 by kalidaspandian