The Lowdown On Choosing Your Tiles For Your Bathroom.
Tile shopping can be fun, or tile shopping can be one of the hardest parts of your renovation.
There are so many patterns, textures, colours and styles, it can make your head spin (in a good or a bad way). Tiling can also drive up the cost of your renovation significantly so before you start, this guide will help you figure out what works for your budget, area and personal style.
Materials Matter.
Glass: One of the most popular choices for bathrooms, glass comes in a huge assortment of colours and styles. Because it reflects light it can help to make a small bathroom look bigger. Be warned, however, glass can be a lot more expensive than other options due to the difficulty of installation.
Ceramic: This is a winning option for bathrooms. Its durable, waterproof and for the most part stain resistant. Another plus is that it’s also resistant to bacteria and odours, your contractor will thank you as it’s easy to install but also when you look at your ongoing maintenance efforts, it’s easy to clean. If you are looking to put it on the floor, make sure that it’s slip-resistant to reduce the chance of accidents in the bathroom.
Porcelain: Porcelain is another popular bathroom tile, it’s harder than ceramic, the tiles are a little tougher. It’s an ideal choice for bathrooms because it’s not very absorbent. Beware though, porcelain tiles tend to be more expensive than ceramic tiles. A big advantage of porcelain tiles is that the colour is not just glazed on the top. Instead, it goes right through the entire tile. For this reason, if you are unfortunate enough to get a chip in your tile, it’s not as big of a deal, the colour of the tile is the same all the way through and it will continue to be moisture resistant.
Stone (Limestone, Slate, etc.): Look in any home decor magazine and you will see that natural stone is a great way to bring some texture into a bathroom. The challenge with stone however is that it tends to require more maintenance than traditional ceramic or porcelain. Due to its porous nature, it can hold onto grime and dirt. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider this type of tile, but be realistic on how much time you want to spend maintaining it. An option that may work for you? Consider using it outside of your shower area where there tends to be less dirt or soapy build-up.
Grout doesn’t have to be an afterthought.
Grout is necessary for filling the voids between the tiles and for making the surface stronger by bonding the tiles together. It also helps to keep the edges of individual tiles from chipping. Outside of having a very practical role to play, grout also plays an important design role. The key thing to remember is that grout doesn’t always have to be white.
Whether you choose light or dark grout can have a big impact. You can for instance match the grout colour to the tile colour which accentuates the tile. You could opt to contrast your tiles and grout which calls attention to the pattern.
A key tip, keep in mind that light grout requires a lot of maintenance. The last thing you want after spending your hard-earned money on renovation is for it to get dingy or grimy.
Size & Colour Matter.
Large scale tiles are very trendy right now, and they’re ideal for walls and shower benches. But unless you have a slip-resistant material, it’s better to use small scale tiles for the shower floor as they can help to reduce slip and fall accidents.
Pro-tip, take home tile samples and look at them within your own space. Look at them in different lighting to. try to envisage what they will look like within your own bathroom. Consider the natural light in your bathroom before deciding on the tile colour and finish. A semi-gloss or matte finish reduces glare in brightly lit bathrooms. As a general rule it’s safe to say that light colours make space feel bigger, but nowhere is this more true than in a bathroom. Bathrooms tend to be small, and sometimes they’re without windows, so it’s up to the decor and lighting to make the space feel open and airy. Before you choose bathroom tile, think about how the colour will impact the perceived size of the room.
Remember, you have options such as rugs to add to your room which can bring it all together.
Be Aware Of Your Budget
When choosing bathroom tile, you should always start with your budget or at least a range. Your quote from your Interior Designer (if you are working with one), will give you an idea of what range you have to work within.
This will help keep your fantasies in check as you go through the rest of the process. After all, you could fork over a fortune on just one piece of exquisite subway tile if you’re not careful!
Setting a budget helps you set parameters for the overall project. Now if you stray, you’ll have a flashing red warning light in your head. And if you choose to ignore that warning light, well…you may have an even more beautiful bathroom. But at what cost?
Once you’ve decided how much you can spend, your next step is to find out the total square footage you want to cover with tile.
Choose your most expensive tile first.
You may only want to use one tile throughout, and that’s fine, but if you want to use more than one tile choose your favourite first and then determine where you want it to go and how much of it you can afford. Since some types of tile can be very expensive you may have to be creative with your design for it to work within your budget and space. For example, a high-end tile could go up the wall behind the sink to become a feature or it could simply be used for a niche in a shower wall. Choose bathroom tile accordingly to fit your budget.
Trendy or Timeless?
Try to select tiles that aren’t super trendy. If they are too trendy, the bathroom will become dated quickly. Also, do not select tile with resale in mind. Select for yourself and your design dreams
Wrapping up.
Before you jump into buying bathroom tiles, there are some crucial steps you must consider.
Firstly, decide on a style for your bathroom or at a minimum have narrowed down your style selections or options before you go to the showroom. This will also determine what colour and design of tile to choose for your space. Next, consider your tile size preferences.
Bathroom tiles are available in large and small tiles. Large tiles will produce a more attractive finish than small tiles. You can either choose to create a seamless look or mix and match tiles to create a look that is unique to you. If you’re mixing and matching tiles, choose no more than three different types of tiles. If you choose more tile types, you run the risk of making your bathroom look overwhelming or even small.
Consider tiles for your shower space and make sure that they complement the rest of your bathroom.
Before you purchase your tiles, make sure you consider the maintenance requirements.
Finally, tiling your bathroom is a big investment of both time and money, pick a design that works for you and your families needs, whilst on-trend can be tempting, you will have to look at this for the next few years.
