How To Choose Tiles For Your Kitchen Or Laundry

Choosing the right tiles for your bathroom, kitchen renovation or laundry is vital to rounding off the overall look and feel of the room. The perfect tile can transform an ordinary room into a luxurious highlight of the house. In kitchens, wall tiles protect work and cooking spaces from damage. In bathrooms and laundries, tiles give added security from water damage and leakages.

If your bathroom, kitchen or laundry needs a bit of a facelift, or you’re building a new home, here’s how you can ensure you choose the right tile for the space.

Proportion

You might opt to mix things up and choose various tiles of differing shapes and sizes, which can look great if chosen well. But, a standard error some homeowners make is choosing a few tiles that alone look pleasing, but disproportionate when combined in the one room.

The tiles you choose should look great together and alone. For instance, if you’re using a 20cm sized tile on the wall, the dimensions of all other tiles should be in multiples of 20 so that they marry up evenly along the grout lines.

Profile

It’s important to know that the size of the room in question plays a significant role when deciding the size and shape of the tile.

Larger tiles tend to work well in large rooms, while smaller rooms suit smaller profiles. If the tile you choose is too large for the room, it can make the space feel a lot smaller than it already is. On the other hand, small tiles in large rooms can create that “wow” factor when chosen well, but it comes down to the overall aesthetic design of the room.

When choosing tiles for your bathroom or kitchen, be mindful of how each tile interacts with other elements of the room – the basin, drains & floor grates, shower screens. By choosing a larger format, will you be required to perform more cuts? How will the tile you’re considering match up to the window frames? By asking yourself questions like this, you’ll be able to find the right shape and size of the tile that balances out the room.

Grout

Grout lines tend to get overlooked for the more obvious tile itself. How will the tile look when they’re laid with grout? It’s hard to tell when you’re browsing through catalogues or in the showroom.

Yes, a collage of tiny circular tiles might look cool on their own, but you need to try and imagine what these will look like in a room and bordered by grout lines. It could be that the tiles will clutter a room and make it feel smaller.

Before making a decision, ask the sales staff if there is an option to see the tile in a recent installation.

Colour

Your options for tiling are virtually endless, and innovations are seeing a range of adventurous and creative tiling options frequently popping up in supplier catalogues.

Make sure the colour of the tile you pick complements the design and colours of the new kitchen, bathroom or laundry. If you’re going for copper fittings, then try and keep colours in the room as neutral as possible. If you’re going for a more industrial design, you might opt for a darker colour with minimal patterns.

To make sure your new room will stand the test of time from a design perspective, choose tiles that are neutral in colour, or ones that even have a natural sandstone finish. For smaller galley kitchens and powder rooms, try to use a tile that’s the same colour and size on the floors and ceilings.

Sunlight

If your room is filled with natural sunlight, then you can afford to go for a darker tile. If the room has no windows and relies on artificial light to brighten it, your best bet is choosing a tile that’s a lighter shade, like a beige or off-white. Lighter colours will make an internal kitchen or bathroom feel brighter and more spacious.

If your bathroom or kitchen has a lot of natural sunlight pouring in, then you also need to be careful that the tiles you choose don’t have a high-gloss finish. Gloss finishes can create a glare which isn’t comfortable on the eye. Go for a semi-gloss or matte finish instead.

Are you renovating your existing kitchen, laundry or bathroom, or building a new home? Choosing the right tiles is crucial to the success of the project. Speak to someone from our team at Mayfair Building Group about how we can assist in choosing the perfect tiles for your project.