11 October 2022
 Categories: , Blog

One of the main aspects of a bathroom is the wall and floor tiling. It covers most of the surface area in the room and thus produces the area's ambience. However, things can get confusing during a remodel because of the variety of options. To help, here are some considerations.

Tiled Wall Areas

Think about what area of the wall you want to tile in the bathroom. The shower enclosure, bath area, and vanity splashback will require tiling. But you can cover the other upper wall areas with tiles, paint, or wallpaper. The benefit of laying tiles floor to ceiling is that it gives the impression of a tall room, especially if you lay oblong tiles upwards. These designs form a vertical linear pattern. Similarly, horizontal wall tiles can give the feeling of expansive walls, making the bathroom appear bigger. The overall room design will look sleeker with fewer transitions between surfaces.

On the other hand, you may decide to tile the walls halfway and use another finish. This combination provides design flexibility as you can paint the walls a colour to contrast against the tiles, or you could pick out a colour within a patterned tile and use that for the wall. Alternatively, opt for a bold wallpaper and lay neutral tiles that act as a backdrop. A benefit of porcelain tiles is that they're non-porous, and you know they'll protect the walls from moisture damage.

Shapes, Colours and Patterns

You also need to select the tile shape, colour and pattern. With their light-reflecting quality, pale hues will make a compact bathroom seem larger. For this reason, you might opt for soft neutrals like sand, grey and cream. However, in a roomy bathroom, you may prefer the luxurious ambience evoked by rich brown or black tiles.

You can contrast the wall and floor tiles to add interest, keeping some aspects similar so the room looks unified. For example, use the same colour in both areas but contrast their shapes and sizes. Or lay the same proportioned tiles on the walls and floor but diversify their colour, pitting chocolate floor tiles against light beige wall tiles. If you stick with one colour in distinct light and dark shades, your bathroom will look harmonious and lively.

Do you want to use small tiles but think the design may appear too busy? If so, confine them to a small area only. For example, use tiny linear tiles along the vanity splashback area or create a vertical or horizontal feature band of wall tiles. You could lay an intricate border of decorative tiles around the shower to make it stand out.

For more information on tiling, contact a professional near you.