The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Bathroom Tiles: Types, Colours, and Patterns

Bathroom tiles are one of the essential components of a modern bathroom interior. The tiles not only create amazing bathroom interiors but also add to the safety of the structure and the users. Thus, installing bathroom tiles is more than just a hygiene factor you need to get done.

You need to select bathroom tiles for great appearance and lasting performance. You can choose the best bathroom tiles if you understand the various factors you can take care of with your tile choices.
 
Bathroom tiles selection factors:
-    Type of space for installation
-    Appropriate tile material
-    Selecting the tile finish
-    Selecting the tile designs
-    Correctly sizing up the tiles
-    How many tiles to buy? 

Type of Spaces for Tiling in Bathroom

Different spaces in your bathroom have different needs and tolerance for surface qualities. In Indian bathrooms, you typically have three spaces you can cover with tiles:

-    Bathroom Walls
-    Bathroom Floor
-    Vanity Countertop

If you have a small bathroom, usually there is no distinction between a wet and a dry place. Thus, the walls must use uniform and waterproof tiles to protect against moisture. The floor tiles must also provide adequate wet grip. Thus, the tiles for bathroom floors must have a rough surface with anti-skid properties.

The countertop for vanity basins can be decorative with the vanity basin sitting on top of it, or it can hold the wash basin with under or over counter edges. The counter can be used for keeping regular use and can use a glossy polished surface.

The Right Material for Bathroom Tiles

You have plenty of options when it comes to tiling materials. However, for the bathroom, you need to look for things that can offer the following qualities:
 
●    Resistant to moisture
●    Resists fungus and bacteria build-up
●    Resistant to chemical and soap
●    Easy to maintain

Due to the water exposure, natural materials like marble are not well suited for bathroom space. However, manufactured tiles like glazed ceramic and porcelain are better at surviving and serving their purpose in an Indian bathroom. 

The hard-glazed surface of these tiles is impervious to moisture, soap and mild chemicals. Thus, it also doesn’t allow bacteria and fungus to grow, keeping the bathroom odour-free. Also, bathroom tiles' price in India for vitrified and ceramic tiles is far more pocket friendly than most natural stones and other durable tile materials.

Additionally, glazed ceramic and vitrified tiles also offer multiple surface finish options for floor and wall installations. The surface finish can range from high gloss to rustic or anti-skid surfaces.

Remember to use high gloss or polished finish tiles only on the bathroom walls and vanity countertops. Always choose a rustic, matte, or satin matte finish for the floor.

Selecting the Tile Designs for Your Bathroom

Glazed ceramic and glazed vitrified tiles (GVT) provide excellent design options due to high-definition digital printing technology. The tiles not only have extreme variations of design but also sturdiness to last a lifetime. 

Some of the popular designs of GVT tiles have slate, stone, wood, and other natural appearance. Digital coordinated tiling styles are also popular for bathroom wall applications. 

H&R Johnson, one of the longest-running ceramic tile brands in India, boasts an unmatched tile design portfolio. Some other popular bathroom tile design portfolios you can find at H&R Johnson include:

-    Marble Look Alike tiles in white, pink, beige, grey, etc.
-    Wood Look Alike tiles & planks with Maple, Namibian, Sepia, Egyptian, Walnut and several other patterns
-    Stone-look alike tiles with high-gloss, and rocker finish surfaces
-    Heritage tiles in solid colours and glossy finish
-    Digitally coordinated tiles with various prints
 
With H&R Johnson, you can use the same tile design for walls and the floor in your bathroom, as they offer both high gloss and rough texture for several tile designs.

Types of Surface Finish for Bathroom Tiles

You can use tiles with varying degrees of surface finishes in your bathroom. The three common surface finishes every bathroom can use are:

-    Gloss, or high gloss (mostly walls)
-    Matte and rustic finish (mostly floors)
-    Polished tile surface (for vanity countertop)

You can also use 3D elevated tiles and create an accent wall over the vanity if you like to raise the décor. Ensure that the 3D elevated tiles feature a glossy surface as it will be easier to clean and will avoid residue build-up.

You can use a variation of glossy finish bathroom tiles for walls. Even the natural-looking rustic and satin matte finish tiles make the bathroom look natural and warm.

Wooden look alike tiles are some of the popular bathroom tiling solutions you can use on both walls and floors. The tiles are available in both high-gloss and matte surface finishes.
 
Selecting the Correct Tile Sizes

Selecting the tile size for the vanity counter should be the easiest. It needs only a single tile. However, wall and floor tile sizes will depend on the coverage area. It pays to cover your bathroom walls up to the ceiling with tiles, as half tiling (7 feet) can leave a large enough space for seepage.

The correct size for the walls or the floor should allow you to:

-    Install the tiles easily
-    Cover the full area with minimal wastage
-    Give an adequate slope on the floor

Expert Tips:

●    You can use larger tiles on the walls, like 120x60cm or 60x60cm
●    It is easier to have an adequate slope on the floor with smaller tiles. However, your tile size will depend on the bathroom floor area.
●    Larger bathrooms can use larger tiles on the floor. However, medium and small bathrooms usually do better with 45x45cm or 30x30cm tiles. 

How Many Tiles To Buy?

So the first thing to do is to estimate the surface area for walls and floor. Take care of the space taken by the windows and doors. Once you have the surface areas you can choose a tile size that can divide this area with minimal fraction values.

For example, 60x60cm or 30x30cm tiles sizes are good choices for a 300x150cm area. 

Once you have selected the bathroom tiles sizes (wall and floor separately) you can calculate the number of boxes you need to buy, keeping a buffer for cutting wastage. You should always buy about 5 to 10% extra for repairs and replacement of damaged tiles in future.

Tile Your Bathroom for Beauty & Safety

Tiling your bathroom offers several benefits including a beautiful interior, long lifespan, easier maintenance and safety for users. Ceramic and vitrified tiles are a lot easier to maintain with nominal cleaning. You can even remove limescale deposits after prolonged use with mild surface cleaners.

If you are using glossy tiles, just make sure to not scrape the surface with rough scrubbers, to maintain the surface quality. Matte finish floor tiles might collect grime and soap residue over time, which you can wash off easily using a plastic brush.

After you have installed the tiles in your bathroom, good ventilation and regular cleaning will keep your bathroom looking new and beautiful for a long time. Another important aspect of tile wall Tiles and floor maintenance is grouting.

Use branded waterproof grouting to avoid moisture from seeping between the tiles. Epoxy grouts are much better at this job than other types of grouts. However, if you are using other types of grout, you should check the lines for cracks and repair them.