Selecting tiles to give your home the perfect final finish is not just about the looks and buying from the best tiles company in India. Different areas in a home require different kinds of wall and floor tiles due to varying functional and aesthetic needs.
For instance, bathrooms demand tiles with high water resistance to withstand moisture, while kitchens benefit from easy-to-clean tiles that resist stains and spills.
Each area’s unique purpose, foot traffic, exposure to elements, and design preferences drive the choice of tiles, ensuring they fulfil their intended functions while contributing to the overall aesthetic appeal of the home.
Whether you use tiles for outdoor spaces or not, indoors the three most important spaces for tiles include the bedroom, living room, and bathroom. So, here’s how you can select the best tiles for these spaces:
Table of Contents
Selecting Tiles for Bedrooms
The bedroom is a space for relaxing and leaving out all the world’s worries for a good night’s sleep. So, everything in the bedroom, starting from the floor and wall finishes, should embrace tranquillity. Tiles with soft and warm, subtle patterns could do the trick if they match the interior theme of your home:
1. Determine Your Style and Aesthetics:
Start by identifying your preferred style – whether it’s modern, traditional, rustic, or contemporary. Choose tiles that complement the overall theme and colour scheme of your bedroom.
2. Choose Tile Type (Ceramic vs. Porcelain):
Both ceramic and porcelain tiles are suitable for bedrooms. Porcelain tiles are denser and more durable, making them ideal for high-traffic areas like floors. Ceramic tiles are slightly softer and can be used for both walls and floors.
3. Consider Tile Size
Larger tiles can make a small room appear more spacious, while smaller tiles can add detail to a large room. Choose sizes that work well with the dimensions of your bedroom.
You can consider book-match tiles if you have a smaller room and you would like the floor to appear cohesive.
4. Surface Finish
Tiles come in various finishes, such as matte, glossy, polished, rustic and wood matte. Consider the overall look you want and how the finish will affect the room’s lighting and ambience.
If you are using wood format tiles, the floor automatically gets a grainy matte finish. However, tiles with stone patterns can feature a high gloss finish. You can use 3D elevation tiles for the accent wall in the room.
5. Colour and Pattern
Lighter shades can make a room feel larger and more open, while darker shades add warmth and cosiness. Also, consider the play of natural light, as you would not want the room to appear dark during the daytime.
You can consider contrasting the floor and wall tiles to merge the effect of dark and bright colours.
Selecting Tiles for Living Rooms
Of all the possible spaces in the house, the living room is perhaps one space for a lavish appearance. So the tiles here should set the tone of the interior style, with accent walls, floor appearance, and wall décor.
Here’s how to ensure you select only the best options for your living room:
1. Define Your Style and Theme:
Before you go to buy the tiles, finalise the style you want for your living room – modern, traditional, contemporary, rustic, etc. This will guide your tile selection process. You can rely on rustic tiles with a single colour pattern for a modern appearance. However, classical appearance can draw on more intricate designs like marble, wood, Moroccan, and mosaics.
An accent wall can use tiles with contrasting shades for an eye-catching appearance. 3D elevated tile designs are quite popular for accent wall finishes.
2. Size and Layout
Choose tile sizes that match your living room’s dimensions. Larger tiles can make the room appear more open, while smaller tiles offer intricate designs. Larger tiles also offer a more realistic appearance and designs if you love natural stones like marble, granite, or even terrazzo tiles.
The best tiles companies in India, like H&R Johnson, offer designs and patterns mimicking marble, onyx, quartz, sandstone, and several others, under 120x60cm porcelain tile portfolios.
However, 60x60cm tiles, which are more popular for mid-size houses, also feature competing designs.
3. Colour Palette
Select tile colours that complement your living room’s existing decor and colour scheme. Lighter shades can create an airy feel, while darker tones add warmth and cosiness. Consider wall tile colours that will utilise the natural light better during the day and provide adequate visibility with nominal lighting at night.
However, if you like to highlight the decorative furnishings in the living room, tiles with darker shades will work wonders.
4. Texture and Finish
Living room tiles can afford to be flashy, eye-catching, and high gloss. However, the rocker and wood matte finish also provides a unique and natural feel to the space. Decide on the texture and finish that align with your vision. Glossy finishes can reflect light and make the room brighter, while matte finishes offer a more subtle look.
Overall, the living room floor lets you choose any surface texture that wouldn’t hinder your walk. Wall tiles can also use any surface finish, but using a finish with a higher smoothness than the floor tile is better for the looks. For example, if the floor tiles are rocker finish, wall tiles can feature rocker finish tiles, carving, polished or high-gloss tiles.
Tiling the Bathrooms
The bathroom is one of the most important destinations for wall and floor tiling in a house. If selected correctly and installed with proper care, tiles can extend the life of your bathroom and help you avoid accidents.
Here’s how to select your bathroom tiles:
1. Water Resistance and Durability
Bathrooms are high-moisture areas. So, you can prioritise tiles that are water-resistant and can withstand humidity. Both ceramic and porcelain tiles are suitable due to their low water absorption rates, but porcelain tiles are denser and more durable.
Porcelain tiles are an excellent choice for bathroom floors due to their durability, and water-resistant properties. However, ceramic tiles with proper glazing are also suitable for bathroom walls.
The best tile companies in India offer ceramic tiles with a lower water absorption rate of less than 6%, compared to 10% of traditional ceramics. So, you can safely use ceramic tiles in your bathroom with proper grouting.
2. Tile Size and Layout
Consider the size of your bathroom when selecting tile sizes. Larger tiles can minimise grout lines and make the space feel more open. Usually, smaller tiles are recommended for bathroom floors due to the sloping requirement. So, 40x40cm and 30x30cm tiles are more popular with small and mid-size bathrooms.
However, larger bathrooms can use 60x60cm or larger tiles on the floor. Similarly, wall tiles vary between the sizes 120x60cm to 30×45 cm.
3. Surface Finish
Surface finish is a critical factor for bathroom tiles, especially floor tiles. Bathroom floor tiles should have a finish that balances aesthetics and slip resistance. Matte or textured finishes offer a better grip, reducing the risk of slipping on wet surfaces.
The bathroom walls can use a glossy or polished finish surface for easy cleaning and maintenance.
5. Colour and Aesthetics
Select colours that complement your bathroom’s overall design. Lighter colours can make a small bathroom appear bigger and utilise the available light well. So, if your bathroom features small vents or covered vents, with low natural light, at least wall tiles should have lighter colour.
6. Tile Patterns and Designs
Decide whether you want plain tiles, mosaic patterns, or decorative accents. Mosaic tiles can add visual interest to shower niches, backsplashes, or feature walls. Bathroom floors should feature plain colour tiles to avoid optical effects for the users.
Selecting the Best Tile Company in India
While you can select the best tiles using the steps above, also make sure to consider brands that offer expert assistance in tile selection and installation. Brands like H&R Johnson have their R&D facilities in India and maintain a high standard of quality for their ceramic and vitrified tiles.
You can consult their tile experts online or visit the nearest experience centre for a tailored solution.