When it comes to choosing tiles for your home is like choosing art. It can be overwhelming where to begin, so let Italia Ceramics guide you on what to look for and what to consider when choosing wall and floor tiles for your home.

Project by Enoki Design featuring our exclsuive trellis collection

Style of your Home

When it comes to selecting tiles it is important to consider the look, feel and style of your home. Whether you are looking for a hip retro feel, an industrial rustic style, or a modern contemporary look, tiles are the final piece of the puzzle in creating the overall theme to your home.

Not sure where to begin? There are endless styles from timber look floor tiles to stone look tiles for walls to marble floor and wall tiles and everything in between!

Look through magazines and brochures for inspiration or if you're technology savvy, online websites such as Pinterest, Houzz and even Facebook and instagram are a great way to find inspiration for your home interiors. Read our recent blog “7 ways to find inspiration for your home” for more ideas.

Layout of the room

Whether you’re renovating or building it is important to first consider the size of the space. Is it a bathroom with limited space? An open living room that is wide and spacious? Or maybe a gallery style kitchen that needs the perfect floor tile to run from one side to another.

Designing a bathroom with limited space, but making it look larger needs consideration.. Lay your bathroom floor tile in an oversized diamond pattern that makes a diagonal effect. This helps to draw the eye along the longer path from one side of the room to the other – to make the room feel bigger than it really is. It might seem contradictory, but choosing large tiles for a small bathroom works because you have less grouted joints which give the illusion of space.

tile floor designs for small bathrooms.jpg

If you have a large living room then the world is your oyster when it comes to choosing tiles! Want our recommendation? The dramatic look of large format tiles will make your space look sleek and virtually flawless! Make your floor tile the envied focal point to your kitchen, living room or any space of the home! With fewer grout lines lends its self to open large spaces. At Italia Ceramics we have large variety of styles in large format tiles including natural stone and porcelain. Large format concrete floor tiles are a great alterative to polished concrete floors. Concrete look tiles are great for reflecting industrial style for its earthy weathered effect for your walls and floors – even if you’re building a brand new home! Or if you like the immaculate beauty of marble, give your space the look of luxury with our large format tiles.

Project by Lares Homes featuring our Acustico Collection.

Grout

Something that is not always on the top of our radar when choosing wall and floor tiles for our home is grout. Choosing the right grout is one of the most important decisions you will make. Traditionally, grout was the back bone to making the tiles the centre piece of the design. But today we are seeing contrasting grout colours, giving something a little extra to your walls and floors.

Flooring is key

Whether you’re renovating or building, you have reached one of the most important decisions of the design phase; choosing the right floor tile for your home. No matter how well designed your kitchen, bathroom, indoor or outdoor area is, choosing the wrong floor tiles can have a obliterating effect on the overall look and feel of your home. Finding the perfect floor design with tiles that are not only the talking point of the home, but add value to your home.

Any tile can be used on walls, yet floor tiles need to be hardwearing and withstand the wear and tear of foot traffic. Whether you have a preference in material; ceramic, porcelain, natural stone or even mosaics, there are number of reasons to consider when choosing the right floor tile. Is it for your wet area? Is it a high traffic area- like bathrooms & kitchens? Do you have children and pets?

In wet areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, powder rooms and laundries it is crucial to have a surface that is water resistant not to mention staining and ease of maintenance. Porcelain tiles are suitable for any wall or floor application in commercial to the highest traffic areas of the home. Porcelain floor tiles are great for wet areas in terms of wear and tear in high traffic areas from families and pets. Want to know more about the different types of tiles for bathrooms?

Slip Ratings for wet areas

Choosing a tile with the right slip rating is essential in wet areas. All Italia Ceramics tiles are put through a slip rating test to assess the frictional characteristic of the surface to detect what is best suited for different environment conditions. The test measures the long-term wear throughout the life of a floor tile, taking into consideration, the installation process, wear characteristics, cleaning maintenance and anticipated traffic. See the below table to guide you when choosing tiles for residential or commercial application.

Ceramic tiles - the healthy alternative

In the past your choice of tiling was determined by several key factors – cost, durability and ease of maintenance. Today, there is another prime consideration: your health and the health of your family. Ceramic tiles not only provide an answer to traditional concerns, but also play a vital role helping those who suffer from hay fever and asthma. Dust mites thrive in carpet, where they breed and multiply. No matter how much you vacuum you simply cannot remove them. For sufferers of allergy-related conditions, ceramics tiles are as godsend.

Choosing tiles is like choosing art