With so many options and materials out there in the market, it becomes challenging to select bathroom tiling for your home. Some of the top choices among customers are vinyl, ceramic, and porcelain. These are practical and durable at the same time, but many other materials are rapidly gaining popularity for bathroom tiling.
If you like elaborate designs or simple, basic ones, tiles should meet some requirements and fulfil your individual needs and requirements. Before finalizing material for bathroom tiling, make sure it does not let moisture seep below the tile surface and damage it and is not slippery when it gets wet.
Select Between Wall or Floor Bathroom Tiling
The placement of tiles can be done on both the bathroom floor and walls. Tiles ideal for the floor also work for the walls, but it is not necessary that tiles made for walls will work on the floor. The bathroom floor should not be slippery and have high traction. There are plenty of water-resistant tile options for your bathroom floor.
There are even more options for walls although similar finishes and designs as floor tiles are also available. Just select a material that offers strong resistance against moisture, and you will be good to go.
Finally, your style and design ideas, coupled with your budget, will influence your bathroom tiling material decision. This guide talks about the most popular materials used for bathroom tiling and will help you make the right decision.
Best Bathroom Tiling Options
Porcelain and Ceramic Tiles
If you are a fan of patterned squares, wood or stone lookalikes, or colourful tiles, then porcelain and ceramic tiles are the best options. Ceramic tiles have a hard surface and are less comfortable to the foot. A radiant floor heater helps with this, and they do not require high maintenance.
Installing ceramic tiles is a bit more complex than vinyl, and if you use a high-grade glaze, you can save it from scratches and wear. Porcelain is harder than clay tiles and tackle chipping with its thorough-body colour.
Ceramic tiling costs around £15-30 while porcelain costs almost £60-90 per square metre.
Vinyl Tiles
One of the most-used materials for bathroom tiling, vinyl is efficient and does not cost much. Well-suited for both small and big bathrooms, it has the edge over other materials in terms of durability, safety, and comfort.
Vinyl tiles are easy to install and will enhance the aesthetic of your bathroom. You can use a knife to cut the self-adhering vinyl material. It costs £15-30 per sq. meter of vinyl tiling.
Stone Tiles
Earlier, just the foyer used stone tiling, but now it is also used for other rooms, including the bathroom. Available in a variety of colours like gold, red, blue, green, etc., these tiles are made from slate, marble, limestone, etc.
Compared to porcelain or ceramic tiles, the stone is expensive, but it is highly porous. As a result, it does require more maintenance than most other materials, with regular sealing and cleaning a must. The average cost per sq. meter for stone tiling is £40-80.
Laminate Plastic Tiles
Planks or plastic laminate tiles are great for those who are remodelling their bathroom entirely. Kitchen countertops have been using planks for decades now, and if you use them for bathroom tiling, they won’t raise the existing floor height. This will also help in easy transitions from one room to the next.
It is easy to clean and maintain the durable plastic laminate, but moisture and standing water seeps through the fibreboard core and makes it buckle and expand. If you use planks, make sure you fill gaps along the walls and the toilet to stop water from damaging the planks. The range of styles and designs for plastic laminates is also low.
Glass Tiles
Glass tiles are very attractive and create a tinted, lovely illusion of depth through a thin glass layer covering the floor. Choose between textured glass or a floor-rated glass tile to ensure high traction and avoid slips. You can go for a custom glass floor design for your shower and bathroom. Glass tiling is expensive, and you will need to pay around £80-150 per square meter.
Differences between Ceramic and Porcelain Tiling
Ceramic and Porcelain tiles are preferred by most users for bathroom tiling. Most people confuse these materials with each other, but there are certain differences between them, with porcelain being more expensive. If you plan on using one of them for your bathroom tiling, take a look at this comparison between them.
Appearance
Ceramic comes in solid colours, while porcelain tiles mimic different materials like wood grains or marbles. In appearance, porcelain takes the edge as it is available in a variety of surfaces, patterns, and finishes, while ceramic comes just in single solid colours.
Heat and Water Resistance
Porcelain is heavier, denser, and more resistant to water than ceramic. Ceramic is less resistant to moisture, but a glazed ceramic tile is similar to porcelain for water resistance. Porcelain offers slightly better heat and water resistance than ceramic tiles.
Cleaning and Care
You can use a damp mop and a soap solution to clean porcelain tiles and need to seal the tile joints regularly for protection against scratches and stains. Ceramic tiles are cleaned in the same way as porcelain tiles, and there is not much difference.
Installation
Porcelain is quite brittle, and you may need professional help to install tiling without any damage. Ceramic is less durable and dense than porcelain which makes it easy to install ceramic tiling yourself without fear of damage.
Lifespan
Porcelain is hard and long-lasting, but it can crack under structure shifting because of its hardness. Ceramic tiles can last for over 50 years if you maintain their grout and seal it regularly. Its soft nature protects it from cracking during structure shifting.
Wrapping Up
Bathroom tiling can add value to your home and enhance the visual appeal and attractiveness of the bathroom. There are so many materials available for tiling, and in the above guide, we compared some of the most used tiling materials.
Vinyl, porcelain, and ceramic tiles are the most used in bathrooms, and we even read the differences between porcelain and ceramic tiles. If you want to remodel or refloor your bathroom, it is recommended to get in touch with an expert who will guide you throughout the process.
Add safe and attractive bathroom tiling at the best prices now.
