Floor Tiles Buying Guide

Deciding exactly which floor tiles to use in your bathroom is one of the most crucial choices you will make during a renovation as they will provide the platform on which many other areas of the room are built on. You need floor tiles to be strong so they don't crack under pressure, but they should also be stylish and complement the general feel of the room. In this guide, we'll explain what you need to be looking for if you want to upgrade.

Materials

When you choose your new floor tiles it's vital that you make sure they will be suitable for your particular bathroom. There are a couple of options you can go for here:

Porcelain

The scratch resistant nature of porcelain makes it an ideal material for floor tiles. They are made using a mixture of sand and clay for a tough, durable finish. If you're planning to build a wet room then these tiles are a good choice as they have a lower water absorbency rate than other types of tile.

Natural stone

These tiles come in many different guises, such as marble, travertine and slate so you can create a really beautiful look while also keeping things very sturdy and robust. Perfect for bathroom floors.

What styles can I pick from?

With regards to the overall appearance of your floor tiles, there are plenty of designs to choose from including colourful, patterned, marble, and effects such as water droplets and pebble beaches. It all comes down to a matter of personal taste really; just make sure that the tiles you go for complement the overall look of the room!

Don't forget the grout

This is an essential part of tiling a bathroom floor as grout is what keeps each individual tile secured in place and prevents it from sliding around underfoot which as you can imagine would be very dangerous in such a slippery environment. It is manufactured using a blend of cement, sand and water which forms a protective bond that surrounds the tiles. Choose a colour to complement the tiles you have gone for to complete the look.

Are there any ratings I should be aware of?

Yes, there are a couple of ratings which you need to understand before buying your new floor tiles:

W.A

The W.A. (Water Absorption) rating basically tells you how suitable a particular set of tiles is for use in damp environments. The W.A. rating will give tiles one of the four following titles: Nonvitreous , Semivitreous , Vitreous and Impervious . We don't recommend using either nonvitreous or semivitreous tiles in bathroom settings as they have a higher rate of water absorption and therefore aren't really suitable.

C.O.F

The C.O.F. (Coefficient of Friction) rating is what measures just how slippery the surface area of a bathroom tile is. The way this is worked out is by calculating the force needed to move an object along the surface of a tile divided by its weight. The tile is then given a number which assesses how slippery the tile is. The higher this number, the less chance there is of you having a fall! In general, a rating of around .50 - .60 will be OK for bathrooms.

How many tiles will I need?

You should work out just how many tiles you will need before ordering to avoid any mishaps when it comes to fitting. You can do this by using a tile calculator (this can be found on our website) which takes the measurements of your room and works out how many tiles you will require to cover this area.

A word to the wise though, it's always worth buying around 10% more tiles than you actually need as some may become damaged either in transit or while fitting so the extra tiles will accommodate for this.