How to Choose Bathroom Tile: Floor and Wall Combinations, Tile Size and Samples

Choosing bathroom tile gets much easier once you separate the jobs: floor tile has to be slip-resistant, wall tile has to be easy to clean. Then decide the color combination, tile size and grout, and finally confirm with a sample plus a photo of your own bathroom.

The bathroom is the smallest room in most homes and the hardest to tile. Every wall is seen up close, and everything gets wet every day, so cleaning and slip resistance matter as much as looks.

Plenty of people stand in front of a showroom display for ages and leave saying, "Let me think about it." Here is the order that gets you to a decision.

How is choosing bathroom floor tile different from wall tile?

Same material, different jobs:

• Floor tile: slip resistance first. A bathroom floor is often wet, so matte or textured anti-slip tiles are the safer choice. Many glossy tiles are rated for walls only.
• Wall tile: easy cleaning first. Glossy tile wipes clean and shrugs off water spots, and its reflection brightens a small bathroom.
• Shower floor: think small. The floor slopes toward the drain, and large tiles don't follow a slope well, so many installers recommend smaller tiles there.

Running one tile from the floor up the walls is a great look too, as long as that tile is rated for floors.

What bathroom tile combinations work?

There's no single right answer, but most good bathrooms are a variation on one of these three:

• One light tone throughout: walls and floor in the same family of color. The room feels as big as it can, which is ideal for a small bathroom.
• Light walls, darker floor: a deeper floor feels grounded and hides water marks and hair better.
• One feature wall: put a marble-look or patterned tile behind the vanity or toilet and keep everything else plain. It spends the budget where people actually look.

Swap the wall and floor tiles in the same bathroom and the whole room changes:

Decide the grout color at the same time. White, gray and black grout can make the same tile look like three different products; our grout color guide shows how.

What tile size works in a small bathroom?

Large format tile often works better than you'd expect. Fewer joints make the wall look more continuous and leave less grout to scrub. Small tiles bring more lines and a busier, more handmade feel.

Here is the same wall and the same tile in 30×60 cm (about 12×24 in) and 60×120 cm (about 24×48 in):

The thing to watch with big tiles is how they fit the wall. A thin sliver of tile in a prominent spot looks like a mistake, so ask the installer to plan the layout and decide where to start. The pattern is up to you: straight lay is crisp, an offset is livelier, and long tiles usually look best at a 1/3 offset.

Why can't you picture it from a sample?

This is where most people get stuck. A sample is one small piece; the bathroom is a whole wall:

• A sample is a fragment: it can feel calm in your hand and overwhelming across a whole room.
• One tile, several faces: marble-look and wood-look tiles usually come with several different faces, and the piece you're holding may not be the ones on your wall.
• The light is different: a showroom spotlight flatters everything; your north-facing window and warm evening bulbs may not.

So check samples where they'll be installed: floor tile on the floor, wall tile against the wall, once in daylight and once under evening light.

The faster route is the other way around. Put your shortlist into a photo of your own bathroom with a tile visualizer, narrow it to two or three, and only then compare those samples.

A typical example: a homeowner couldn't decide between two light gray wall tiles and worried white grout would stain. The designer asked for a phone photo of the bathroom, put both tiles on it, then switched the grout from white to light gray. Two minutes later the wall tile was chosen, and the rest of the meeting went to the floor.

FAQ

Can I use the same tile on the bathroom floor and walls?

Yes, as long as the tile is rated for floors. A bathroom floor gets wet, so it needs slip resistance; many glossy tiles are meant for walls only and get slippery underfoot.

Is large format tile a good idea in a small bathroom?

Yes. Fewer grout lines make the walls look calmer and easier to clean. Just check how the tiles fit the wall width, and remember the shower floor needs a slope to the drain, which usually calls for smaller tiles.

What should I look for when checking tile samples?

Look at them where they'll be installed: floor tile on the floor, wall tile against the wall, in daylight and again under evening light. You can also put your shortlist into a photo of your own bathroom first, narrow it to two or three, then check those samples.

Try combinations on a photo of your own bathroom

To put real tiles into a photo of your bathroom at real size, then switch grout and layout, take a look at the RoomDreaming tile visualizer.