BATHROOM TILE IDEAS: STYLES, SIZES & LAYOUTS
Tiles cover almost every surface in a bathroom, so they set the look of the room and much of how it behaves: how it cleans, how it grips underfoot and how the shower drains. This guide works through tile types, sizes, laying patterns and finishes in the order a tiler thinks about them, for bathrooms, ensuites and laundries in Murrumbeena and nearby suburbs.
Ready to plan the tiling itself? See Bathroom Tiling.
START WITH THE TILE, NOT THE PATTERN
Material and size decide which patterns are practical, how many cuts the tiler makes and how the floor falls to the waste. Four families cover most bathroom choices.
Large-format porcelain
Tiles of 600mm and larger mean fewer grout lines and a calm, continuous surface. They need a very flat substrate, and on a shower floor the fall to the waste is often easier to form with a linear drain than a centre grate.
Subway and finger tiles
Small rectangular tiles bring rhythm and texture. Subway suits classic and period homes; slim finger tiles wrap around curves, niches and vanity fronts. More grout lines mean grout colour matters more.
Terrazzo-look tiles
Porcelain with a terrazzo speckle gives the look without the sealing and weight of cast terrazzo. It works best on the floor with plainer walls, so the pattern has somewhere to rest.
Natural stone
Marble, travertine and limestone are each one of a kind, and all are porous. Plan for sealing at installation and resealing over time, and choose honed over polished on wet floors. Stone is a regular choice in Luxury Bathrooms.
The starting point: plain white wall tiles laid in straight horizontal rows. Compare the herringbone, vertical stack and feature-wall options against this simple layout.
PATTERNS THAT CHANGE HOW THE ROOM READS
Herringbone
Rectangular tiles laid in a zigzag add movement to a plain room. Every edge row needs cutting, so it takes longer to lay and uses more tile. It is strongest on one floor or one wall rather than every surface.
Vertical stack
Tiles stood on end in straight columns draw the eye upward and make a low ceiling feel taller. The grid is unforgiving, so walls must be flat and plumb before the first tile goes on.
Feature walls
One wall in a stronger tile, behind the vanity, at the end of the shower or behind a bath, keeps the rest of the room quiet. Decide where it stops before ordering: a feature that ends on a random cut looks unfinished. Set-out like this is planned during Bathroom Tiling.
GROUT, SHEEN AND GRIP
Three smaller decisions that decide how the tiles look after years of showers, not just on handover day.
Grout colour
Matching grout blends tiles into one surface; contrasting grout puts the pattern on show. Mid-grey hides everyday discolouration on floors better than bright white. Epoxy grout resists staining in showers but takes longer to apply.
Matte versus gloss
Gloss wall tiles bounce light around a small room and wipe clean easily. Matte and satin finishes hide water marks and soap film, and they are the safer choice underfoot.
Slip resistance on floors
Floor tiles sold in Australia are commonly classified for slip resistance under AS 4586. Ask for the rating on anything going underfoot, especially inside the shower. Every tile also sits over the membrane, so the two are planned together; the Bathroom Waterproofing Guide explains that layer.
TURN A TILE SHORTLIST INTO A PLAN
Bring the tiles you are drawn to, a few photos of the room and a sense of the look you want. Bathroom Renovation Murrumbeena plans tile size, set-out, falls and waterproofing as one job for homes in Murrumbeena, Carnegie, Hughesdale, Oakleigh, Malvern East and Bentleigh East. For finished rooms to compare against, browse Projects.
A question about a particular tile first? Send it through the contact page.