Bathroom tiles

[oreoswithfriends]

Where to start?!

Our re-designed bathroom is not going to be huge - it's rectangular, 1.70m wide x 2.80cm long, with the window at the far (outside) wall, opposite you as you walk in from the hallway. The bath will go under the window and sit across the width of the room, to give you some idea.

We've picked all the bits to go in it, save for the tiles, and I'm now really confused.

1 wall will be fully tiled, the rest half tiled. Floor and side of the bath, facing you as you walk in, also tiled. We want something neutral and I want the room to look as big as possible! Is the best way to have big tiles?

Where to start - Porcelain? Travertine? Something else? I also have no idea where to go? Are Topps Tiles considered reasonable price/quality? Or Wickes? Where else?

We don't want to spend a fortune, so Fired Earth etc are out, but equally don't want it to look rubbish, seeing as we've spent quite a lot of money on the stuff to go in it.

Any help/guidance much appreciated!

If there's a Porcelanosa near you, try there. Currently having a 40% off sale. I'd go for ceramic over stone, much easier to deal with. If you have the same design on the floor and walls it will make it look bigger.

Tons of tiles sell fired earth ones (same manufacturer) but at a fraction of the price. I've found 'walls and floors' to be good also, we ordered quite a few different kinds from there.

It depends what type your house is- ie we've just put a Victorian style bathroom on our Victorian home, so the tiles are crackle glazed metro tiles. In a more modern house, a flat white tile can look nice, with some kind of mosaic border. I'm not a fan of travertine at all, think it now looks quite dated, but that's just me- I have friends who love it!

I had travertine- floor cracked due to being improperly laid and the wall ones soon looked dull.

I now have matt porcelain tiles in my bathrooms- mine are by Pamesa (Davos) - quite plain but I liked them. There were some mega cheap ones in Wickes but they looked a bit cheap. Mine were £25.00 per Sqm with a discount.

olivia how have you found your crackle glazed tiles? I love them but everyone I talk to says there's such a risk of water seeping into then even if they are sealed.
Apologies for hijack op.

We've got a 1960's house, so lacking in 'period features' really.

Are there any benefits of porcelain over ceramic and vice versa. I guess we're going for a neutral, hotel bathroom style (I know that sounds dull, but I want it to be calm and peaceful in there). I have also learnt (painfully) that white grout, on the floor at least, is a bad idea.

Will have a look at the suggestions above - any more much appreciated.

Ditto Porcelanosa.
I'm a designer and frequently get involved in hotel projects. I always spec Porcelanosa tiles as they're great.
My advice is to use the biggest tile you can. It'll give a really seamless look. Wider is better than taller.
Don't be persuaded to use dark grout on the floor if you have a light tile as it'll create grid lines. Use an epoxy based grout instead which will be easier to clean and not deteriorate. HTH and good luck!

SB- they are fine. We just had to seal them twice before grouting and once afterwards but we've had no problem at all. I love them!

That's good to know, I've read too much stuff online that talks about sealing before you cut them so that the water from the tile cutter doesn't get into the tiles!

If you have a builder or tiler, they may have trade discounts at local independent tile places. We got a job lot of crackle glaze metro tiles for our kitchen at a bargain price this way. If you can get out and look at some different showrooms you will get an idea of what you like.

Topps Tiles can be expensive, and don't always show price per square metre, so you have to work out if it is a good deal. But, I think they will take returns if you over order, whereas independents wouldn't necessarily.

The last two bathrooms we have done with wide, white tiles, and I agree they give a seamless calm look.