Small downstairs loo: to tile or not to tile?

[MyBuggyIsOutToGetMe]

We’re mid extension and having a small downstairs loo put in. I’d originally assumed we would only put in a few small tiles as a splashback near the sink but my dad looked horrified at the mere suggestion and said it MUST be tiled, at least halfway (ie half tiles and paint above).

If you have a small downstairs loo, is it tiled? We need to decide ASAP so the builder can line up a tiled….

My small downstairs toilet is fully tiled. I really like it and how it looks. No regrets here!

Nah, paint is fine .

Bless your dad though :)

Tile halfway! with a neutral tile ideally so you can easily repaint above to change the feel of the room cheaply in future.

Ours is tiled all the way round, half way up, and then painted above. It makes it much easier to clean and looks great.

Thanks everyone - @BIWI , that sounds like what we might go for. Are white metro tiles horribly passé?! The budget is tightening at this stage of the project…

With a tight budget I’d personally go with No tiles. Unless you were doing them yourselves?

for a downstairs loo definitely not essential! Use kitchen/bathroom wipeable paint so you can clean properly around loo etc.

We have a VERY small downstairs loo and just have 4 tiles above the sink. Haven't had any issues.

Do you have boys? If so, I would go with half tiled. Much easier to wipe over when they don’t aim properly!

We have metro tiles

However, I am no style guru so don't go by what we have. But they do look nice, I think.

I just have small swimming pool tiles above the sink. I like to change the colour of the paint frequently.

When we moved in, our downstairs toilet had only a tiled splash back over the sink and it looked awful.
We changed it to half tiled all the way around and wallpaper above. We used duck egg coloured metro tiles.

i eouldnt in a downstairs toilet, I think it'll look like a public toilet!! There are so many lovely tiles to choose from that aren't expensive.

Google Downstairs Toilet & you'll get lots of great ideas. It's a very small room that you can do something amazing with, but don't have to have in your face all the time.

@BunsyGirl , we do indeed have boys! Definitely a consideration. Got another round of toilet training coming up too…

I wouldn't tile. They will date v quickly.

@TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination , great user name, by the way - that’s a fair point. I was thinking if we went plain tiles, we’d vary the look by being able to change the paint more easily. I’ve been on Pinterest but struggling and need to make a decision ASAP as we hadn’t budgeted for tiling but it would need to happen before sanitary ware is fitted.

How much would you expect to pay for tiling? The whole loo is around 2m by 1m and we’d only be looking for half height.

@Sprig1 , what would you suggest? Paint? Panelling? I’m not keen on the latter as although I like the look, it’s such a small room.

I hate metro tiles. I am old enough to remember that that is what public loos looked like.

Our small downstairs loo has tiles behind the loo and the basin. The rest is wallpapered.

No, it's wallpapered, and I have a rectangle of clear plexiglass screwed in above the sink. It protects the wallpaper without hiding it. There's no need to tile and the wallpaper can be fun!

No tiles, too public loo in a small space. Depends on age and style of house, ours is Edwardian so we have painted wood panelling half way.
In our previous more modern house we just had washable paint with glass tiles behind the washbasin.

It’s a 1930s house but will generally be quite traditional when done - Shaker kitchen, etc. Loo will be a traditional close coupled toilet and looking at fairly “vintage” vanity units if we can fit one in.

If I was being left to my own devices, I’d love some Moroccan-style tiles but in the interests of speed and budget, I may need to compromise…

I'd just paint with a washable paint and be done with it. But then even my bathroom isn't tiled except round the bath and shower so I am clearly not fussy !

I'd always go for half way up tiles all around in a downstairs toilet. From experience, people always end up dripping/splashing water down the walls and if there's paint there, it just stains with drip marks. It's so much neater and easier to clean if there's tiles.

No tiles in my small downstairs toilet

No tiles in our downstairs loo. I’m not sure why you’d need them.