How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes When Selecting Tile
Choosing tile is an exciting and fun process, but with so many materials, finishes, and size options available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. A few common missteps can impact the look, performance, and longevity of your home’s design. Basically, we want to help by offering tile selection tips and advice for you to think about before you buy.
1. Consider Lifestyle and Maintenance Needs
Natural stone offers luxury, and can last a lifetime, but does require sealing and care. So, we want you to think about where you are putting it — for instance, you may choose natural stone vs porcelain in a primary bath or powder room, and look to porcelain for a kids bathroom. For high-traffic spaces like a mudroom, a durable porcelain option can deliver beauty without the upkeep.
2. Don’t Overlook Scale and Proportion
Popular Large-format tile (think 24×48 in size) can elongate a space—unless the room is too small. Conversely, tiny mosaics in big rooms can become visually noisy. Basically, remember that balance is key.
Glossy finishes look elegant, but in a large format can be slick on a floor – think entry ways or bathroom floors. However, matte versions of the same work well on those types of floors and give a similar look. Conversely, you could consider a small mosaics which calls for more grout and results in more gription. Don’t be afraid to ask your tile designer about gloss vs. matte during your selections meeting. Lastly, always check if the tile is rated for floor use before you install.
Lighting changes everything. As such, ask to take samples home to review color and texture in your own space at different times of day.
Grout matters (!!) and the color grout selected affects the style as much as the tile. Coordinating colors create a seamless look; contrasting grout highlights patterns.
Tile layout is everything! Herringbone, stacked, and offset patterns alter the entire mood. Also, it’s important consider focal walls, cuts, and sightlines before installation. A Tile & Stone showroom like Bella Tile & Stone in Delafield would be able to recommend layouts that work for each space.
Always order 10–20% extra for cuts, breakage and/or variation. You always want to order extra overage for handmade custom tile orders – can you imagine waiting 8-10 weeks for your special tile and then being short? Overage is also important in natural stone or Zellige tile where you may have a wider range of variation or imperfections and want some flexibility to choose what you are or are not comfortable with within that range.
8. Final Tip: Work With Experts
Tile is both beautiful and technical. Visiting a showroom and working with experts ensures your choices are practical, stylish, and timeless.
Make and appointment to explore our curated tile and stone collections, see and touch materials in person, and receive expert guidance from our team of designers to bring your vision to life.
We’d love to help you create something beautiful and we hope these tile selection tips were helpful.