HOW TO CHOOSE A TILE.

Well, it seems like you all have quite the appetite for tiling dos and don’ts, so im going to attempt to answer some of your questions posted via www.instagram.com/emma.merry.styling

Bathroom, shower rooms, en-suites and cloakrooms are some of the most functional rooms with your home, but they don’t have to always look functional and sterile. When starting to design my bathroom schemes, I always start with the tiles; floor, wall, splash backs and niches can all rock a different finish, however where do you start?

1: How do you tell your porcelain from your cement tile?

2: Can you put a wall tile on the floor?

3: Is grout & sealant available in any colour?

4: Are there any tiling hacks that will save time and money?

The answer to all of the above is YAAAAAAAS.

1: How do you tell your porcelain from your cement tile?

Generally speaking, porcelain tiles is tougher,harder wearing than a ceramic tile. Porcelain and cement tiles are both made form clay and go through the same firing process however the clay used to make porcelain is pure therefore creates a more refined finish. The other difference in porcelain and cement tiles is the cost, high end Porcelain tiles will set you back 20% more than its rival the cement tile. But well worth it for high traffic areas, that need to be hard wearing.

2: Can you put a wall tile on the floor?

Tiles that are created as wall tiles are usually thinner and therefore lighter than floor tiles. When the tiles are finished and glazed it will be not be glazed to withstand the footfall of a floor tile. If you have a light traffic area like an ensuite used once a day I would say go right ahead and lay a wall tile on the floor.

On the other hand, can you use a wall tile as a floor tile?

I would advise against this until you know the thickness of the tile, these tiles are often heavy so your walls may not withstand the weight.

The exception to this rule is reclamed tiles, If you head over to /www.maitlandandpoate.com Chris has a great selection of wall and floor tiles that can mix and match in both areas.

3: Is grout & sealant available in any colour?

The simple answer is yes, http://www.mapei. have a huge range of colours from light to dark, from bright to muted.

When using grout, think of it as a highlighter pen for your tiles. if you want to highlight the pattern on a small splash back look at the opposite colour to your tile in the group e.g: white tile, deep grey grout. Alternatively to mute the tiling pattern match the grout to the tile.

4: Are there any tiling hacks that will save time and money?

Tiling hacks that will save you money are to look at sheet tiles, these are smaller mosaic tiles that come in pre-formatted sheets and can be laid quickly like a larger tile, this saves you time on the tiler's bill and money on the individual tiles.

The other alternative to ceramic tiles are thick waterproof panels. http://www.showerwall.co.uk (as featured in the above) have a wonderfull selection, these fasten to the wall with adhesive, they can even be fixed over the top of existing tiles, perfect for a quick fix.

That's all folks! I really hope you found the piece interesting, and as always I'm happy to answer any further questions you may have on tiling. Feel free to head over to the contact us page or email me on emma@EmmaMerryStyling All images & mood board copyright are owned by Emma merry styling except where noted. Please make sure you credit and link/tag if you use them. Thank you x