Large vs. Small Tiles In a Bathroom

The time has come to renovate your bathroom, and even though it’s tempting to choose the tile’s colour and shape right away, the first choice you make should be which tile size best suits your space. It’s a well-known fact that specific paint colours can make your room feel warmer, darker or brighter: this also rings true for tile size.

As tile installers in Vaughan and beyond, we want your bathroom to reach its full potential, and the first step is deciding the best tile size for your bathroom. 

Read on, and we’ll explain everything.

Large Tiles

When you’re outfitting a small bathroom with tiles, if you want to make your space look bigger, then large tiles — bigger than 12″ — are an excellent choice. However, if you’re redoing a tiny room, don’t use tiles over 18″ long as it’ll crowd the space. Large tiles work well in a small bathroom because fewer grout lines give the space a better flow with the illusion of continuous materials. Further, if you colour grout lines to match the tile, it will minimize the grout and enlarge your bathroom even more.

Small Tiles

When it comes to tiling your bathroom or shower floor, for safety reasons, you may want to consider small tiles because extra grout provides traction, which can help prevent slips and falls. The problem with large tile on the floor is when it’s slick, there is more surface between grout lines for you to lose your balance and fall on – so you may need to apply an anti-slip coating to tiles to further reduce your risk of falling.

Other than functional benefits, small tiles on floors or walls enable you to have fun with design and add a pattern for visual interest. Mosaics, unique layout or just the contrasting of tile and grout colour are ways small tiles visually enhance a space. 

Mixing it Up

For a bathroom that’s big on personality you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself by laying either small or large tiles — you can opt for a fusion of both. Here are some ways you can incorporate interesting designs into your powder room:

• Small and Large Tile Flooring: Forget the ordinary, instead create an interest piece on your bathroom floor by combining small tiles where you need it (surrounding the bathtub) and large tiles in the places that you don’t. These small tile patches or carpets are an intriguing design element, but they’re also cozy and keep you safe from falls. Using a small and large tile combo is ideal for large en suites bathrooms.

• Tile Shapes: Just because most washrooms feature square tiles doesn’t mean yours has to. Instead, have fun with your space using different shapes like rectangles for a more sophisticated look or get creative with hexagon or circular tiles.

• Plank Tiles: Plank tiles are getting a lot of attention right now, and as busy tile installers in Vaughan, we’ve seen many happy customers install realistic stone-look and wood-look tiles throughout the home. Tile “look-a-likes” are excellent for customers that want stone but can’t afford it, so they turn to stone-look ceramic tiles, and they’re blown away with the results.

Which is Best for your Bathroom Floor: Small or Large Tiles?

Ultimately, when it comes to deciding which tile size to install on the floor, you first want to determine if large or small tiles makes the most sense for your space. After that, if you’re struggling or need a second opinion, why not contact a professional tile installer for a professional take on how best to utilize your space!

Better yet, if you’re reading this post and interested in a free consultation with professional tile installers in Vaughan, feel free to contact us!