How to choose a grey bathroom tile
Grey tiles are practical, stylish and versatile, but there really are fifty shades of them! Use these tips to find the right match for your home.
I love large tiles that mimic natural stone. They create a spacious look thanks to less grout lines breaking the space up. They’re also practical, with a slight texture that helps hide everyday marks between cleans. And they have a calming effect that makes you feel like you’re surrounded in nature. For this bathroom I chose Nord Ris Matt 60 tiles from Tile Space as they work in perfectly with the materials palette for the rest of the house. If you’re hunting for the right grey tile, keep these six tips in mind.
Think of the house as a whole
Think of your bathroom as an extension of the rest of the house, rather than a separate room with a different look. While you can have different colours and styles in each room, keeping certain elements consistent like tiles helps the house look cohesive.
Test samples
There are at least fifty shades of grey tile and it can be really difficult to choose the right one! Get samples of your large materials (benchtop, flooring, cabinetry, paint) and put different grey tile samples beside these to ensure they tie in. Some greys have a cool blueish undertone and some have a warm brownish undertone, and the only way you’ll know if the undertone is off is by placing your tile alongside other materials in your house. I chose Nord Ris because while it’s grey, it has a warm undertone that ties in with the timber floorboards and brushed brass in the house.
Consider cost
There are always two costs when tiling – the cost of the tiles and the labour cost of installation. Natural stone is incredibly beautiful but is more expensive both to buy and install. It often has a thicker profile, so can be tricky to match to existing floor levels. I was working to a budget on this bathroom (aren’t we all!) so the fact that this tile is slimmer to match the hallway flooring level, easier to install and made from hardwearing practical porcelain made it a winning choice.
Choose the right finish for you
When it comes to tile finish I am definitely a matt rather than gloss fan (although those gorgeous glazed ceramic tiles in dusky colours are an exception). Bathrooms can look very cold and clinical as they don’t have the same soft furnishings living spaces do, and gloss tiles can enhance this (especially in plain white or grey). This tile has a softer, warmer more textured finish than gloss, but without any roughness so it’s really easy to clean.
Large tiles mean less lines
600 x 600 is a great format for bathroom tiles as it’s big enough to create an expansive luxurious feel, but still lightweight, easy to install and available at a good price (even better if you get it on sale). I matched this tile with pale grey grout so there are less obvious lines, plus the grey is easier to clean than white.
Consider coverage
Tiling floor to ceiling in light grey creates a beautiful open feel. I also tiled the ensuite in exactly the same tile so the two bathrooms are a set, giving the home a more upmarket look. If you can’t quite afford to tile floor to ceiling, tiling just the floor and behind the vanity or bath is a great compromise. You could even paint the walls pale grey so there’s less contrast than white.