Choosing The Best Wall Tile For Your Bathroom
Key Takeaways
- Start with your design style. It immediately narrows down your tile options.
- Tile size affects how spacious your bathroom feels. Larger tiles mean fewer grout lines.
- Limit your tile selection to a maximum of three styles to avoid a busy look.
- Porcelain is the lowest-maintenance option for bathroom walls.
- Match grout colour to your tile for a seamless finish, or contrast it to highlight tile shape.
- Natural light levels should guide your choice of tile finish. For example, glossy for dark bathrooms, semi-gloss or matte for well-lit ones.
Choosing your new bathroom wall tiles can feel a little overwhelming. After all, there are so many possibilities, each with the power to create a distinctive style in your renovation.
However, choosing your bathroom wall tiles can be quite straightforward if you follow just a few simple steps.
This includes honing in on the design style on a suitable wall tile for your bathroom, choosing an appropriate tile size, matching the suitable tiles and also understanding which tiles will need what maintenance. Let’s also not forget choosing a suitable grout colour!
Need some inspiration for your bathroom? Download our new 2022 Creative Bathroom Concepts catalogue! It’s packed with more than 20 bathroom design concepts and products. Get your free e-copy today!
How to choose a suitable wall tile for your bathroom?
1. Settle on a design style
The key first step is to spend a little more time considering the design style you want. By doing that, you have effectively narrowed down the countless options available and made it a simpler decision.
Think of the overall design look and feel that your new bathroom takes inspiration from. If you’re going for a luxury hotel vibe, glass and sleek metallic tiles may offer the ideal look. For a more traditional, timeless style, think elegant tiles or patterned floor tiles that can give that authentic vintage feel.
Looking for inspiration? Explore Niro Granite’s marble-effect tile collection for a luxury spa look, or browse stone-effect tiles for a natural, earthy aesthetic.
2. Ensure you have your size preferences
Modern tiles today are available in a vast assortment of shapes and sizes, ranging from small mosaics to large porcelain slabs.
They bring their own character to the design of your choosing. For example, Mosaic tiles are great at creating patterns, movement and texture in your space. On the other hand, large rectangular pieces can effectively inject your bathroom wall design with a sleek finish.
As a general guide, tiles 300x600mm and below work well for compact bathrooms, while 600x1200mm and above are better suited to larger spaces where you want fewer grout lines and a more seamless finish.
3. Play around and match colours with material
This is where you can match your ideal tile material and texture with a colour scheme of your choice for the unique look that you’ve chosen. As a general rule of thumb, you should try only choosing a maximum of three different styles to avoid too many patterns contrasting one another.
When matching materials, it helps to understand your options:
- Ceramic tiles are budget-friendly and widely used for bathroom walls;
- Porcelain tiles offer lower water absorption and higher durability;
- Marble-look porcelain tiles give the aesthetic of natural stone without the sealing and maintenance requirements.
Otherwise, it can be overwhelming in the design outcome with a look that is too busy.
4. Think about the maintenance needed for your chosen tiles
One of the most important factors to think about when choosing your new bathroom wall tiles is the required maintenance.
The reason many invest in wall tiles is because they are extremely simple to maintain as they offer incredible strength and durability. However, there are certain materials that will need more effort over time to keep them in top shape so keep that in mind when deciding between a few tiles.
Natural stone tiles such as marble and travertine, for instance, require periodic sealing to prevent moisture penetration and staining which is particularly important in Malaysia’s humid climate. Glazed ceramic and porcelain tiles, on the other hand, require little beyond regular cleaning with a pH-neutral cleaner.
Porcelain tiles do not require much maintenance and make a great choice as a bathroom wall tile! If you’re considering tiling beyond the bathroom, read our guide on how to choose the right tiles for your space for a broader view of tile selection across different rooms.
5. Think of the accompanying natural light
A dark bathroom with little to no natural light should use lighter coloured tiles as they tend to be more reflective and will help brighten the space.
Likewise, a bathroom with lots of natural light or direct sunlight should avoid high-gloss tiles for its reflective and glaring nature. In that case, a semi-gloss bathroom wall tile would be a better alternative than high-gloss tiles.
This is because glossy tile finishes reflect both natural and artificial light. It is helpful in dim spaces, but overwhelming in well-lit ones where the glare can make the bathroom uncomfortable to use. You may also want to explore large format tiles, which can further reduce visual grout lines and create a more seamless wall effect.
6. Choosing the right grout colour
This is the most often overlooked part of the bathroom wall tile selection! In fact, your choice of tiling grout can be a crucial decision-maker of which tiles you end up using.
That’s because depending on the shape, colour and texture of the bathroom wall tiles you’ve chosen, your grout colour will either be an excellent standout feature or become an eye-sore that doesn’t blend into the background, pulling attention away from your selected tile design!
For example, a dark coloured grout paired with contrasting light coloured tiles will emphasize the pattern of your tile’s shape, making this option especially effective with shapes such as lanterns, circles or hexagons.
On the other hand, a grout of the same colour or hue as your tiles will blend into the background to create a much smoother and more uniform finish.
Expert Tip Before finalising your tile selection, request physical samples from the showroom and view them in your actual bathroom under your real lighting conditions. Tile colours and finishes can look significantly different under warm LED lighting compared to natural daylight — and what looks perfect in a showroom can shift unexpectedly at home. Visit a Niro Granite showroom to request samples.
Looking for gorgeous & high-quality bathroom wall tiles?
Whether it’s to add warmth and comfort or to dial-up the style, bathroom wall tiles are great for designs as they are highly customisable.
Take these 6 tips with you the next time you are comparing between various wood-style, ceramic, and marble-design tiles to elevate your room. It’ll definitely come in handy.
If you’re looking for beautiful tiles to build the bathroom of your dreams, give Niro Granite a try. Our exclusive range of Swiss-Quality tiles deliver superior quality, consistency and ultimately beautiful designs that lets you customize and design your bathroom to its full potential!
Ready to find the right bathroom wall tiles for your home? Browse our bathroom tile range, visualize your space, or find a Niro Granite showroom near you.
For consultation and recommendations for your projects and more, we’re more than happy to help.
FAQs About Bathroom Wall Tiles
Porcelain tiles are generally the top choice for bathroom walls. They are water-resistant, low-maintenance, and available across a wide range of finishes and sizes.
Bathroom wall tiles do not need to meet slip-resistance requirements since they are not walked on, which means they can have glossy or polished finishes not suitable for floors. Floor tiles must meet grip and durability standards for wet, foot-traffic conditions.
Yes, in most cases, floor tiles can be installed on walls. However, wall tiles cannot always be used on floors as they may not meet the required slip-resistance or load-bearing standards. Always check the manufacturer’s recommended application before installing.
A grout colour that matches your tile creates a smooth, seamless finish. A contrasting grout emphasises the tile’s shape, especially with geometric formats like hexagons or lantern tiles.
Niro Granite has showrooms across Malaysia including Shah Alam, Penang, Kuching, Johor, and Kota Kinabalu. Find a showroom near you, browse bathroom tiles online, or download the latest e-catalogues for design inspiration.
