How to Choose Floor Tiles: Why Size, Surface and Design Matter More Than Price
When choosing new floor tiles, many people start with colour. Grey or beige? Stone look or wood look? 60 × 60 cm or perhaps 60 × 120 cm?
However, no single characteristic determines whether a tiled floor will work well in the long term. Good floor tiles need to suit the room, its use, the available light, the interior design and the technical requirements of the project. A tile that looks excellent in a large living room may not be the right choice for a shower. A surface that performs perfectly in a private bedroom may not be suitable for a heavily used entrance area.
For this reason, floor tiles should never be selected from a product image alone.
In our new Floor Tiles category, you can explore porcelain floor tiles for bathrooms, kitchens, living areas, entrances and many other interior spaces.
What Makes a Good Floor Tile?
The term floor tile initially describes where a tile is intended to be used. The material, surface, size, thickness, slip resistance and technical characteristics determine whether a particular product is suitable for the planned application.
A large proportion of modern floor tiles are made from porcelain stoneware. This dense ceramic material is used for a wide variety of residential and commercial applications.
One of the major design advantages of porcelain stoneware is the variety of surfaces that can be created. Technically similar ceramic tiles can have completely different appearances.
Floor tiles can therefore reproduce the appearance of natural stone, wood, concrete, marble, terracotta and many other materials.
If you would like to compare the complete range first, visit our Tiles category. If your project involves particularly demanding surfaces, our Technical Porcelain Stoneware is also worth considering.
Start With the Room, Not the Design
A common approach when buying tiles is to find a design you like first and only afterwards decide where it could be installed.
It is usually better to start with the room.
In a living room, appearance, comfort and ease of maintenance are usually important. In a kitchen, the floor also has to cope with frequent cleaning, chairs, food and liquids. In a bathroom, moisture and slip resistance become more relevant. An entrance floor regularly comes into contact with shoes, dirt, sand and moisture.
Commercial spaces, workshops, garages and public areas may place even higher demands on a tiled floor.
Once these requirements are clear, choosing the design becomes significantly easier.
Stone Look Floor Tiles: A Safe Choice That Does Not Have to Be Boring
The variety is considerable. Light limestone interpretations create calm and contemporary interiors, while darker stone effects can make a room appear more architectural and distinctive.
Stone-effect floor tiles work particularly well in open-plan interiors because they can be combined with many different materials, including wood, metal, glass and coloured furniture.
A neutral floor also gives you more freedom to change furniture, wall colours and accessories later without replacing the flooring.
Wood Look Floor Tiles for a Warmer Interior
Modern ceramic production can reproduce grain, knots, colours and natural variations in considerable detail. The surface remains ceramic while visually referencing wooden flooring.
This makes wood-effect floor tiles particularly interesting for open kitchens, bathrooms and living areas where the warm appearance of wood is desired.
Wood look does not necessarily mean rustic. Light oak effects work well with Scandinavian and minimalist interiors, while darker tones can create a more elegant and sophisticated atmosphere.
Concrete Look for Calm and Modern Spaces
Concrete-effect floor tiles do not necessarily need to dominate the room. Their strength can be precisely the opposite: they provide a calm background for furniture, kitchens, lighting, artwork and architectural details.
This works particularly well in open-plan interiors where one continuous floor connects several areas.
Concrete looks are also no longer limited to cold medium grey. Warm greige, beige, taupe and sand tones make this style suitable for considerably softer interiors.
Marble Look Floor Tiles
Marble Look Tiles are often associated with luxurious bathrooms and impressive wall surfaces, but they can also create striking floors.
Classic white marble effects can make rooms feel bright and elegant. Darker or more colourful interpretations can turn the floor itself into a design feature.
With strongly veined designs, it is important not to judge the complete surface from a single tile.
One sample may show only a quiet section, while a finished floor made from many different graphics can appear substantially more expressive.
For particularly decorative stone effects, onyx-inspired surfaces can also be interesting.
Large or Small Floor Tiles?
There is no simple rule that says small rooms require small tiles.
Large floor tiles can actually make smaller rooms appear calmer because there are fewer grout lines.
60 × 60 cm remains a versatile format for many projects. 60 × 120 cm creates a more elongated and spacious appearance, while 120 × 120 cm and larger formats can produce highly architectural surfaces.
Our Large Format Tiles provide additional options for projects where fewer visible joints are desired.
The dimensions of the room are not the only consideration. Doorways, kitchen units, sanitary installations, niches and transitions all influence the final tile layout.
The largest possible tile is not automatically the best choice if the room requires numerous narrow cuts around the edges.
Grout Lines Are Part of the Finished Floor
Grout is often underestimated when choosing floor tiles.
On a surface covering 50 or 100 square metres, the tiles and grout together create the final appearance.
A contrasting grout colour emphasises the grid and each individual tile. A similar grout colour makes the surface appear more continuous and calm.
This becomes especially important with large-format tiles, stone looks and marble effects.
Planning the tile layout before installation can prevent visually awkward narrow cuts and badly positioned grout lines.
Matt, Polished or Textured Floor Tiles?
The surface should not be chosen solely according to appearance.
Matt floor tiles generally create a natural and understated look. They are particularly common in stone, concrete and wood effects.
Polished and glossy surfaces reflect more light and can make marble patterns and colours appear more intense.
Textured surfaces can provide additional grip and may be especially relevant in wet areas, entrances or technically demanding applications.
The most attractive surface is therefore not necessarily the best surface for every location.
Slip-Resistant Floor Tiles: R9, R10 or R11?
In bathrooms, entrances, commercial premises and certain other areas, slip resistance becomes an important consideration.
Depending on the product, floor tiles may be classified as R9, R10, R11 or higher.
A higher classification does not simply mean that a tile is universally “better”. More strongly textured surfaces may provide additional grip but can also require more effort to clean.
The required surface therefore depends on the actual application.
For heavily used or technically demanding projects, our Technical Porcelain Stoneware provides additional solutions.
Floor Tiles for Bathrooms
Bathroom floor tiles need to combine design with practical properties.
Moisture, regular cleaning, sanitary fittings and the transition into the shower should all be considered when planning the floor.
Natural stone, concrete and warmer beige tones are particularly versatile because they can be combined with many different wall designs.
The floor does not need to use exactly the same tile as the walls. A calm floor can also be combined with more expressive Wall Tiles.
This allows colour, texture and decorative surfaces to be introduced without making the entire room visually busy.
Floor Tiles for Kitchens
Kitchen floors are used heavily every day.
Chairs are moved, liquids are spilled, shoes bring dirt into the room and the floor is cleaned regularly.
Porcelain floor tiles are therefore an interesting solution for kitchens and open kitchen-living spaces.
Stone, wood and concrete effects are particularly easy to combine with kitchen fronts and worktops because they provide relatively timeless foundations.
Floor Tiles for Living Rooms
Tiles have moved far beyond bathrooms and kitchens.
Modern porcelain floor tiles are increasingly used in living rooms, dining areas and open-plan interiors.
One continuous ceramic surface across the kitchen, dining room and living room can visually connect the different areas.
This is especially effective with larger formats and understated designs.
In homes with suitable underfloor heating systems, ceramic flooring can also be an interesting solution because ceramic materials transfer heat effectively.
Indoor and Outdoor Floors With a Consistent Look
An interesting design option is created when a ceramic collection offers both an indoor tile and a matching outdoor slab.
A standard-thickness floor tile can be installed inside while a corresponding 2 cm outdoor slab continues the design onto the terrace.
The visual transition at large windows or sliding doors can then appear considerably more continuous.
The technical properties of the specific outdoor product must nevertheless always be considered. Similar appearance does not mean that every version of a collection is suitable for every installation method.
Floor Tiles and Underfloor Heating
Ceramic floor coverings are commonly combined with underfloor heating.
Porcelain stoneware transfers heat efficiently and can therefore work well as the finished surface above a correctly designed heating system.
This is one reason why floor tiles are increasingly considered not only for kitchens and bathrooms but also for larger living areas.
The complete floor construction, adhesive and installation must of course be suitable for the heating system.
Check the Colour in Real Lighting
A finished floor is much larger than the product photograph on a screen.
A beige floor tile can appear warmer or greyer depending on daylight. Marble effects react strongly to reflections and lighting. Structured stone surfaces can look considerably more pronounced when light reaches them from the side.
For this reason, we recommend checking suitable products before placing a large order.
With our Tile Samples, many surfaces can be compared directly with your kitchen fronts, furniture, wall colours, sanitary fittings and other materials.
For a floor covering 50, 100 or more square metres, checking the material beforehand is a relatively small step compared with changing the finished floor later.
Do Good Floor Tiles Have to Be Expensive?
Not necessarily.
The price of a floor tile depends on many factors, including manufacturer, format, production method, surface, thickness and decorative complexity.
A more expensive floor tile is therefore not automatically more suitable for every room.
The relevant question is whether the technical characteristics and design match the requirements of the project.
A reasonably priced porcelain tile may be perfectly suitable for a private living room, while a heavily used commercial entrance may require more specific technical properties.
The Best Floor Is One You Stop Thinking About
They suit the room, are practical to maintain, withstand the intended use and continue to work aesthetically even if furniture, kitchens or wall colours are changed later.
For this reason, do not choose floor tiles based on colour and price alone.
Start with the room and its requirements. Then consider the surface and technical characteristics. Finally, select the format, colour and design.
From calm stone, wood and concrete effects to elegant marble and large-format porcelain stoneware, the possibilities are extensive.
Explore our new Floor Tiles category to compare suitable porcelain floor tiles by format, colour, surface and technical properties.
If you are still deciding between several options, order samples first. A floor may remain in place for decades, so taking a little more time during the selection process is usually worthwhile.