Jim The Bathroom Guy

What size tile should I use in a small bathroom? I get asked this every single week during my quoting process and I am here to tell you the truth about tiles in small bathrooms.

The truth is when it comes to small, tiny bathrooms that you can’t swing a cat in the best tile is the biggest tile you can fit with the shower configuration you have.

I will break down what that means down below but just know you, in theory, can use any damn tile you want but there is always consequences.

There are really two types of showers types in a small bathroom. You either have an open shower which is as it sounds a shower with no door and open to all the splashes and cold you can muster the other is a closed shower which just means you have a door of some kind keeping the heat in and that water to a minimum.

What Tile For Small Bathrooms With An Open Shower?

Why I have broken this into two categories is due to the big word of drainage. Drainage in a bathroom is the hardest part of bathroom tiling and the reason you pay more for tiling a bathroom than normal floor tiling as if you get this wrong it can be a disaster.

When you have an open shower and the drain is staying in a central location you really should never use tiles over a 300mm x 600mm due to the ability to get limited fall with a central square drain. If you are moving the drain to a different location and it’s a long drain then you can pretty much use any tile up to 1200mm x 600mm but ideally no larger than 600mm x 600mm.

What Tile Size For Small Bathrooms With A Closed Shower?

With closed showers, you can pretty much use any tile size depending on how big your shower area is. Nothing bigger than a 1200mm x 1200mm shower I would say you have a pretty unlimited choice but if it’s bigger you want to go no bigger than 600mm x 600mm. When you have enclosed shower, it allows you to contain the water a lot better in a smaller bathroom.

So in recapping this the ideal size tile for a small bathroom with a closed shower is 300mm x 600mm or 600mm x 600mm

Are big tiles better in a small bathroom?

Often clients will struggle to get over having smaller tiles for small bathrooms as they look at their current spaces see the small tiles and think that is what they should have but big tiles are so much better for smaller bathrooms as they allow you to have as little as possible grout compared to your more traditional smaller tiles.

Look at the example below does that room look worst for having bigger tiles? Exactly!

Can you use large tiles on bathroom walls?

Large tiles are king. When it comes to if you can use large tiles on bathroom walls the answer is yes. Now you want to make sure your walls are straight and level before you get carried away with some 1200mm x 600mm size tile.

What tiles make a bathroom bigger?

Big Tiles. The key to a bathroom to make it feel bigger is you want to have less grout.

So, the tiles that make a bathroom bigger is the use of big tiles.

The fewer lines you have in a bathroom your eyes will adjust to seeing a big space instead of following hundreds of small lines around the room.

The ideal size to make a bathroom feel bigger is the 600mm x 600mm tile

What colour makes a small bathroom look bigger?

When it comes to small the bathrooms the colour white makes a small bathroom look bigger. When I say white though it’s important to understand looking bigger and looking cheap to me are two different things.

A white bathroom will make the space look cleaner and a big tile will make the bathroom look bigger, but you want to have some colour difference in the space to make it feel, look and definitely be nicer.

As long as you do not make a point about how many lines you have like the example below you can use small tiles but understand the more your emphasis those lines you will make your small bathroom look smaller.

How do you tile a small bathroom to make it look bigger?

When it comes to tiling a small bathroom to make it look bigger you want to start with the floor tile first. When tiling a small bathroom, the floor is the most important part of the tiling process.

It is always tiled first and often to make that small bathroom feel bigger you tile the 600mm x 600mm tile in the centre and work outwards. You want the small cuts to the sections of the bathroom you cannot see. The wall tiles in a small bathroom are tiled last and on top of the floor to make sure you can’t see the cuts.

Last Thoughts

Finally, when it comes to tiling small bathrooms, I want you to tell yourself two things.

Firstly, I want you to understand that big tiles are not your enemy.

For many years I have done my best to explain to people that using big tiles will open your space up and I know its not easy to use something that is new to you plus different from your current space, but it will pay off in the end.

The second part of tiling a small bathroom I want you to tell yourself is that full height will definitely improve your bathroom.

Tiling full height in a big tile for your bathroom will make your tiny small bathroom feel so much bigger and cleaner. The big tile is the ideal size tile for your small bathroom renovation.

It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice.

If you are looking for bathroom renovation advice or want to collaborate together just drop me an email at jimthebathroomguy@gmail.com

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