Tile Buying Guide

Bathroom

Bathrooms require waterproof tiles, for obvious reasons. As a result, you'll need floor tiles that are slip-resistant, durable and easy to clean. We recommend porcelain floor tiles for these reasons, but you can mix and match these with ceramic and glass tiles for your walls.

Floors

• Choose tiles with a P3 slip rating minimum that feature a matt finish.
• Porcelain tiles offer the greatest durability and are inherently waterproof.
• Ceramic or glass tiles can be used, but are best for lower-traffic bathrooms as they are more fragile.

Walls

• Porcelain tiles are durable and waterproof, but are heavier and can increase installation costs.
• Ceramic tiles are lighter and easier to install, but may need additional waterproofing or sealing in areas such as the shower.
• Glass mosaic tiles are waterproof and are often used as feature tiles.

Kitchen

Kitchen floors take heavy traffic, spills and the occasional dropped pan. Splashbacks should be easy to clean and can add personality. We recommend porcelain floor tiles for durability underfoot. Ceramic tiles are practical and cost-effective as splashbacks, and glass mosaic tiles create striking features.

Floors

• Choose a P3 slip rating minimum for kitchen floors, where spills are a regular occurrence.
• Porcelain tiles are the most durable option and inherently waterproof.
• Ceramic tiles work well in lower-traffic kitchens but are more susceptible to cracking under heavy impact.

Walls

• Ceramic tiles are the natural splashback choice. They're lighter than porcelain, easy to install, and even easier to wipe down after cooking.
• Glass mosaic tiles are waterproof and can be brilliant for feature splashbacks or accent strips.
• Porcelain tiles are durable and waterproof on walls, but are heavier and may increase installation costs.

Laundry

Laundries are consistently hard-working wet spaces that often don't get the attention they deserve. Slip resistance and easy cleaning lead the brief here. We recommend porcelain floor tiles for durability and waterproofing underfoot, and ceramic tiles are a practical, cost-effective choice for walls.

Floors

• Choose a P3 slip rating minimum. Laundries are wet areas and can get slippery.
• Porcelain tiles are inherently waterproof, durable and easy to clean, the practical choice for a hard-working floor.
• A matt finish conceals everyday dirt and is easier to maintain in a consistently used space.

Walls

• Ceramic tiles are lighter than porcelain and easier to install, a cost-effective and practical choice for laundry walls.
• Porcelain tiles give you greater durability and are waterproof, though heavier and slightly more expensive to install.
• Glass mosaic tiles can add a touch of character above the tub or as a feature. They're also waterproof and easy to clean.

Dry Indoor Areas

Living rooms, hallways, bedrooms and dining rooms don't face the same demands as wet areas. Durability and traffic are the main considerations. Slip resistance matters less, which opens up gloss and polished finishes that aren't suitable for wet rooms. Walls here are usually feature decisions rather than functional necessities, so glass mosaic and decorative ceramic tiles come into their own.

Floors

• Traffic level should guide you first. High-traffic areas like hallways need more durable tiles; bedrooms can accommodate softer, more decorative options.
• Porcelain tiles give you the best durability for busy floors; ceramic tiles work well in lower-traffic rooms like bedrooms.
• Gloss and polished finishes are an option here, adding visual depth without the slip risk they'd carry in a wet room.

Walls

• You have more options for feature walls in dry indoor rooms than you do in wet rooms. Glass mosaic tiles work particularly well here.
• Ceramic tiles are practical and cost-effective for all dry indoor areas.
• Porcelain tiles give you durability on walls, useful in higher-traffic areas like hallway feature walls.

Outdoor

Outdoor tiles face sun exposure, rain and foot traffic from wet bare feet. Slip resistance is the non-negotiable starting point. We recommend porcelain outdoor tiles for their durability and weather resistance, and in-out tiles for a seamless flow from interior to alfresco. Walls outdoors are typically cladding or feature walls rather than functional surfaces.

Floors

• You need a P4 slip rating minimum for outdoor floors. Wet bare feet on alfresco areas and pool surrounds require the highest grip.
• Porcelain tiles are the most suitable outdoor floor tile: dense, inherently waterproof and available with grip finishes designed for outdoor use.
• In-out tiles are specifically designed to work indoors and outdoors, with matching finishes that create a continuous flow from interior to alfresco.

Walls

• Porcelain tiles are the most durable and weather-resistant choice for outdoor walls and cladding.
• Glass mosaic tiles work well as feature accents in sheltered outdoor areas, but check product specifications for outdoor suitability before using in fully exposed locations.
• For a continuous look from inside to out, use the same in-out tile range on exterior walls as you've chosen for interior floors.

Slip Resistance and Waterproofing

Slip resistance in wet areas is critical for your safety. Waterproofing is about two separate things: the tile itself, and what's underneath it. You need to know about both.

Understanding slip ratings

The Pendulum test measures the friction a floor surface offers when a foot comes into contact with it, in wet, dry and contaminated conditions. The higher the P rating, the lower the slip risk.

P3 is the minimum recommended rating for bathroom, kitchen and laundry floors. P4 or higher is recommended for outdoor areas, including alfresco spaces and pool surrounds. Matt and structured finishes grip better than gloss, so gloss tiles typically carry lower P ratings and aren't recommended for wet area floors.

The tile and what's underneath it

Porcelain is effectively waterproof, with water absorption below 0.5%, so it can be used in any wet area without moisture causing issues to the tiling. Ceramic waterproofness depends on the glaze: a well-glazed ceramic works on walls in wet areas, but unglazed or lower-quality ceramic absorbs moisture and isn't suitable for shower floors or consistently wet surfaces.

One very important distinction: waterproofing the tile is not the same as waterproofing the substrate beneath it. A waterproof tile laid on an unprotected substrate can still fail over time. In wet areas, a tanking membrane under the tile is a separate requirement, and a job for a licensed tiler.

Durability

Tile durability comes down to material density. Porcelain is the most durable tile material available. The key rule: a tile rated for wall use only can't go on floors, but a floor-rated tile can go on walls.

Why porcelain is harder than ceramic

Porcelain is fired at higher temperatures and produced from finer, denser clay than ceramic. The result is a tile that absorbs very little moisture and can withstand higher levels of traffic and impact. Ceramic is lighter, less dense, and absorbs more moisture, making it better suited to walls and lower-traffic dry floors than to busy or wet surfaces. Stone-look porcelain combines porcelain's durability with the visual character of natural stone, without the sealing requirements natural stone demands.

Maintenance and cleaning

The finish of your tile determines how much cleaning it will need, more than any other factor. Gloss tiles look striking, particularly on walls, but on floors or in busy wet areas they show water spots, fingerprints and marks more readily than matt surfaces. Matt tiles conceal everyday marks and dirt, making them easier to maintain in high-use or wet areas. Structured and grip-finish tiles provide the slip resistance wet areas need, but their textured surfaces can trap grime, so they respond better to a firmer clean than a quick wipe.

Grout colour affects how clearly your floor shows dirt over time: light grout in high-traffic or wet areas marks quickly, while a mid-tone or darker grout is more forgiving. Grout can also be sealed to reduce staining and make cleaning easier, particularly useful in kitchens and bathrooms. Porcelain and glazed ceramic tiles don't require sealing.

Tile Size and Style

Tile size affects the feel of a room and the number of grout lines on your floor. Large-format tiles (600 x 600mm and above) create fewer grout lines and a more seamless, contemporary appearance, and suit larger rooms where the scale of the tile is proportionate to the scale of the space. Small formats (100 x 100mm, 200 x 200mm) and mosaics suit compact spaces, feature walls and areas where you need to work around curves or fixtures.

Variation rating

Natural-look and stone-look tiles carry a variation rating from V1 to V4, describing how much colour and shade variation exists across tiles in the same range. V1 is uniform in appearance, with tiles in the same range looking consistent from tile to tile. V4 is random variation, the highest possible shade variation, where tiles can look quite different from each other in colour and shade. This is a designed feature of natural-look tiles, not a defect: higher variation creates a more authentic, organic appearance, while lower variation creates a more controlled, contemporary look. If you're considering a V3 or V4 tile, order samples first, as variation reads very differently at sample size versus installed across a floor.

Budget

Tile cost is driven by material, format, finish and installation complexity, not by room size alone. Material is the biggest single driver: porcelain typically costs more than ceramic, stone-look porcelain sits in the mid-to-upper range, and glass mosaic varies widely by size and finish. Larger format tiles tend to cost more per square metre, as do specialty finishes such as structured grip or in-out.

The tile itself is one cost, and the installation is another; the two don't always move together. Large-format tiles require a flatter, more precisely prepared substrate, which adds labour time and cost. Diagonal laying patterns require more cuts and a higher skill level, so add extra to your wastage allowance. Wet areas require a waterproofing membrane under the tile before laying begins, a separate material and labour cost, and a job that must be done by a licensed tiler.