A Designer’s Guide to Choosing Tiles: Five Types of Tiles Explained
Having previously spent five years working at GT&B, a Geelong based Tile & Bathware company, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with an extensive range of tiles and learn what makes different materials suitable for different applications.
Every day I answered questions about porcelain tiles, natural stone, handmade tiles, encaustic tiles and everything in between. I also saw how often tiles were selected based purely on their appearance, without considering how the material would perform once installed.
Tiles are not just about colour and aesthetics. The material, thickness, finish, maintenance requirements, sealing, installation method and suitability for a particular space can all have a significant impact on the final result.
With so many beautiful tile options available, I wanted to share my insights into five types of tiles, along with some of the practical considerations to keep in mind before choosing them for your next project.
Natural Stone
Natural stone is one of my favourite materials to work with because of its versatility and timeless quality. Unlike manufactured tiles, every piece of natural stone is unique, with variations in colour, veining, texture and pattern that give a space a sense of character that is difficult to replicate.
The variety available is one of the most appealing aspects of working with natural stone. Visiting a stone showroom such as RMS and seeing the range of colours, veining and finishes available highlights just how many possibilities there are when designing with stone. There are thousands of varieties of natural stone, each offering different characteristics and opportunities for use across a project.
It is important to understand that not every stone is suitable for every application. Some varieties are softer and more porous than others, while certain finishes are better suited to particular environments.
The maintenance involved with natural stone is another consideration that is often overlooked. While it is by no means difficult, there is some ongoing care required, and it is important to consider how the stone will look not only when it is newly installed, but also how it is likely to age. Everyday products and habits can have an impact, think fake tan, coffee or makeup particularly on lighter or more porous stones. Stone needs to be sealed and this is ongoing maintenance. Although not a difficult job, it does need to be done periodically and frequency will vary depending upon your cleaners and the level of use.
Natural stone can be an incredibly durable and beautiful choice, but it is important to understand the level of care required before committing to it.
Thickness: 10mm+
Maintenance: Medium to high
Sealing required: Yes
Finish: Polished, honed, tumbled or brushed
Suitable for: Floors and walls, indoors and outdoors
Additional points: Consider the type of sealer being used and how it will affect the appearance of the stone. Colour-enhancing sealers can work particularly well on darker or more colourful stones, bringing out the natural depth and variation within the material whilst creating endless more possibilities. A great way to test the appearance of a “wet look” sealer is to dampen the stone with water, colour enhancing sealers generally will have less impact on lighter stones such as a a Calacatta.
Delft Tiles
Delft tiles have a long history in European interiors, originating in the Netherlands and becoming particularly well known for their distinctive blue and white hand painted designs. Traditionally made from ceramic, Delft tiles are recognised for their decorative motifs, which can range from florals and landscapes to more intricate scenes and illustrations. Their decorative nature makes them particularly well suited to spaces where you want to introduce a sense of character, craftsmanship and individuality.
In recent years, Australian made brands such as Akka Home have helped bring this style of tile into contemporary Australian interiors. Their popularity has also grown alongside the continued interest in design styles such as modern farmhouse, European-inspired interiors and more traditional forms of decorating.
Delft tiles offer endless possibilities for creating a space that feels personal and considered. Whether used as a kitchen splashback, fireplace surround or within a shower, their customisable nature allows you to introduce pattern, story and meaning in a truly unique way.
The key is to use them with intention. With their intricate patterns, craftsmanship and character, Delft tiles are a feature in their own right which are both timeless and distinctive.
Thickness: 7–15mm
Maintenance: Low
Sealing required: No
Finish: Gloss
Suitable for: Walls
Encaustic Tiles
Encaustic tiles are commonly requested, yet surprisingly few people understand what they are actually asking for when they request them.
Brands such as Melbourne based Southern Cross Ceramics offer beautiful alternatives however it’s important to understand that these are essentially a lookalike product and behave quite differently from a traditional encaustic tile.
Unlike printed tiles, traditional encaustic tiles date back to medieval times and are made by embedding the colour and design into the clay or cement of the tile itself. This gives each tile a unique, tactile quality that simply can’t be replicated by a printed surface.
One of the great qualities of a traditional encaustic tile is the way it ages. Much like natural stone, the surface will evolve over time, developing a beautiful patina and character through everyday use. The trade off is that, also like stone, they require a level of ongoing maintenance to protect the surface and keep them looking their best.
This is where products such as those from Southern Cross Ceramics can offer an appealing alternative. They provide the look and character of an encaustic tile without necessarily requiring the same level of maintenance. Neither option is inherently better than the other; they simply offer something different. The right choice ultimately comes down to the look you want to achieve, how the space will be used and how much maintenance you are prepared to take on.
Thickness: 15–20mm.
Maintenance: Medium to high
Sealing required: Yes
Finish: Matt, although they may develop a slight satin finish with wear
Suitable for: Floors and walls, indoors and outdoors
Additional points: Make sure your trades are familiar with laying encaustic tiles. They can be more time-consuming to install due to the curing and sealing process, a botched installation can be incredibly tricky to rectify.
Zellige & Bejmat
These are undoubtedly one of my favourite types of tiles, and if you speak to fellow interior designers, chances are they’ll say the same.
Zellige (square) and Bejmat (rectangular) tiles are traditionally Moroccan, handmade tiles that embrace being perfectly imperfect. In many ways, they represent the origins of the handmade look tile that has become so popular in contemporary interiors.
Although not cheap, authentic versions are incredibly difficult to replicate. Their milky glazes, irregular edges, tonal variations and incredible array of colours create endless opportunities to play with pattern and texture, resulting in spaces that feel completely unique while retaining a timeless quality.
Their popularity has grown significantly in Australian residential interiors, with brands such as Tiles of Ezra offering a wide range of handmade style tiles that capture many of these distinctive characteristics.
Thickness: 10 - 20mm
Maintenance: Low
Sealing required: Usually not, although some products may require it
Finish: Usually gloss, although some are available in an unglazed matt finish
Suitable for: Primarily walls. They can be used on floors, but be conscious of their uneven edges. Areas such as bathrooms may not feel particularly comfortable underfoot.
Additional points: When you first unbox your tiles, don’t stress! There will be tiles that are chipped or cracked, and the colour may look slightly different from what you saw in the showroom.
Once they’re laid and grouted, you’ll hardly notice. They’re designed to be imperfect, that’s part of their charm.
That being said, make sure your tiler has worked with them before. Zellige and Bejmat are traditionally laid with a butt joint, meaning there are virtually no visible grout lines. Getting this right is a big part of achieving the finished look.
Tessellated
Tessellated tiles are something not many people think to use these days, and when they do, it’s generally on a front verandah and that’s it.
These small individual pieces are designed into a pattern and can be customised to fit your space. If you were to walk past a Victorian terrace home, this is likely the type of flooring you would have seen out the front.
But there’s nothing stopping you from bringing them inside. Other than the amount of grout, of course.
With endless combinations of colours and patterns available, these low maintenance tiles are a great option for creating a floor or wall that feels completely custom to your home.
Tessellated tiles aren’t something many people think to use these days, and when they do, they’re often reserved for a front verandah and little else.
Made up of small individual pieces arranged into intricate patterns, tessellated tiles can be combined and customised in countless ways to suit your space. Take a walk past a Victorian terrace and there’s a good chance you’ll see them adorning the front path or verandah however these tiles aren’t a tile that needs to be used exclusively outside. Tessellated tiles can work just as beautifully indoors particularly in a Bathroom, the only downside though is that there is certainly no shortage of grout.
With endless combinations of colours, shapes and patterns available, tessellated tiles are a relatively low maintenance way to create a surface that feels genuinely custom to your home. Collections from suppliers such as Renditions are a good example of just how many combinations of colour, shape and pattern are possible.
Thickness: Generally 6-10mm
Maintenance: Low to medium
Sealing required: No, however sealing the grout wouldn’t hurt.
Finish: Matt
Suitable for: Floors and walls, internally and externally
Additional points: As each individual piece is laid separately, labour costs are generally much higher than with standard format tiles. Not every tiler will be comfortable working with them, so it is important to work with an experienced tiler.
Final Thoughts
There’s so much more to choosing a tile than simply finding one you love.
The material, finish, thickness, maintenance requirements and installation method can all make a significant difference to how a tile looks and performs over time. A tile that is perfect for a splashback may be completely unsuitable for a bathroom floor, while another may require considerably more maintenance than you initially anticipated.
My biggest piece of advice? Don’t just fall in love with the tile, understand it.
Ask where it can be used, how it needs to be installed, whether it needs to be sealed and what maintenance will be required once it’s in your home. Or, better yet, work with someone who can answer those questions for you.
The purpose of working with an interior designer is not simply to select beautiful finishes. It is to understand how you and your family live and make considered, tailored decisions around that. The right tile for one family may not be the right tile for another, even if they are designing almost identical spaces.
Ultimately, the goal isn’t just to choose a tile you love. It’s to choose a tile that works for you.
