Inspirations/Materials
Materials · 7 min read
Tile sizes, grout and the wet floor nobody thinks about
The slip rating is the only tile specification that can put someone in hospital.
Large-format tiles have become the default because they look calm and have fewer joints. They also demand a flatter substrate — a 600x1200 tile will telegraph any undulation the floor has, and lippage between tiles becomes visible and trippable. Ask what levelling system will be used before choosing the size.
For any surface that gets wet — bathroom floors, the area around a kitchen sink, a terrace, poolside — ask for the slip rating, not the finish name. A polished tile that is beautiful dry can be genuinely dangerous wet, and this matters most in the households where it matters most: those with young children or elderly residents.
Grout is a material decision, not an afterthought. Cementitious grout is cheap and porous and will discolour in a shower. Epoxy grout costs more, is harder to install well, and stays the colour it started. In a wet area it is usually worth the difference. Choose a mid-tone: brilliant white will not stay white and very dark will show efflorescence.
Order fifteen per cent extra and keep the offcuts. Dye lots vary between batches, and a tile replaced in three years from a different lot will always be visible.
Order fifteen per cent extra and keep the offcuts.
