The Importance of Bathroom Tiles
A very private space in our homes—yet one that we would all love to be absolutely beautiful—bathrooms that are cosy, aesthetic, and well-planned designs make everyone in your family happy. And as for tiles, no bathroom is complete without them.
Essential to protect and elevate, bathroom tiles form the most integral part of this space alongside fittings and fixtures to create form and functionality.
A bathroom design and plan involves technical aspects. Plumbing for the bath or shower of course remains a primary concern, but keep in mind that a bathroom will face a deluge of moisture multiple times a day. Hence this is one space that you should shop around for professionals for, so that the end result is perfected to your satisfaction and the space performs as intended.
As with all home makeover ideas, begin by thinking of an idea for your bathroom flooring, which will then help you choose bathroom tiles better. Whether you fancy a light, airy, cloud-like space, or an ostentatious, deep toned boudoir-like bathroom, Atlas Ceramics’ range of bathroom tiles can bring any vision into real execution. Your bathroom would never go out of style!
Picking a Theme – Looking For Ideas?
Everybody likes and enjoys a good-looking bathroom. And a carefully thought out, colour-fixture coordinated theme makes sure that you do not go wrong. Whether you are doing part renovation or starting from scratch for a total remodel, these fabulous themes below would get your ideas ticking. It’s well worth a browse of our Pinterest galley for some ideas, pictures and inspiration, whether it’s decorative ideas or a selection of our tiles that give an oasis of colours to choose from. We store all our tiles and details of samples, prices and shipping can be found on each product page.
The Nautical Look – Where Porcelain & Ceramics Are Useful
How would you like your bath tub experience to be reminiscent of a seaside vacation? Picture decor with a selection of powder blues, soulful whites, silver fittings, and sea-green accents. A nautical theme, being water-inspired, naturally makes for a pleasing and organic theme for your bathroom. Bathroom tiles in this palette look great in both a variety of glossy or matt builds, and the scope for decoration later—with seashells or even matching linens—remains absolutely endless.
Gatsby Themed – Glass Tiles & Marble Tiles
Do you get excited by everything retro? And do you love the twenties? A Gatsby-inspired theme would an ideal homage to this love for everything flapper. Dark glossy bathroom tiles, in families of black, bright golden fittings and trims on the wall, ample use of mirrored surfaces, and geometric patterns with creative use of mosaics and plains… This theme is great for bringing everyday glamour to this everyday space—movie-star feelings included.
Shabby Chic
Light and open with endless possibilities; a bathroom decorated in this top style of the last two decades would always be warm and inviting today. Imagine a colour palette of pastels, with distressed surfaces, bathroom tiles of various types and textures, alongside décor of cotton, linen, and wicker. Pictures of such inspiration are easily found as such designs are hugely popular, even for small bathrooms.
This updated vintage theme has lent itself to many a top interior designer’s fancies. Such variety and selection of decor would make for a perfect starting point for your own bathroom project should you have a love for the same.
Pristine
White will never go out style; and neither will an all-white bathroom. You don’t always need to opt for a decorative design if your bathroom is just used for a quick shower. It may be tough to keep it spotless with everyday usage but if you have the means, a pristinely white bathroom with choice fittings looks straight out of interior magazines.
Accentuated with white bath linens, accessories, cabinets, and texture bathroom tiles, a white bathroom creates the illusion of space, tidiness, and purity. From using marble to wood, your can play with all kinds of materials and designs for this theme.
Which Areas Should You Focus On?
Once you are all set with your theme, it would be helpful to understand the very important role bathroom tiles play when it comes to this space. And once again, we would mention the word “moisture”, or more specifically in this context, “water”. These are the following surfaces that should be tiled in a bathroom.
Wet Areas
Whether it is a room with a proper bath or shower or both, the area directly around the water source where you will bathe or shower needs to be tiled. This is mandatory. Concrete walls, dry walls, papered walls, or even plastic-paint coated walls would not last long in such an area where a large volume of water will make contact daily. This space will certainly have internal plumbing too; tiles would protect the integrity of their structure.
The Walls
Although this is optional, one of the great ideas is that it’s best to tile all the walls of your bathroom to avoid moisture-related problems like mould. If you have a tight budget, consider doing half tiling on each wall, and using strengthened paint on the rest. Tiling large or small bathroom walls also makes it easier for you to clean and maintain those surfaces in the long run.
The Floor
Its not a good idea to have carpeted or wooden surfaces on your bathroom floor. You might wipe your feet once you step out of the tub or shower but water droplets would inevitably land on the floor. Water scatterings will also happen when you use the sink or clean your WC. A tiled floor sorts this problem out and makes it easy to disinfect and clean in no time. Choose tiles that are anti-skid to avoid potential accidents.
Planning The Project
Once you have shortlisted the type of tile on Atlas Ceramics, click on our tile calculation tab to get an idea of how much you would need.
Bathroom tiling centres around plumbing, and your professional tiler can help you decide on the quantity needed, together with our tool. If you have any questions or queries—whether it is about specific features or a tile or about quantities needed—please feel free to reach out to us.
Always order a bit of extra for future maintenance and contingency. Chemical damage, plumbing damage, or scratches can be easily handled if you have a few spare sets stored away just in case.
Maintenance, Cleaning & Upkeep
Grime and dirt accumulate fast in the wet rooms and shower rooms, and sanitation remains a top priority when it comes to maintaining this space. Steam from hot water and evaporation causes discolouration in the tile grout. Water and soap scum accumulates in the bathing area. And we dare not talk about microbial contamination. In a wet country like the UK, mould is common, especially during winter months, and black or orange mould can take over whole surfaces within weeks.
Basic daily maintenance can help eliminate these problems that require quite some elbow grease to fix. When you bathe or shower, rinse that area’s walls down to remove all lather and give it a quick wipe to remove excess damp. Use a tile-safe spray specifically designed to prevent mould and algae growth regularly. Clean the edges where your fittings meet the tile properly—those tough to reach nooks are a prime breeding ground of bacteria.
Sweep and mop tiled floors often, and test any kind of chemical cleansers in a hidden area before use. Occasionally, clean all other tiled areas—even the ones like the walls that don’t come in direct contact with water. This would keep them shiny, spic, and span always. If you use a steam-mop, make sure it is safe for the specific make of tile.
Grout would always need extra attention because they get dirty very fast. And these dirty grooves are always noticed first and foremost. Use an old toothbrush to gently scrub the grout clean, and wipe with a microfibre towel. Use a grout cleaning spray if the marks are tough to remove, but make sure it does not damage or erode the paste.
Disinfectant use is important; we recommend a liquid spray that is safe for use on tiles – such as those in the mosaic range. Slime build-up can cause unwarranted accidents in the bathroom, and regular disinfecting will stop the growth of icky colonies on your bathroom surfaces. It is also very important for your health.
Keep the bathroom well-ventilated as this will prevent damage and not turn small issues into big problems. If you have an extractor fan, turn it on post bathing or open the window, just as you would when cooking in the kitchen.
Be careful of using DIY solutions such as mixes made of vinegar or baking soda on your tiles. These are the sort that you’ll see on blogs and pinterest. It completely depends on the make of tiles. Vinegar would work very well on say, ceramic tiles, but will completely destroy a stone or marble surface. If you are unsure, it is better to choose a professional product. We stock plenty, with prices, details and materials all listed.
Consider installing tempered glass screens around the large wet areas instead of shower curtains. These work better when it comes to avoiding water spillage and are easier to maintain. This would reduce the time you need to spend cleaning and maintaining your tiles.
Full size pictures, details of the materials, prices, suitable rooms and the cost of delivery, shipping and samples is available on each product page as you browse through our offers and deals.
Last but not the least, check out our installation gallery that presents an array of bathrooms that masterfully combine style, samples and function together. Our tilers have uploaded photo after photo of finished projects from a great range of ceramics, stone and materials that capture styles achievable from our walls, floors and accessories.
