Bathroom with large format marble look wall tile, a freestanding tub and a makeup counter.

Bathroom tile

Bathroom tile, and the detailing that keeps water out

Ceramic and stone are hard to beat here for durability and looks. What decides whether it lasts is underneath: the substrate, the waterproofing and the setting out.

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Choices

Floor, wall and the transition between them

Wall tile and floor tile are made to different specifications. Using each where it belongs is not a detail, it is the job.

Inside a shower, with a pebble mosaic feature wall, a tiled bench and a recessed niche. — **Feature wall**One wall in a mosaic and the rest plain. It reads as deliberate, and it keeps the tiling budget where it shows.

Shower with stacked grey wall tile and a pebble tiled floor, beside a wood vanity. — **Wall and floor together**Stacked wall tile against a pebble floor. Two different tiles, chosen so the transition is the only edge you notice.

Walk in shower with a mosaic tiled floor and a recessed niche, next to a freestanding tub. — **Niche set in early**A recessed shelf has to be framed and waterproofed before tiling, never cut in afterwards.

Bathroom with a linear mosaic feature wall behind a wall mounted basin, and a freestanding tub. — **Contrast on purpose**A patterned wall behind the basin, with everything else kept quiet so the two do not compete.

Match floor to wall

Carry one tile through for a seamless read.

Makes a small bathroom feel larger, because the eye finds fewer edges.

Contrast deliberately

A different colour or pattern on the wall.

Works best when one of the two is quiet. Two statements compete.

Matched grout

Grout close to the tile colour.

Hides small irregularities and reads calm. The forgiving choice.

Contrast grout

Grout deliberately darker or lighter.

Turns the tile pattern into the feature. Unforgiving of uneven setting, so the layout has to be right.

Wall specific tile

Thinner and lighter than floor tile.

Do not put floor tile on a wall or wall tile on a floor. They are rated differently for a reason.

Niches and details

Recessed shelves, borders, feature panels.

Planned before the waterproofing goes in, never cut in afterwards.

Practical answers

What we get asked on site

Can you tile over a wood subfloor?

Yes. With joists at 16 inch centres it is routine, and the preparation is what makes it sound.

We check the deflection and the substrate before quoting rather than after.

What is most popular?

Porcelain or ceramic tile, consistently.

After that, waterproof and rigid core vinyl, wood look and marble look porcelain, and patterned designer tile in smaller rooms.

Bathroom with a glass shower, a freestanding tub and a dark wood floor.

Virtual Studio

Try tile in a bathroom before you buy it

Tile reads completely differently at scale, and grout colour changes it again. Combine wall tile, floor and vanity in the visualizer, then come and hold the samples.

Open Virtual Studio Visit the showroom

Free to use. The samples are on the floor in Laguna Hills.

Get a real number for your tile

Send the room. We will measure, set out the layout and price it in writing.

Get My Free Estimate (949) 540-8797