Thinking about using large floor tiles in your home? You should - they’re brilliant! Read on to discover all the reasons why.
Large floor tiles have become incredibly popular in recent years, and for good reason. Contemporary and practical, they’ll provide the perfect flooring floor a variety of spaces, from kitchen extensions to designer hotels. However, their scale can sometimes be a little intimidating - especially if you have a smaller room to tile. So in this article, we’ll look at some of the reasons why you should use large porcelain tiles on your next interior project.
What are large floor tiles?
While there's no official agreement on what constitutes a large floor tile, in our eyes it should be a tile that's larger than 60 x 60 cm. Not so long ago, this was the biggest size you could find. However in recent years, the size of tiles has grown exponentially, and these days, there's plenty of larger sizes available, including:
- 60 x 120 cm
- 75 x 75cm
- 80 x 80 cm
- 90 x 90 cm
- 120 x 120 cm
While plenty of other large tiles are available, these are the most common sizes available in the UK.
What are the benefits of large floor tiles?
Here's our favourite reasons for ditching the dinky and using large format tiles in your home.
1. Sense of scale
By their nature, larger tiles have a sense of scale that other materials simply can’t compete with. And while we’re the first to admit that bigger isn’t always better, it’s undeniable that bigger tiles will give your room more gravitas. For example, in the bathroom below our Jewel Onyx Pink tiles help create a truly high-end aesthetic. Smaller tiles - even if they had the same mirror-like finish, wouldn’t match the sleek, luxurious aesthetic.
2. Sense of space
We're stating the obvious, but if you cover a floor with larger tiles, you'll end up with fewer grout joints than if you opted for a smaller tile. This small detail can have a huge impact on your room as grout joints can be visually distracting.
So, by choosing a large floor tile - and crucially, choosing a grout that co-ordinates well - you can create the illusion of more space, even in a smaller room. To the eye, the floor appears uninterrupted as there's fewer joints to break up the visual field, as shown with our Barbican Sand floor tiles below. Be sure to choose a rectified tile and use a 2mm grout joint, to keep the gap between the tiles as small as possible.
3. Perfect for ultra-modern homes...
As you might expect, larger tiles are ideal for floors in modern family homes. Their size conveys a contemporary style, and in a grey or pale tone, they make the perfect flooring choice for kitchen extensions and rooms that have been opened up into one.
Continuing the same tile throughout your ground floor will immediately give your home that seamless 'architect-designed' feel, as if it's just stepped out of a magazine or Dezeen article. Take it from us, these are the type of tiles designed to garner compliments.
4. ...and traditional homes, as well
But this doesn't mean that you can't use larger tiles in older properties or more rustic interiors. In fact, one of the reasons for the popularity of large floor tiles is the wealth of design options and colours available - they're not just grey or concrete-looking.
Browse through our range and you'll discover plenty of rustic slate designs, flasgstone-style options and, of course, beautiful slabs modelled on luxurious Carrara marble.
5. The hygienic choice
Compared to other materials, ceramic tiles are hygienic. Porcelain tiles are more hygienic. And large-format floor tiles? Well, they're the most hygienic choice for your home, full stop.
Unlike vinyl flooring, which can contain toxic chemicals, porcelain tiles are completely inert and don't contain any VOCs, which are harmful to health. There's nowhere for dust or dirt to hide, so they're ideal if you or a family member suffer from allergies.
6. Remarkably easy to keep clean
This brings us neatly to our next point - large porcelain tiles are the easiest floor-covering to live with, in terms of care and maintenance. As they're non-porous, they're extremely difficult to stain and a quick mop will ensure the tiles look their best. While this is important for reasons of hygiene, it's also good news from a financial standpoint.
After all, when you're investing in new flooring, you'll want to ensure that your new room will look as good as new for years to come. In this regard, large floor tiles won't let you down - and there's fewer grout on show, which can potentially stain over time.
7. Long-lasting style
And on the note of long-lasting style, it's worth us pointing out that large floor tiles are incredibly hard-wearing. Usually made from glazed porcelain, they're highly resistant to scratching and will happily stand up to years of daily foot-fall. You shouldn't notice any signs of deterioration years down the line, even with tiles laid over high-traffic areas such as busy hallways.
8. Ideal for underfloor heating
Another huge advantage of large floor tiles is a little harder to spot, at first. Because they don't warp or swell, they can be safely laid over underfloor heating mats and pipes. This means you can do away with bulky radiators and open up your wall space to a more modern and sleeker style. As an added bonus, the radiant heat from underfloor heating is more comfortable than central heating.
To conclude
Our high-quality large floor tiles are designed to stand the test of time. They're easy to live with, look great and won't let you down, ever. Functional, with a fashionable edge, in other words.
And best of all, they won't break the bank, either. So how's that for a win-win-win? Why not discover our range and order a sample to try at home, today?