Tiles for Residential Builders and Homeowners
A house is not one tiling decision, it is eight or nine of them — and the mistake that causes the most regret is treating them as one. The floor that suits a living room is wrong in a bathroom, and the tile that survives a staircase is over-specified for a bedroom.
A whole house, room by room
| Room | Specify | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Living and dining | Large format PGVT gloss | Low traffic, appearance leads, gloss reflects light |
| Bedrooms | PGVT or satin GVT | Lowest traffic in the house |
| Kitchen floor | Matt GVT, R10 | Spilled oil makes gloss genuinely dangerous |
| Bathroom floor | Textured GVT, R10-R11 | Wet, barefoot, hard surface |
| Bathroom walls | Large format gloss | Fewer joints, easier to clean |
| Staircase | Full body step and riser set | Highest wear and the main accident risk |
| Balcony | Textured GVT or full body, R11 | Rain exposure |
| Terrace and compound | Outdoor full body, R11 | Frost, sun and standing water |
| Driveway | 20 mm paver | Carries vehicle load |
Buying for a whole house at once
Order everything together. Porcelain shade varies between firing batches, and the difference shows most where two rooms meet at a doorway. Buying the living room in March and the hall in July will give you a visible line across that threshold that cannot be fixed afterwards.
Add ten per cent to every quantity. Cuts around door frames and corners generate waste, breakage in transit and handling is normal, and a tile held in reserve is the only way to repair damage later — a matching tile simply will not be available in two years, whatever the shop tells you.
Keep the palette narrow. Two or three decors through a whole house reads as considered; seven reads as a showroom. The usual approach is one floor decor carried through the living areas, a second for the wet rooms, and the staircase matched to the living area floor.
Spend the money on the staircase and the entrance. Those two surfaces take more wear than the rest of the house combined, and they are the two everybody sees first.
Frequently asked questions
How much extra tile should I order?
Ten per cent on top of the measured area for a straightforward layout, and fifteen for a diagonal or herringbone pattern or a room with many corners. Keep the surplus rather than returning it — a matching replacement tile will not be available later.
Can I use the same tile throughout the house?
Through the dry living areas, yes, and it makes a home feel larger and more coherent. Do not carry a polished tile into the kitchen, the bathrooms or onto a balcony — those rooms need a textured surface for safety.
Do I need different tiles for walls and floors?
Not necessarily different tiles, but often a different finish of the same decor: gloss on the wall and textured on the floor. A floor tile can always go on a wall; a wall tile frequently cannot take floor traffic.
Get a quotation for a whole house
Send us the room areas and we will work out quantities, suggest a palette and quote it in one schedule.
Browse the full range
Buying Guides
- Tile Buying Guide
- Full Body vs GVT Tiles
- Step & Riser Tiles Guide
- GVT vs PGVT
- Tile Size Guide
- Laminate Guide
- Porcelain vs Ceramic Tiles
- What Are Vitrified Tiles
- Types of Tiles
- Tile Thickness Guide
- Glossy vs Matte Tiles
- How to Clean Tile Floors
- How to Remove Tile Stains
- How to Fix Cracked Tiles
- How to Clean Marble Floors
- Bathroom Size Guide
- Powder Room Guide