Just like in the bathroom, kitchen wall and floor surfaces need to be hard wearing and fit for purpose, easy to keep clean and easy on the eye in daylight and artificial light. Replacing a kitchen or even updating can be an expensive project, so do you intend staying in your house for years? In which case you can indulge and express your individual style with abandon. If longevity and resalability is important however, best stick to a timeless style as you can add colour and ring the changes with different accessories. Whatever your design and choice of tiling, we always recommend you get a professional tiler to install them, to ensure a perfect finish.
Tiles for kitchen walls
There are plenty of areas that tiles protect and also enhance, for instance behind hobs, breakfast bars, worktops and sinks. All of these are potential targets for all sorts of splashes and splatters, from hot cooking oil to tomato ketchup. Small sized ceramic square tiles can look great in traditional kitchens but do make sure that the grout is sealed after installation and before use to prevent staining. Grout comes in contrasting colours – grey looks fantastic with white tiles and nicely avoids having stained areas of grouting.
Traditional and classic ceramic tiles, half tiles and bevelled metro tiles in many colours as well as whites and creams can be found in our La Belle Collection , Artworks and Winchester Tile ranges, some with matching trims and mouldings too. You’ll also find handdecorated tiles to complete the look. For the popular patchwork effect, try Odyssey Tapestry, Winchester Tile Company Chateaux andTileworks Montblanc Décor.
For a contemporary look, Glass splashbacks are large format glass tiles originally intended for installing behind a cooking hob. They are made from heat-resistant toughened glass, which is perfectly safe for use behind cooking hobs and close to sources of heat. However you can put these large formats (600 x 750mm and 900 x 750mm) on any interior walls, just make sure you don’t cut them (toughened glass will shatter). Matching upstands are designed for placing either side of a splashback to protect walls, and these can be cut. With lots of other Glassworks tiles in decorative designs, metallic effects and bright clear colours too, you’ve plenty of choice to make your kitchen completely individual.
Mosaics suitable for kitchens are available in a wide range of materials and colours. For a truly professional kitchen look, why not trymetal mosaics? Glass, stone, porcelain and mixes will all add style to your kitchen wall. The hexagon is a now hugely popular shape and looks good anywhere.
Natural stone tiles and tiles made from ceramic and porcelain in wood effects and stone effects also have their place in the kitchen too, ranging from classy white marble from Earthworks to industrial-style concrete effect from Tileworks.
Tiles for kitchen floors
As with kitchen walls, floor tiles have to be hard wearing, easy to keep clean and also importantly with a low slip potential. It will have to cope with food and drink spills, constant traffic with kids, pets, everything from outdoor boots, to slippers and even bare foot. Underfloor heating for chilly winter mornings is no longer a luxury and most of our floor tiles are suitable with this. The trend for opening up kitchen/dining areas and linking to an outside space gives scope for installing large format porcelain tiles or planking from Tileworks, with realistic effects of wood, concrete and stone all available in colours from light to dark. Why not browse through the Tileworks brochure which includes some inspirational images for different styles.
Limestone, travertine and terracotta from Earthworks fit into a rustic, farmhouse style. Meanwhile Victorian Floor Tiles work beautifully if you are looking for a floor with pattern, colour and timeless charm, from the simplicity of a checkerboard in black and white to atraditional octagon dot design. These tiles are suitable for busy commercial applications so you can trust that they will withstand the wear and tear in your kitchen! More eclectic designs can be found in Odyssey, from Quatrefoil to Constantinople.
All the brochure collections mentioned above include setting photography, images of the individual tiles and information about each range. They are a good place to start, and why not also ask your local Original Style stockist for guidance and advice? Simply search for your nearest retailer and visit the showroom where you can see tiles and splashbacks and complementary products for yourself. You’ll get advice on sizes, suitability, how many tiles you are likely to need for your installation and other materials required such as grouts, trims, adhesives and sealing products. Our Fixing Guide is here to help, too, however we always recommend that an experienced tiler installs our tiles to ensure you are happy with your new kitchen for years to come.
