How to choose kitchen floor tiles

Our handy step by step guide on how to choose kitchen floor tiles will help you find your perfect porcelain tiles. Picking kitchen floor tiles can feel a little daunting at the best of times. You probably have a myriad of other decisions to make at the same time, so it can feel completely overwhelming. The best advice is to start the process as early as possible and give yourself plenty of time. Kitchen flooring is one of the largest surface areas in your room and you may even be considering running that flooring across other spaces too – making it an even tricker decision. So considering options as early as you can is vital.

So to get you started, let’s take a look at how to choose kitchen floor tiles and all the key considerations with our simple guide:

Design and Pattern

Porcelain tiles are available in a whole host of different design options. They are specifically designed to mimic other materials and tile technology has continually pushed the boundaries of what is possible with porcelain. So much so that tiles now echo everything from woods to metals, concrete to micro cements, slates to quartz, marble to stone – and with incredible realism. The beauty of a porcelain tile is many of these designs are also available in a range of colours too. When it comes to design it can help to think of your tiles as either a beautiful canvas or a bold statement.

For example a concrete effect or micro cement effect porcelain tile are typically simple in design with minimal movement in the tile making them a great choice if you want an understated canvas to run across your space. Or if you want a little movement in your floor design then take a look at stone, quartz or slate effect tiles, all of which can feature veining or riven surfacing.

If you want to go bolder still and make a feature of your floor then opt for a striking marble effect porcelain tile or consider metallic effect tiles too. If you want to put your own stamp on a space then think about patterned tiles – you can use these to create a feature on your floor or across a larger area.

Tile Colour

From a colour perspective most porcelain tile options will be available in different shades so you can pick a tone to work with your overall colour scheme. Colour tones have definitely warmed up over the past few years – although we think grey will never have had it’s day! – so taupe tones, mushrooms, oatmeals and similar hues are making their way into our homes. If you can’t decide between plumping for those tawny notes or staying grey, Greige is a good option to bridge cooler and warmer notes allowing you to cool down or warm up your colour palette.

Co-ordinating colours with your cabinetry and worksurfacing is a must if you are looking to use your tiles in your kitchen area and is a good place to start thinking about colour options. If you have other areas to tile on the same floor then the beauty of using the same tile throughout an open plan area is there are no thresholds and rooms just flow from one to another making a space feel more cohesive and easy to clean!

For contemporary spaces neutrals are a good option and in larger formats eg 800 x 800mm, 900 x 900, 1m x 1m or 1200 x 1200mm can really make a space feel luxurious.

For a timeless feel opting for a wood effect porcelain tile is a great shout. And with porcelain not only do you get all the beauty of wood, you also get all the brilliant performance only porcelain can bring. The latest porcelain wood effect tiles mimic the real material to incredible standards with a focus on pattern and texture and of course, a whole host of colour options.

For a more rustic vibe, try rectified tiles with a tumbled edge look. Grout lines are still a minimal 3mm but tile edges are designed to mimic a real tumble edged limestone with a more natural stone appeal.

Smaller kitchens or spaces with limited light will perhaps benefit from a lighter tile making your space feel more airy and light. Darker tiles are great if you want to create a dark and moody feel – especially metallics with a slightly reflective surface that play with the light.

Tile Size

This is hugely important because it will impact the overall look of your space. Smaller tiles mean there are more grout lines and that can make spaces feel busy whereas larger format tiles mean less grout lines. Opting for a rectified tile ie a tile with straight edges means your grout lines can be a super slim 3mm and blending your grout can help make your floor feel more cohesive and therefore more spacious.

Tile Finish

The finish of a tile can completely change the look and feel of a space. The same tile in a contemporary matt finish will look very different in a polished finish. Any interiors expert will tell you that design is about combining the rough with the smooth and your tiles play a part in your overall design. A soft touch matt finish will gently diffuse light or hardly reflect light at all making your space feel cosier. Whereas a polished tile will reflect light and can make spaces feel cooler.

Tile finish is also about safety too, so it is important to check the slip ratings of tiles before you finally choose. Matt or textured tiles can be better in areas where water is likely to be present ie kitchens however, it is also important you can clean tiles easily so always worth speaking to your supplier before purchasing and perhaps borrowing a tile to see how it performs in your space. Porcelain is pretty easy to keep clean, but the more texture a tile has the more it is likely to grip dirt.

To conclude

We hope our guide on how to choose kitchen floor tiles has helped you find your feet! By thinking about tile size, colour, style and finish we are sure you will find tiles you love! Ordering samples is a perfect place to start – we offer up to 6 free samples with an optional larger sample service if needed, for a small fee, making it easy to choose your tiles remotely. Or feel free to visit our showroom and bring along door, worksurface and paint colours if you can too. That way we can browse our collections over a coffee and get a feel for your space and what might work!

Kitchen floor tiles gallery

Ethos porcelain stone look porcelain tile – Sand

Haven porcelain stone effect tile – Stone

Aspect porcelain tile that looks like slate – Charcoal

Blend cement look porcelain tile – putty

Nest porcelain concrete effect tile – Bone

Docklands cement porcelain tiles – white

Want to know more?

Click the images with a description underneath to head straight to these tiles on our website. Working on a project? We’d love to help! Get in touch and let us start searching for beautiful tiles with you!

Get In Touch

If you would like to know more, please get in touch...

The TilePortfolio specialise in Italian and Spanish Porcelain and Ceramic tiles, in particular large format Porcelains and Porcelain tiles for inside and outside. Our carefully curated, stunning tile portfolios are beautifully presented online and supported by our fuss-free ‘go-the-extra-tile’ service. In addition, you can view our entire tile collection at our Northamptonshire Showroom. Visit our website for unmissable interiors inspiration. The TilePortfolio team are always available to chat, we’d be delighted to help with your project so please do get in touch.

Please note: We strongly recommend using a professional tiler for your project. Installation requirements may vary depending on the tiles you choose, the fixing products used and the specific conditions. Always check with your tiler regards the suitability of the tiles. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.

How to choose kitchen floor tiles