Looking for porcelain floor and wall tiles? Our handy guide explains all you need to know about the latest tantalising tiles and how they can work in your home. Find out more about porcelain and how this exceptional material is transforming walls and floors. Discover how technology is creating tiles that are mimicking other materials with incredible realism and how the performance of porcelain is second to none.
Absolutely. All our porcelain tiles can be used on walls and floors making them superbly versatile. In fact, porcelain is a brilliant option for both the wall and the floor for a number of reasons. Firstly, this material is incredibly hardwearing. Secondly it is available in a whole gamut of different designs. Thirdly porcelain is water resistant and that makes it ideal for use across the home and super easy to clean. And finally, porcelain tiles have a number of surface finishes – everything from matt to natural, soft to antislip and more – and that means they can work across any room in the home and even outside.
Concrete, metallics, woods, cements, limestone, slate, terrazzo, micro cement, quartz, marbles, metals and more – you name it, you will find porcelain tiles that mimic these materials. This opens up a whole world of design possibilities. Particularly because porcelain is non-porous and so brilliantly hardwearing. Unlike some natural materials, namely natural stones, marbles and woods, porcelain doesn’t need any sealing, or regular maintenance and it doesn’t easily scratch or stain. It also won’t fade in areas with bright sunlight, and it won’t wear in well-trodden areas of the home. So, with porcelain tiles you have the best of all worlds – beautiful design, easy clean, durability and stability.
The degree to which porcelain tiles emulate other materials largely depends on the quality of the tiles themselves. Leading manufacturers are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible with tile design, so much so, that the very latest tiles not only look like the material they are mimicking, they actually feel like that material. This is because the latest tiles are aligning pattern and surface texture. Take a marble porcelain tile – these tiles not only look like marble, you can even feel the veining to the surface. Check out our Macchia Vecchia collection.
In addition, high quality collections house numerous patterns in the same collection. Gone are the days of a few designs per tile, now collections can house 40 or 50 different “faces”, this is particularly so for wood tile collections like our Serenity. This means even across large expanses of floor tile, repeats are minimised and tiles emulate all the knots and gnarls of real wood beautifully.
Ultimately with porcelain tiles you have all the beauty of different materials with all the performance that only porcelain can bring.
This staple of the interior design world is available in a whole host of different surface finishes. As any interiors expert will tell you, texture is a key element of interior design. Tile texture plays two roles – it is there to enhance the look of a tile and there is a key safety aspect too. Kitchens, bathrooms, wetrooms and external areas all have water present so carefully considering the finish of a tile for the floors in these areas is important.
In addition, tile texture will make a huge difference as to how light plays out in your space. Matt tiles tend to absorb more light and diffuse it softly and this makes spaces feel cosier and warmer. A highly polished tile will reflect light and that can make spaces feel cooler. Having said that for rooms with little natural light a polished tile on the walls will help brighten up the space.
Of course, tile colour also plays a crucial role here too. Many tile collections feature several tones or hues so you can have that wood effect you want whether you are seeking grey, tan, honey, mahogany, white, taupe or cherry notes.
For statement floors opting for larger tiles is a given. If you are looking for a tile to work across a large open plan area, then the larger the tile the less grout lines and that helps to make spaces feel less busy.
Opting for a grout colour that blends with your tile will help your floor or walls appear seamless and bring a contemporary architectural feel especially for tiles with little movement in them, for example concrete and cement effect tiles. Having said that even small bathrooms can benefit from larger format tiles. A small room doesn’t necessarily equal a small tile. In fact, the smaller the tile the more grout lines and that can make spaces feel very busy so even in smaller bathrooms it is worth talking to your tiler to see how large you can go.
Shape of tile will also impact your space. Square tiles are usually stacked for simple lines. Rectangular tiles can be laid stacked too or of course, but they can also be offset and installed horizontally or vertically to add more interest.
Warmer, down to earth tones are enveloping our homes with taupes, creams, sands, clays and terracottas finding their way onto walls and floors. Earthy, neutral tones in concrete and cement effect porcelain tiles are perfect for creating a serene canvas to rooms. They are a foundation colour and allow other elements in the room to be the star of the show, whilst creating a beautifully stylish backdrop. Check out our Blend, Toast and Docklands collections.
A top tip for those wanting to keep a neutral vibe is to look for collections where tile colours work tonally together, Blend is a great example as is Tone, and opt for one shade for the floor and another for the wall. This is a great way of keeping the same overall feel eg cement or concrete look but changing up the colour scheme in a stylish way.
Wood effect tiles in warmer tones are tapping into the latest trends for warmer wood notes that connect us to nature. These tiles in lighter tones bring a Scandi feel too. Check out our gorgeous Knot collection.
Inside outside porcelain tiles continue as the go-to for those looking to connect lounge to lawn in style. With Matt finishes for inside spaces and antislip textures for outside areas both inside and outside tiles look the same but with different surface finishes. We have an extensive collection of these tiles – all Italian styled and beautifully designed.
Patterned porcelain tiles are a superb way to add a little personality to spaces. Opting for a neutral tile for floors and picking patterns for walls can really make these tiles stand out. For bathrooms, patterned porcelain wall tiles can work well behind feature baths, behind vanity units or in the shower.
Find out more about the latest tile trends for 2025 in our blog.
Porcelain floor and wall tiles are transforming our homes through a mix of design, durability, format and size. Discover our collections, all hand-picked from leading manufacturers to bring you the very latest porcelain tiles for the home and garden alongside our collections of tried and trusted porcelain tiles that form the backbone of our tile portfolios such as our Metro and Docklands porcelain tile collections.
See below a little flavour of our porcelain floor and wall tiles!
Arabesque feature floor tiles – taupe
Metro cement look porcelain tile – silver
Click the images with a description underneath to head straight to these tiles on our website.
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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.
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