London Stone is a leading supplier of natural stone and porcelain. We talk you through what you need to know about indoor wall and floor tiles.

Jura Grey limestone wall and floor tiles used in kitchen between 2 rows of cabinets.
Jura Grey interior floor tiles with a honed finish give a luxury look to this kitchen.

Natural stone flooring

Use the right wall and floor tiles indoors and you have a low-maintenance interior that will look good for a long time to come.

Finish

Think about finish. In natural stone, there’s little to beat the beauty of Jura Limestone, for example, with its distinctive markings and soft appearance. For interiors, it's available in different finishes - usually honed or brushed. It's always worth considering the finish on your flooring as it will create slightly different effects. And don't forget to ask about how easy it is to clean. In case you're wondering, finish is one of the reasons why it's not good to use outdoor tiles indoors.

Quality

Think about quality. The same stone may come from several different countries. For example, Brazilian slate is superior quality. Much denser than a lot of slate on the market from India and China, it won’t damage easily and splits to a flatter surface and richer colour.

Sealing

Outdoors, sealing can be optional, but it's always recommended for sawn stone paving. Interior natural stone is sawn and, however dense the stone you choose, it should always be sealed to protect it from becoming permanently stained with household spills.

Porcelain flooring options

Whatever look you want - industrial chic, dark drama, rustic or Scandi effects, a traditional or contemporary vibe - a vast choice awaits when you explore indoor porcelain tiles.

Alongside plain, clouded and textured options, oak wood-effect floor tiles are particularly popular. Plank-shaped, with realistic wood appearance, these offer a warm, organic feel in rooms where you might prefer the practicality of porcelain.

Patterned bathroom floor tiles are a way to inject character into a design, and there’s no reason to restrict them to the bathroom. Hallways and kitchens are ideal places to inject character through pattern, whether as a complete floor, or in border detailing. If you veer towards white walls and fittings, consider patterned floor tiles as a feature to balance the minimalism.

If minimalism is your thing, though, extra-large tiles deliver. Their larger dimensions mean a smoother expanse of flooring, with fewer grouting lines interrupting the flow. This can also make them easier to clean, and laying takes less time because they cover the area more quickly. Take a look at the options with our large interior floor tiles.

Porcelain wall tiles

Wall tiles are a practical choice wherever a wall needs frequent cleaning. A porcelain splashback is a great opportunity to draw that unused area of wall behind the taps or cooking hob into a design by giving it an injection of colour or pattern. Because you want to be able to wipe it clean easily, you might want to choose a gloss finish and steer away from tiles with a busy texture.

Or why not go big? Porcelain shower walls (our DesignClad is an ideal option) not only give you the chance to make a real statement in one of the most important rooms in the house, but their low porosity reduces the incidence of mould and makes cleaning easy.

With so many colours and styles, you have the option to choose a sumptuous marble appearance, warm wood-effect, metallic gleam or cool neutral walls, perhaps in large format tiles for a minimalist vibe.

All white tiled interior with floor to ceiling window.
Gloss tiles maximise the amount of light in a room, as shown here.

Matt vs gloss

Using gloss wall tiles can make a small space appear larger. Light reflects off the tiles to give an open, airy feel. For this reason, gloss is the go-to choice for spaces with low amounts of natural light. The gloss finish maximises the amount of light that bounces back and forth around the space.

It’s worth remembering that spots of limescale left by hard water are more likely to show up on gloss tiles, so if you’ll feel the need to clean those off frequently, you might prefer a matt finish and colour where they won’t show up so much.

Porcelain vs. ceramic tiles

This is often an area of confusion, as porcelain and ceramic tiles appear very similar. Porcelain tiles are manufactured with much higher pressure and temperature than ceramic and are, therefore, denser and more robust.

A kitchen wall with Noir gloss British made ceramic tile with band of Decor textured tiles
The contrasting grout with these dark grey ceramic wall tiles from Johnson's tiles makes a feature of the different laying patterns and textures.

Choosing tile grout

And don’t forget the styling choices afforded by tile grout. Using grout that matches your tiles creates a clean, colour-blocked feel.

Alternatively, contrasting grout—white with black tiles, for example—makes grout a design feature of its own. Highlighting grout lines emphasises the geometry of the tiles. To be successful, this demands a really professional, accurate finish but, done well, the contrasting colours will make colours pop and create a real feature of your walls or floors.

At London Stone, we stock a range of large indoor porcelain wall and floor tiles. If you’re looking for exterior natural stone or porcelain paving to complement your interior tiles, take a look at our wide range of paving options. If you have any questions, perhaps because you want to create an Indoor Outdoor flow from living space to patio, do get in touch.

Post updated: March 2024