Kit Kat Tiles

Matte tiles are trending strongly in Australian bathrooms for their contemporary look and practical ability to hide water spots and fingerprints. Gloss tiles reflect light and can make a bathroom feel brighter and larger, but show water marks and smudges more readily. For shower recesses and wet floors, matte or satin finishes with good slip resistance are generally preferred.

Measure your total wall and floor surface area in square metres, then add a 10–15% wastage allowance for cuts, breakages, and future repairs. For complex layouts with diagonal patterns or feature inserts, increase the wastage to 15–20%. Always order all tiles from the same batch (check the shade lot/batch number) as tiles from different batches can vary slightly in colour.

Floor tiles must have an adequate slip resistance rating (P3 minimum for domestic bathrooms) and be durable enough for foot traffic. Wall tiles can be glazed ceramic, porcelain, or natural stone, they don't need to carry load but should be moisture-resistant. Many Australian renovators choose matching or coordinating floor and wall tiles from the same range for a cohesive look.

For small bathrooms, tiles between 300 x 300mm and 600 x 300mm often work well on both walls and floors. Smaller mosaic or subway tiles (75 x 150mm or 100 x 200mm) are a classic choice for shower walls. While large format tiles can also work in small spaces, they require a very level substrate and expert installation. Avoid tiles that are too small on floors (like 50 x 50mm mosaics) in large quantities, as the increased grout lines can make a space feel busier.

The most effective approach is to choose one feature zone and use your feature tile there, a full-height shower wall, the bath surround wall, or the vanity splashback area. Keep the remaining surfaces in a neutral or complementary field tile. This creates impact without visual clutter. Limit your palette to two or three complementary materials for a cohesive result.

Australian Standards (AS 4586) require bathroom floor tiles to have a minimum slip resistance rating of P3 for domestic bathrooms and P4 or P5 for wet areas like shower recesses. The Blue Space recommends checking the slip resistance rating of any tile you're considering for floor use, particularly in the shower. Matte and textured porcelain tiles generally offer better slip resistance than polished or gloss finishes.

Porcelain tiles are fired at higher temperatures and are denser, less porous, and harder than ceramic tiles. This makes porcelain more water-resistant, more durable, and suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications, including high-traffic floors. Ceramic tiles are lighter and easier to cut, making them a practical choice for bathroom walls and splashbacks. For bathroom floors and wet areas, porcelain is generally the preferred option in Australia.

Kit kat tiles sit in the mid to upper range of tile pricing rather than at the budget end, mainly because the narrow stick shape means more individual pieces per square metre and, for handmade or textured finishes, more variation to manage between pieces than a standard flat rectangle. Some kit kat tiles are sold pre-mounted on a mesh sheet to speed up handling, which can offset some of the labour cost against buying loose sticks.

The Blue Space stocks kit kat tiles as a dedicated range for feature walls, splashbacks and shower niches, alongside its broader ceramic and porcelain collections. When comparing suppliers, check whether the tile is sold loose or mesh-mounted, since that changes both the price per square metre and how straightforward the installation is.

They take more time than a standard rectangular tile because there are more individual sticks (or mesh sheets) to place, more grout lines to fill, and more attention needed to keep each stick straight and evenly spaced across a wall. Mesh-mounted kit kat tile is generally easier to install than loose sticks laid one at a time, since the mesh backing holds the spacing and pattern for you. A feature wall or splashback, rather than a full room, is the most practical scope for this format.

Yes, the format has held up well as a feature-wall and splashback choice, particularly in glossy or textured glazed finishes that catch light along the narrow stick shape. It's typically used as an accent rather than throughout an entire bathroom, which keeps both the cost and the visual impact in check.

Kit kat tiles are narrower and more elongated, generally laid vertically in a stacked pattern to create a fluted, textured look, while subway tiles are a wider rectangular format traditionally laid in a horizontal brick bond. Both are common feature and splashback choices, but the narrower kit kat stick creates noticeably more grout lines and a more textured, linear finish across the same wall area.

They work best as a feature rather than a whole-room finish, a shower niche, a vanity splashback, or one accent wall are the most common placements. Because the format is denser in grout lines and generally costs more to lay than a standard tile, concentrating it on a smaller feature area gets the textured look without the labour and material cost of tiling an entire room in it.