Square 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.

Beyond the obvious shape, square tiles read as more uniform and grid-like once laid, since every row and column lines up the same way in any direction. Rectangular tiles introduce a sense of direction and are more often laid in a running bond or stack pattern, which can make a room feel longer or wider depending on which way they're oriented. Neither shape is better outright, it comes down to the proportions of the room and the look you want.

Yes, and that's one of the shape's strengths. A small square tile, from around 100mm up, suits splashbacks, feature walls and period-style bathrooms with a busier grid of grout lines, while a large square tile, from around 600mm and up, gives a calm, open look with far fewer joints across the same floor or wall. The shape stays the same across that whole size range, only the proportion of grout to tile surface changes.

A straight grid using square tiles is generally one of the simpler layouts to plan and lay, since every tile is identical in both directions and there's no need to work out an offset or a rotated pattern. It still needs accurate spacing and a level substrate to look clean, but it avoids the extra planning and cutting that a diagonal, herringbone or stacked rectangular layout requires.

Yes, square tiles can also be laid on the diagonal (rotated 45 degrees) for a more dynamic look, or combined in two sizes for a modular pattern. Laying on the diagonal generally increases cutting and wastage around the room's perimeter compared with a straight grid, since every edge tile needs an angled cut, so it's worth allowing extra material and labour time if you go this route.

Square tiles suit almost any room, but they're a particularly common choice for kitchen splashbacks and smaller bathrooms, where a simple grid keeps the space feeling calm and easy to read. In a larger, open-plan area, a bigger square format can achieve the same calm result with fewer grout lines, while a smaller square format is often reserved for a feature wall, niche or splashback rather than the whole floor.

Cost generally comes down to the range, material and finish rather than the shape itself, so a square and a rectangular tile from the same collection are usually priced similarly per square metre. Installation cost can differ slightly if the rectangular option is being laid in a more complex pattern like a running bond or herringbone, since that adds planning and cutting time compared with a straightforward square grid.