Porcelain

Porcelain tiles are the default for Australian bathrooms and living areas, and this range covers the looks people actually ask for: marble, natural stone, terrazzo, concrete, timber and fluted. Around forty designs, all of them available as a sample first.

The marble-look designs are the largest group — Carrara Stone, Calacutta Aurous, Taj Mahal, Perlato, Borgogna and Tundra all read as marble at a glance. Where they differ is the veining: some are fine and grey, some are broad and gold. That difference matters more than the name, which is why a sample is worth ordering.

Choosing porcelain tiles

Work from the look, then the format:

• Marble — Carrara Stone, Calacutta Aurous, Taj Mahal, Perlato, Borgogna, Tundra, Girona
• Natural stone and limestone — Limestone, Slaty, Magic Stone, Memory Stone, Essential Stone, Executive Stone, Vulcano Dry-Stone
• Terrazzo — Terrazzo, Terrazzo Stone, Terrazzo Ceppo, Aggregate, Veneto
• Concrete and cement — Terracrete, Xtrav, Normandy, Canyon
• Timber — Oak
• Textured and patterned — Fluted, Finger Mosaic, Galaxy, Kross, Adore, Touche

Two practical notes. First, floor tiles and wall tiles are not always interchangeable — check the slip rating on any tile going on a bathroom or laundry floor, and on anything going outside. Second, order the full job in one go. Porcelain is made in batches and shade varies slightly between them, so topping up a room three weeks later can leave a visible line.

Order a sample of anything here from Tile Samples before you commit. Outdoor formats of several of these designs are in Outdoor Tiles, and the rest of the tile range is in Tiles. Builders Warehouse Online ships Australia-wide.