Tiling

Tiling covers ceramic and porcelain tiles for walls and floors, along with other hard-wearing wall and floor finishes in this range: rigid core and luxury vinyl click flooring, laminate, PVC wall panels, split face cladding and tile trims. Many tiles are listed with the area one pack covers in square metres, so measure each wall or floor before you choose.

Ceramic or porcelain

Porcelain tiles are dense and absorb very little water. Under BS EN 14411, the standard that classifies ceramic tiles, porcelain falls in the groups with water absorption of 0.5% or less, while other ceramic tiles absorb more. That low absorption is why porcelain is used for floors, wet and humid areas and, where the maker allows, outdoors. Ceramic tiles are widely used on walls. Only lay a tile on a floor if it is rated for floor use, and check the size, thickness and edge type shown in the description, for example whether a tile is rectified.

Click flooring and wall panels

Rigid core (SPC) and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) planks lock together with a click joint and are laid as a floating floor for indoor use, and some come with an underlay already attached. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on acclimatising the planks, preparing the subfloor and leaving expansion gaps. PVC wall panels and decorative cladding fix to walls as an alternative to tiles; check whether a panel is made for showers and wet areas or for dry rooms only.

Finishing the job

Tile trims protect and neaten exposed edges and corners. Choose an adhesive and grout suited to the tile type, the surface behind it and whether the area will get wet, and follow the adhesive manufacturer's instructions.

For other floor coverings, see flooring, or browse adhesives.