What Size Ceramic Floor Tile Should I Put in a Small Bathroom?

Appearance

• In many cases, installing large tile in small spaces helps to trick the eye into believing the room is larger, because fewer grout lines lead to a less busy floor. However, in very small bathrooms, it is usually best to use more proportionately sized tiles. If your bathroom is 25 square feet or smaller, choose tiles smaller than 12 inches square. If you choose tiles too large for your space, you'll end up with more cut tiles around the edges than whole tiles in the center, and the result may look odd. Fortunately, small tile options abound.

In the Shower Stall

• Within your shower stall, choosing the right size tile is a safety matter. The smaller the tile, the more grout lines you'll need, and grout lines in a tile floor help make it slip-resistant. Your installer will also need to angle the floor toward the drain, and smaller tiles are better able to absorb the angled subfloor. Choose tiles no larger than 6 inches square, but preferably 4 inches square or smaller.

Installation Concerns

• If you're installing the floor yourself, you may be tempted to choose a larger tile for easy installation. However, large tiles bring their own installation challenges. They are more prone to breakage and heavier to move, and especially in a very small space you'll have to make complicated cuts to the tiles to make them work with the outside edges. Twelve-inch tiles are an easier option to install.

Options

• If you choose to go with a larger tile, you'll probably find 18-inch square options, and perhaps even 16-inch square. Twelve-inch square tiles are a standard size, as are 6-inch and 4-inch. In some cases, you can even find small mosaic tiles which are attached to each other using a mesh backing, and are installed one square foot at a time. If you do plan to install the ceramic tile in your shower stall, you can also opt for a different tile inside the stall than in the rest of the bathroom for a custom look.