Floor and Wall Tiles: Your Guide to Buying, Styling & Matching
Jun 28, 2025
When it comes to floor and wall tiles, is there a difference? Usually, no, but it depends on the style and strength of the tile in question.
Styling floor and wall tiles is a different matter. What works for wall tiles won’t always work for the floor. Choosing the right combination of colours, patterns, shapes, and textures makes a huge difference to your bathroom.
Discover how to use floor and wall tiles, what the differences are, and our top interior design tips for matching floor and wall tiles.
Can I Use the Same Tile For Floors and Walls?
Usually, yes, you can use the same tiles for floors and walls, but it depends on the type of tile. Large tiles or those with a smooth surface are usually the most interchangeable, suitable for both walls and floors.
Most of our porcelain tiles can be used for both walls and floors in a bathroom or kitchen, but it’s important to check the description to guarantee it.
Some tiles, like small styles, textured designs, or certain ceramic tiles, are only suitable for walls. For example, our collection of concave and convex tiles can’t be used on floors due to their heavily textured surface.
What is the Best Floor and Wall Combo?
Most people opt for a harmonious blend of wall and floor tiles. This involves using two slightly different coloured tiles for the walls and floors of a kitchen or bathroom.
Some people match their wall and floor tiles entirely for a clean, minimalist aesthetic. A growing bathroom design trend is to use two contrasting wall and floor colours to make a statement out of your powder room.
Explore the three most popular floor and wall combinations below.
1. Harmonious Blend – Using Two Similar Colours & Styles
This trend involves using two soft, complementary colours and styles that are similar to each other. Styling a bathroom or kitchen in this way creates a subtle contrast, without making the look too bold, stand out, or unique.
It’s widely considered the safest, most likeable, and widely preferred interior design trend for floor and wall tile combinations.
Several suitable pairings include:
- Pale blush pink wall tiles with terrazzo floors
- Sage green wall tiles with warm, sandstone floors
- Beige or cream wall tiles with grey floor tiles
- Black marble walls and coffee-brown floors
- Chocolate brown walls and glossy black floor tiles
2. Complete Contrast – Using Two Bold or Very Different Colours & Styles
Soaring in popularity is the completely contrasting look – where two bold or very different colours are used for the walls and floors. This can often create intimacy in a bathroom, or make a feature out of the entire space.
Most people choose to combine bold, block colours with a second subtle colour. Popular pairings include:
- Navy blue wall tiles with light grey cement-look floors
- Glossy teal wall tiles with ivory, off-white floor tiles
- Emerald green walls with deep navy floor tiles
- Terracotta wall tiles and cobalt blue floors
- Hot pink walls and black-and-white checkerboard floor tiles
3. Total Match – Using the Same Floor and Wall Tiles
For ease and simplicity, it’s common to match your floor and wall tiles in the kitchen or bathroom. This means using the same colour and style of tile on both your floors and walls.
This type of design opens up the room, creates a sense of spaciousness, and offers a minimalist aesthetic. The most common matching floor and wall tile colours include:
- All white or soft beige
- Light grey or deep charcoal
- Warm terracotta or wood-effect
- Cool blue or green wall and floor tiles
- Marble or jewel effect tiles
- Pastel coloured tiles (like pale pink, mint green, soft lavender, or icy blue)
- Patterned tiles (like wallpaper tiles, terrazzo, Moroccan, or fan-shaped tiles)
Hot Trends: Best Floor and Wall Tiles For Every Bathroom Style
Explore our best-selling floor and wall tiles for every bathroom style:
1. Fan-Shape Spanish Porcelain Tiles
2. White-and-Grey Marble Tiles
3. Charcoal Grey Hexagon Tiles
4. Stylish Beige Terrazzo Porcelain
5. Ivory Concrete-Look Porcelain
FAQs
Can Wall Tiles Be Used on the Floor?
No, tiles that say they can only be used for the walls should not be used on the floor. This is because the wall tile will not be able to handle people walking on it, meaning your wall tiles may crack if you lay them on the floor.
Make sure to check if a tile can be laid on both walls and floors by reading the product description. This is usually the case with natural stone, ceramic, and porcelain tiles.
Explore our best-selling wall-only tiles:
Is There a Difference Between Floor Tiles and Wall Tiles?
Yes, when tiles are designed only for the walls of a home, this means they cannot handle foot traffic or are unsuitable for use on the floor.
For example, some wall tiles may be too fragile to use on the floor, or they may have a textured surface that you can’t walk on. However, most tiles can be used for both the walls and floors of a home.
Should Bathroom Floor and Wall Tiles Match?
Not necessarily. While it’s a popular interior design trend to match your bathroom floor and wall tiles, it isn’t the most common choice. For some homeowners, using the same colour and pattern doesn’t offer enough contrast.
Most people opt for two similar colours, rather than the exact same tiles. It’s also a growing trend to use two tiles that are completely contrasting (in terms of colour and style) for bathroom walls and floors.
Discover Your Dream Combo Today
Styling your new bathroom? Discover your dream combination in our full tile collection, featuring natural stone, porcelain and ceramic tiles.
At Stone and Tile Projects, we supply and deliver our bathroom tiles anywhere in Australia and are proud to retail luxury tiles at the best prices.
Looking for bathroom tiles in Sydney? Visit our showroom to see our gorgeous collection in person.
