Tara's Top Tiles

Tara Dennis looked at the newest tile trends and types of tiles, as well as discussing her favourite all-time tile for kitchen feature walls and splashbacks.

Glass mosaic tiles

For a big impact in the kitchen you can choose colour for all of your surfaces: cupboard doors, benchtops and splashbacks. Glass splashbacks are all the rage at the moment, but at nearly $600 per square metre, they’re expensive. Glass tiles are a much cheaper option. They look striking, and they’re available in many different shades, even black.

Porcelain mosaic tiles

These are available in either a glazed or an unglazed finish, the unglazed being particularly trendy at the moment because of its matt finish. However, Tara pointed out that because the unglazed tiles are porous they might be a little bit more difficult to keep clean. Porcelain tiles are available in many different shapes, colours and sizes.

Stone tiles

Stone tiling is much more expensive than other kinds of tiling. It is available in two forms - natural or man-made. The big advantage of man-made tiles is that they are available in a wide variety of different colours at the same price. They’re also lower maintenance than natural stone, which has to be sealed on an ongoing basis.

Ceramic tiles

Having looked at some of the most fashionable tiles around, Tara had a word of warning: a tile design may date your kitchen. That’s why she chose white glazed ceramic tiles as her all-time favourites. They come in a number of different sizes and shapes including the traditional oblong shape, which looks fabulous when laid in brick pattern. However, if you’re after a much more contemporary look they can be laid in a more modern way.

Tara’s tiling tips Always order 10% more tiles than your plan requires, or 15% more if you are tiling on the diagonal. Always keep left over tiles in case of breakages or stains. If you’re looking for a bargain, check out discount tile warehouses, which you can find in each state (see below). If you have a neutral background you can change your accessories whenever you change your mood, for a completely new look!

Win-Win

Burke’s Backyard has purchased 15 square metres of Tara’s favourite tiles: Arte Domus Mutina White Gloss, 300mm x 100mm ($64.90 per sq m from Harvey Norman). If you’d like to win Tara’s top tiles, see the Win-Win fact sheet for competition details and conditions of entry.

Further information

Tile costs:

• Glass mosaic tiles, from $60 per sq m
• Porcelain mosaic tiles, from $50 per sq m
• Man-made mosaic stone tiles, from $330 per sq m
• Natural Stone mosaic tiles, from $240 per sq m
• Ceramic tiles, $20 -$50 per sq m

Our segment was filmed at:

Harvey Norman
Bathroom & Tiles Centre
Auburn NSW
Phone: (02) 9202 4888

Amber Tiles
Phone: 1300 362 241

Discount tile warehouses

ACT
Capital Tiles
32 Gladstone Street
Fishwick
Phone: (02) 6239 1771

NT
Cash & Carry Tiles
422 Stuart Highway
Winnellie
Phone: (08) 8984 4578

NSW
Westside Ceramics
202 Hume Highway
Lansvale
Phone: (02) 9726 2200

Qld
Beaumont Tiles
21 Colebard Street
Archerfield
Phone: (07) 3373 6250

SA
Western Tile & Mosaic Co.
456 Grange Road
Fulham Gardens
Phone: (08) 8353 1874

Vic
Johnson’s Tiles
421 Dorset Road
Bayswater
Phone: (03) 9720 4041

WA
Tile Expo
324 Charles Street
North Perth
Phone: (08) 9328 8111

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