What to Look for When Choosing a Tile Shop in Cardiff

Choosing the best tile shop cardiff can help to ease the process from planning to installation. The best tile shop should have choices in styles, sizes, colours and materials to compliment different rooms and style of interior. Whether you are refurbishing a bathroom or kitchen or replacing your existing floor tiles having a consideration for quality, longevity and ease of maintenance as well as the relationship of the tiles to your existing room or rooms.

Cardiff Tile Company By Thornhill Tiling At Thornhill Tiling we have over 30 years’ experience of tiling, whether it be domestic or commercial tiling, we are experts in the field. We are proud to work on bathrooms, kitchens and floor tiling, and we will make sure all work is completed with high quality finishing to a high standard. Let us help you with your next project.

Why Cardiff Homeowners Are Turning to Local Tile Shops

Another reason the locals in Cardiff are increasingly buying tiles from a shop instead of clicking on an online trader’s link is because they are much more practical. They would rather see and feel the tiles first hand before they commit to a purchase; some tiles might be quite pale in colour when viewed on screen, but could have a much more reddish or yellowish hue when viewed in the light of the actual room with furniture and existing woodwork in situ. Being able to view the tiles at the showroom, and compare the shade of the tiles to existing painted walls and the colour of door handles and drawer pulls etc helps people make sure the color scheme is right before you buy.
The other thing that you are much better off buying in a shop for is to get a better feel for the advice and recommendations available from a knowledgeable sales assistant. Whether a toilet is designed to be a wet-room or to be a water saving design, or if a kitchen has an external wall suitable for tiling to save space and ensure a clean finish, can influence what is best for you. Someone with experience should be able to explain any implications of the design and help you avoid wastage or costly re-designs.
There are other reasons to buy in a store rather than online. In Cardiff and the surrounding area, there has been a lot of refurbishment and renovation work in recent years, from Victorian and Edwardian period property and seafront apartment blocks through to newly-constructed properties; and shops have had to widen the range of tiles on offer to make them suitable in period properties just as much as in stylish new-build flats. The ability to borrow samples of tiles from the shop to take away for comparison with existing carpets and furniture for example is much easier than having to order large quantities of tiles, and only being able to view them on screen or in a catalogue for reference. Lastly you will be able to speak to a real person rather than having to probe the content of a website in the hope of finding the information you need to make the right buying decisions.

What to Expect When Visiting a Tile Shop in Cardiff

Walking into a tile shop can be a little daunting for anyone who is new to the world of renovation projects, but most Cardiff shops have a layout that allows anyone to browse without feeling intimidated. Laying out tiles based on their room of use, style, or material means that shoppers don’t have to walk through the whole showroom to find the right tiles, instead being able to browse at their own pace.
Display boards are used throughout the showroom, as they have been set up to show you how the tile would look on a wall or on a floor, often with trim options and grout colours shown alongside. This gives a much better idea of how a tile will look when fully installed than just viewing a small sliver of tile. Many shops will also have sample boards set up near the entrance so shoppers can get an idea of the range before they go further into the store.
Staff may ask some questions about the use of the tiles, such as which room it’s for, whether the floor will be heated or if there will be a lot of foot traffic, as not all tiles can handle every use or level of humidity as well as others. Staff may also be able to give you a rough idea of how many boxes of tiles you’ll need including wastage and cutting, and some shops will give a rough idea on the spot while others will like to know your room sizes before giving an accurate estimate.
Most shops will leave with a handful of samples rather than tiles for a full order, and this isn’t out of the ordinary – many retailers know that full tile choices are rarely made in a single visit.

Popular Tile Styles Available in Cardiff Showrooms

The other thing that you are much better off buying in a shop for is to get a better feel for the advice and recommendations available from a knowledgeable sales assistant. Whether a toilet is designed to be a wet-room or to be a water saving design, or if a kitchen has an external wall suitable for tiling to save space and ensure a clean finish, can influence what is best for you. Someone with experience should be able to explain any implications of the design and help you avoid wastage or costly re-designs.

There are other reasons to buy in a store rather than online. In Cardiff and the surrounding area, there has been a lot of refurbishment and renovation work in recent years, from Victorian and Edwardian period property and seafront apartment blocks through to newly-constructed properties; and shops have had to widen the range of tiles on offer to make them suitable in period properties just as much as in stylish new-build flats. The ability to borrow samples of tiles from the shop to take away for comparison with existing carpets and furniture for example is much easier than having to order large quantities of tiles, and only being able to view them on screen or in a catalogue for reference. Lastly you will be able to speak to a real person rather than having to probe the content of a website in the hope of finding the information you need to make the right buying decisions.

Choosing Between Ceramic, Porcelain and Natural Stone Tiles

Probably the most common question you’ll find yourself asked in your Cardiff tile shop will be ‘what’s best, porcelain or ceramic or natural stone?’ Each of these surfaces will have a different quality and there’s no quick fix solution to this question. It will tend to come down to whether you’re after wall or floor, and what it’s going onto.
You will usually find ceramic tiles to be your cheapest bet, and it isn’t unusual to see them on kitchen or bathroom walls because they are so easy to carry and cut. Ceramic tiles of every colour with every finish continue to be popular on feature walls and splashbacks, and in covering an tired, unexciting patch of wall.
Porcelain tiles are made of a more dense, less absorbent material, and can be used to great effect on a busy floor or as part of a scheme in a bathroom or kitchen. Because of the durability and density, they can be a good choice for high use areas, or in hallways where there’s water coming in or to showcase the dirt. For those who love the natural stone look but would prefer something lower maintenance with a little more restraint, porcelain often does the trick as many ranges are made to emulate the look of natural stone.
Natural stone tiles can be fabulous in homes and are made from travertine, slate, marble or limestone. As with so many things to do with natural materials, they often need a little more tender loving care with sealing, and ongoing maintenance can be higher than with other tiles, so natural stone is a big outlay. For those wanting the natural stone look with less hassle, porcelain will often be the answer, with a very similar range of natural stone effects.

How Tile Shops in Cardiff Support Bathroom Renovations

Bathrooms, being another waterproof space where functionality is just as important as aesthetics, are one of the most popular reasons for Cardiff residents to seek out a tile shop. The desire for waterproofing means that porcelain used in bathroom floors and shower areas is usually a good investment, while ceramic often remains a versatile option for walls outside the direct splash zone.
Dedicated bathroom displays in many Cardiff stores will show coordinated wall and floor designs, mosaic borders, feature tiles for shower inserts and trims to make coordinating schemes simple to put together, rather than just buying tiles at random and hoping everything still works in terms of colour and texture later. Many Cardiff stores can even suggest sizes that work well in bathrooms, as smaller formats can help make smaller bathrooms seem more spacious.
Concerns about slip resistance are sometimes an issue where Cardiff builders and decorators might need a bit of guidance, in terms of specifying tile slip ratings on shopping trolleys and packaging and how to interpret them. This is especially true for wet room floors and shower areas, where safety is always the main priority.
Some Cardiff tile retailers may also have access to fitter recommendations and tradespeople on hand, which can be more straightforward than searching for independent agents elsewhere.

Kitchen Tiling Trends Seen in Cardiff Stores

People in Cardiff are also using their local tile shops to help finish off their kitchens. Many people in Cardiff are keen to have splashboard tiles in their kitchens, with metro tiles, feature pattern tiles and large slabs all popular options, depending on the style of the room.
Kitchen floor tiling is all about durability as the floor sees plenty of traffic and needs to be able to handle regular spills and stains, so the most popular choices are porcelain tiles and usually wood effect or stone effect finishes, to give a warm feel whilst being low maintenance.
A matt or smooth silk finish has become the popular choice for kitchens in recent projects, rather than a high gloss finish, as they tend to show fewer marks and finger marks when the room is used all day long. Some people also opt for textured floor tiles to give a little extra grip, especially around external doors and sinks.
People are tending towards a more neutral colour palette in the kitchen, with warm neutrals, burnt orange colours and earthy colours being the first choice these days, with the other options still being top up the freshness of a crisp white metro tile. Charcoal and deep green colours are also occasionally seen as feature splashback tiles behind a sink or hob.

The Benefits of Buying Tiles From a Physical Shop Rather Than Online

There are good reasons, however, that quite a few Cardiff residents still prefer to buy their tiles from a shop rather than online. Clearly, the main one is that you are able to see and handle tiles and be sure of exactly what you are buying before you send off an order, rather than being disappointed by the time a delivery arrives and you realise that the colour or finish isn’t quite what you were expecting.
Batch variation is also a perennial problem with many tiles, especially natural stone and some patterned ranges, where there can be a slight variation in colour and/or shading from one production run to the next. When purchasing from a shop, however, you can see the physical batch which will be supplied, or at least ask shop staff about variation within a certain product range, which can be more difficult to establish when ordering online.
Handling the return of larger, fragile items when ordering online can also be more of a hassle than taking existing tiles into a shop in person – especially when dealing with larger quantities of tiles. Some Cardiff shops can even be visited in the same day to pick up a tile order (which isn’t always feasible with orders placed online that will need time to be delivered), particularly if you are using larger formats or particular textures.

Understanding Pricing and Budgeting for Tiles in Cardiff

Depending on the quality, material, size, finish and brand of the tiles the prices in Cardiff can vary quite significantly, so having a set budget for an area can make the whole shopping experience so much easier. Standard ceramic wall tiles tend to be at the lower end of the budget, which can often work out to be a cost effective solution especially on large projects or homes on a budget.
Porcelain tiles tend to be more expensive than ceramic as they are more durable and suitable for flooring, although prices are again quite varied and will depend on the finish and whether the product is a standard range or a limited collection. Natural stone tiles are on the high end of the market both because of their nature as a product and the extra cost of sealing and maintaining them.
When calculating costs, it is always worth bearing in mind that the price per metre isn’t the complete picture, and that many Cardiff stores will quote the total price of the project including things like adhesive, grout, edging strips, trims, fitting costs, and the area quoted is sometimes supplemented with a percentage to account for cutting and wastage particularly with patterned tiles or diagonal layouts.
Many stores will have special offers on or clearance sections where particular types of tiles are significantly reduced, and staff in these stores can advise which ranges are being phased out and possibly make some great savings particularly on small projects where the availability of the perfect amount of tile works in the homes favour.

Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Tiles From a Cardiff Retailer

It’s wise to ask a few pre-purchase questions as well, to head off problems down the road. The most crucial will be whether the tiles are suitable for where they’re being used – not all wall tiles are rated for floor use, for example, and not all floor tiles are suitable for outdoor or wet use.
It’s especially important to ask if the tiles come with slip resistance ratings, if they’re going to be used in the bathroom or outdoors, or whether a tile has been rated as frost resistant, if they’re being used out of doors or in a cold area such as a porch or laundry. Staff should be able to tell you on the spot, or point you to packaging information to find out.
It’s also worth asking about stock levels, and whether the shop stocks from one batch or multiple batches, to avoid running out half-way through a job – a different batch can be a different colour. And for larger jobs, it’s worth checking stock lead times for later deliveries. Delivery or collection options should be clarified, as should the shop’s return policy if unopened boxes are not needed – and it’s worth asking if they have a local fitter on hand or can recommend one, to save finding a second tradesperson.

How to Find the Right Tile Shop for Your Cardiff Project

With Cardiff having a small number of tile shops, one key element in making a decision on the best for a project is how wide a range they have and whether their service levels are enough for the job. For instance, if you are a homeowner doing work on an old property you may want to buy from a shop that has a specialist use of historic styles like metro tiles or custom sized designs. A homeowner with a new build will want to buy from a retailer with a product offer that leans much more to traditional or modern minimal styles and the larger format options.
Online reviews can sometimes tell you a good deal about how a shop handles the known tile problems, such as colour banding between batches or delays or defect rates and how their advice seems to have value to the DIYer or the tradesperson. Recommendations from friends and work colleagues who have just done work can be incredibly useful sources of information.
It can be worth visiting a few tile shops for comparison since prices and the product selection can be very different from shop to shop even in the same Cardiff area. If time allows bringing sample from more than one shop and putting them side-by-side is well worth making comparisons.
Finally, see how much after service level they are ready to support by, for example, offering advice on grout and adhesives or tiling techniques or whether they appear prepared to work with the home owner to resolve after sale issues. Thinking long term is important for the project customer.

Ultimately, the right tile shop for a Cardiff project is one that offers a range suited to the property, staff who can answer detailed questions with confidence, and a level of service that makes the buying process feel straightforward rather than stressful.