Bedroom tiles.

Why Australians are choosing tiles over carpet. A growing number of homeowners are removing carpet from bedrooms and laying tile or timber-look porcelain. The drivers are practical: carpet harbours dust mites and allergens, stains permanently, dates faster than hard flooring, and needs replacing every ten to fifteen years. Tile lasts for the life of the house.

Format selection. Format choice matters in a bedroom because grout lines pull the eye, and a bedroom is a room you want to read as calm. Large format is the answer — 600×1200 and 800×800 dominate bedroom specifications, with timber-look plank as the alternative when warmth is the priority. Avoid small-format mosaic on a bedroom floor.

Underfloor heating. Porcelain is the strongest possible substrate for underfloor heating — it conducts radiant heat efficiently and never warps. If underfloor heating is on the table, tile is the rational floor choice. The combination of warm tile underfoot and a large rug over the top gives the best of both worlds.

Finish matters more here. Bedrooms are barefoot rooms, and finish reads more strongly underfoot than in any other room. Matte is the clear winner — soft to touch, calming to look at, no glare from morning light or bedside lamps. Lappato is acceptable in a more formal bedroom. Polished is wrong for a bedroom floor — too cold, too reflective.

Colour selection. Warm neutrals and timber-look dominate bedroom floor specifications. Soft greige, warm white, light timber and pale stone-look read as restful and pair with almost any bedlinen and joinery. Concrete-look, while popular in living areas and kitchens, generally reads too industrial for a bedroom.

Rugs over tiles. A large area rug under and around the bed brings softness, dampens acoustics, and allows the tile to do the heavy design lifting. The most successful bedroom tile installations almost always include a generous rug. Talk to a tile expert →