How to Choose Tile for a Bathroom, Kitchen and Hallway

Slip resistance: choosing the class

This is where people go wrong most often, so let's go through it properly. Slip is measured by two different tests, and they answer different questions.

The R rating (R9-R13) describes floors for the kitchen, corridor and hallway, where people walk in shoes.

• R9 is only for dry rooms; it isn't suitable for wet areas.
• R10 is the usual pick for a kitchen and a corridor.
• R11 is for the hallway, where water and grit come in from outside.

The DIN 51097 rating (A, B, C) covers barefoot wet areas, bathroom and shower floors. "A" is the weakest, "C" grips the most.

• For a bathroom floor, aim for B.
• For a shower, B works; go to C for extra margin.

In short: for the bathroom and shower look at class B or C; for the kitchen and hallway, R10 or R11. Good tile often lists both. Note that since 2021 both German standards have been merged into the single EN 16165, so newer datasheets may show the ratings differently.

Wear resistance: the PEI rating

The PEI rating shows how well the surface resists abrasion, on a scale of 1 to 5.

• PEI 2 is enough for walls.
• PEI 3 and 4 are needed for kitchen, hallway and corridor floors that see daily foot traffic. Below PEI 3, a floor will show wear within a couple of years.
• For a home bathroom, anything above PEI 3 is usually unnecessary. Higher ratings are meant for heavier traffic, such as shops and public spaces.

Don't want to work through the ratings yourself? Send photos of the space on WhatsApp and Dmitrii will suggest what suits your bathroom, kitchen or hallway.

Porcelain or ceramic

Porcelain tile is denser and stronger than ordinary ceramic, with water absorption around 0.5% or lower. It handles moisture well, does not need sealing and holds up better under load. That makes it the best choice for floors in a bathroom, kitchen and hallway. Typical thickness for an apartment floor is 9 to 12 mm.

Ceramic tile is lighter and comes in a wider range of designs, but it's less dense. It makes sense on walls, where there's no load and the choice of formats and patterns matters more.

Mosaic is used in specific spots: slopes, niches, pipe surrounds and tight radiuses. It has a lot of grout lines, so it asks more of the grout and the upkeep. It's a tool for tricky areas, not an all-purpose solution.

Matte or gloss

Gloss reflects light and makes a room feel larger, but it shows water drops and cleaning marks more, and in a wet area it's more slippery.

A matte surface is easier to live with: it hides streaks, reflects less and is safer on a wet floor. For a bathroom and for floors, it's usually the more practical choice.

A working approach for a small bathroom: matte or lightly textured tile on the floor for safety, and a smoother surface on the walls for light and a sense of space.

Format for the size of the room

Large format (60×120 cm and up) reduces the number of grout lines and makes a surface look more continuous. But it needs a flat substrate: on a large tile, any unevenness in the wall shows up more, so a tiler usually checks the substrate for flatness beforehand and levels it if needed. In a small, simple bathroom large format looks good, but with niches and corners it adds offcuts and cutting.

Small format and mosaic give more grout lines. They're used in niches and as accents, but they take more upkeep.

Medium format stays the compromise for most apartments: versatile in use and calm on the grout lines.

Bathroom

The floor and shower are wet areas, so go by the DIN 51097 rating: "B" for a bathroom floor, "B" or "C" for a shower. Walls can be ceramic. For a small bathroom, light and mid, calm tones work best because they don't break up the space. Stone and marble looks work too, but in a tight bathroom pick a pattern without busy veining, otherwise the room quickly feels tiring.

How to build wet areas so damp doesn't creep in under the tile is covered separately in the article on bathroom waterproofing in Batumi.

Kitchen

For a kitchen floor, porcelain tile at PEI 3 or 4 and R10 works well. If the kitchen is open to the living room, large format looks good. The backsplash takes splashes and grease from cooking and gets cleaned often, so choose a surface that wipes down easily, ideally neutral with a single accent.

Hallway

The most demanding area in Batumi: sand and water from outside, and shoes. Porcelain tile at PEI 4 and R11 is the better fit, in a calm color that doesn't show every speck. Gloss is a poor choice here; a matte, lightly textured surface is more practical.

Common mistakes when choosing

1. Choosing tile from a photo alone. A photo won't show the texture, the scale, how the grout line reads or how the material behaves in a real bathroom.
2. Ignoring the size of the room. Large format looks heavy in a small bathroom; too small a tile in a large room multiplies the grout lines.
3. Using one tile for every area. Floors, walls and wet areas have different jobs and different ratings.

Checklist before you buy

• See the tile in person, not just in a photo.
• Decide the area: bathroom, kitchen and hallway have different requirements.
• Bathroom and shower: class B or C (DIN 51097).
• Kitchen and hallway: R10 or R11.
• Kitchen and corridor floors: PEI 3 or 4.
• Porcelain on floors; ceramic is fine on walls.
• Check that the pattern doesn't overwhelm a small room.

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