Modern Shower Tile Ideas

Transforming any bathroom in your home into a modern oasis begins by choosing shower tiles that are sure to make a statement. As one of the largest components of your bathroom design, choosing bathroom tile that sets the tone for the overall design of the space is absolutely essential. Let us help you choose the best tile for your shower by breaking down what to look for in tile.

Advantages of Tiling Your Shower 

When it comes to the interior of your shower, there are a couple different options. You can get a prefabricated shower stall with a plastic shower enclosure or you can choose to tile your shower. Yes, tiling a shower can be more expensive and take longer to install, but there are so many stylish and functional advantages to investing in a tiled shower.

Allows for a Custom Shower Size 

When you are tiling your shower, you have total freedom to make your shower in any size or shape. When you stick with prefabricated shower inserts, you’re limited to the sizes available to you. 

Tiled Showers Can Make Your Bathroom Appear Larger 

When you continue the tile from your bathroom floor right through to your shower floor and feature the same wall tiles from one area in your bathroom to the next, the whole bathroom can appear larger. This is especially true when you create a walk-in shower or a shower with clear glass doors.

Create a Modern Wet Room 

If you love minimal design, consider transforming your bathroom into a wet room. Wet rooms eliminate the need for a shower enclosure, instead featuring an open shower design. The same tile from the flower continues to the rest of the floor in the bathroom in a single layer with a single drain. Wet rooms typically don’t have any barriers separating showers, sink areas, bathtubs, and the other wet components of the space. This can drastically simplify the cleaning process because you can wash all the walls and tiles at one time without all the nooks and crannies that separating the spaces creates.  

Freedom to Create Custom Designs 

When choosing the best tile for your shower, you have total freedom to create any look you want. You can use one large-scale neutral tile or you can mix-and-match tiles of different colors and sizes to create a mosaic focal point. You are truly only limited by your own imagination.

The Difference Between Shower Tile and Bathroom Floor Tile 

Your shower has a variety of surfaces to consider, including the shower floor, the ceiling, and the walls of the shower. While it may seem that tile is tile and you should be able to install it anywhere, there’s actually a PEI Rating associated with tiles that help to dictate where that tile can be safely used. Some tiles are simply too fragile to walk on. They would crack under the weight of regular traffic. Fortunately, understanding the PEI ratings will help you determine which tiles can be used on your shower floor and which are better-suited for your shower walls.

Understanding the PEI Rating 

Before you can start shopping for the best tile for your shower, you really need to understand the differences in the PEI ratings.  

• PEI 0: These are typically glazed tiles with the least durability, making them appropriate for wall installation only. Do not use tiles with a PEI 0 rating on your shower floors. 
• PEI 1: Tiles with this rating are better suited for wall installation, but they could also be used as a floor tile in rooms with very light foot traffic and where soft footwear is being used. You wouldn’t want to make it your floor tile in a kitchen, foyer, or a living area with heavy furniture and foot traffic. 
• PEI 2: Wall tile with this rating is approved for light wear. It is still great for use as wall tile but it could be used as floor tile in some areas with light foot traffic in normal shoes.  
• PEI 3: With this level, you are finally getting into floor tiles that can hold up to moderate foot traffic. The enhanced durability makes them light enough to use on countertops and walls, but durable enough to extend to the floors in some locations. 
• PEI 4: This tile is appropriate for moderate to heavy foot traffic. You can feel free to use it for pretty much any residential application. You can even use it in commercial settings with lighter foot traffic, such as in small office buildings.  
• PEI 5: This rating provides the ultimate in durability. You can use them in any room of your residential or commercial property as durable flooring, including high-traffic entries. This will also be your heaviest wall tile, so it doesn’t make a great choice for wall installation.

The Best Shower Wall Tile 

The walls are often the focal point of your shower design. When choosing wall tiles, you want something that looks great but remains relatively light. When you’re buying shower tile for the walls, look for tiles with a rating of PEI 0 to a PEI 3 or so. Keep in mind that tiles that are too thick and heavy could cause vertical drag when being installed on the walls.  

The Best Shower Floor Tile 

Your home requires something a little more substantial for use on your shower floor, so look for tiles with a rating of PEI 3 through PEI 5. Technically, any tile with a PEI1 rating or more can be used on floors, but because tiling a shower is one of the more major renovations you can do in your bathroom, we recommend looking for a floor tile with a PEI 3 rating or more, especially if it is a bathroom you use on a daily basis. 

Floor Tile You Can Use on Shower Walls 

You may have noticed that our recommendations for PEI ratings for wall and floor tiles overlap. When you’re looking for one consistent look that extends from your shower floor to your walls, you’re going to want to look for tiles with a PEI 1 to a PEI 5 rating. Why would you want to do this? There are many reasons for continuing the same tile from your floors up the walls, as well. 

• Provides a simple, modern look. 
• Allows for you to highlight the simplicity of larger tiles. 
• Versatility of purchasing and installation. 

Shower Tile Materials

When it comes to choosing your bathroom tile, there are many different materials to consider, ranging from glass to natural stone. Each material offers benefits and drawbacks, not to mention providing a different appearance. Let’s break down the different materials to make choosing shower tile a little bit easier.

Glass Shower Tile 

Glass shower tile is a popular choice because it offers a non-porous design that is impervious to moisture, mold, mildew, and stains. It comes in a wide variety of shapes and colors, making it a go-to choice for custom mosaics. It can be used to create a colorful accent stripe or to completely tile shower walls. Glass is easy to clean and maintain because of its nonporous qualities.

Porcelain Shower Tile 

When buying shower tile, porcelain is a popular choice because it is suitable for humid conditions that exist in the bathroom. It is moisture, scratch, and stain resistant, even when used on a daily basis. These tiles can be used on both the floor and the walls of your shower for a continuous look. They are easy to clean with soap and water but the finish can be dulled over time by exposure to sand and grit.

Natural Stone Shower Tile 

Natural stone includes granite, marble, travertine, slate, limestone, sandstone, and quartz. These naturally occurring materials provide timeless durability but that doesn’t mean that all of them are suitable for the bathroom. Many of these natural stone materials are too porous for daily moisture exposure. When you want to use natural stone in your bathroom, such as marble, make sure that it is properly sealed to help protect it against both stains and moisture.

Metal Shower Tile 

When you want a modern and slightly industrial look, metal shower tiles can be an eye-catching addition. Metal tiles can be featured alone or along with other tile types, such as glass, ceramic, and natural stone. You can look for a rustic, hammered copper with a live finish that will tarnish over time, a sleek and shiny aluminum, and everything in between.

Shower Tile Shapes 

Along your search for the best tile for your shower, you’ll notice that tiles don’t just come in different materials, they come in different shapes and styles, as well.

• Rectangle 
• Square 
• Hexagon 
• Subway Tile 
• Triangle  
• Round

Shower Tile Colors & Textures 

This part is all about considering the overall look you’re trying to achieve in your bathroom design. Before you can determine the best tile for your shower, you first need to determine a color palette for the room. This color palette will help to guide you toward a tile in a hue, pattern, and even a texture that will help you create the bathroom you’re envisioning.

Keep your color palette simplistic and consistent, featuring between two and four different colors that pair beautifully with one another. The finish of the shower hardware and of the bathroom vanities will also play into your overall color scheme. No matter what tiles you choose, make sure they are intended for use in the shower.

Shower Tile Patterns 

The shower tile pattern isn’t referring to the decorative pattern or texture on the surface of the tile itself, but rather the pattern layout you create as you install your shower tiles. Deciding the best tile for your shower requires determining what pattern you’ll choose for the tile installation. All tile is installed in an organized way to create a consistent pattern.

Grid Pattern

The grid pattern is perhaps one of the most traditional tile installation patterns. With this pattern, rectangular, square or other tile shapes are installed stacked directly on top of one another. As a result, grout lines tend to run straight both vertically and horizontally. This pattern can create a clean, classic, and timeless look. The scale of the tiles you choose can greatly affect the finished look.

Offset Pattern

The offset version is what you think of with your classic subway tile installation. With this pattern, tiles are installed in rows, with the second row of tiles offset from the one below it. You end up with continuous horizontal stripes of grout, but the vertical grout lines are only the length of one tile at a time.

Geometric 

There are many different types of geometric shower tile patterns out there. These looks are achieved by using hexagonal, octagonal, triangular, or other geometric-shaped tiles to create a modern pattern. The patterns you can achieve vary based on what shape tiles you select.

Arabesque

Arabesque tiles are cut in a specific shape with a bulbous center that tapers out to much smaller ends. This shape is specifically designed to come together to create an alternating pattern. In order to achieve this pattern, you must purchase shower tiles in the arabesque shape.

Chevron & Herringbone

Chevron and herringbone are a fun variation on stripes because they showcase tile installed at an angle. With the chevron pattern, the tiles are installed at an angle with mitered corners that come together to form a point. The herringbone pattern is incredibly similar but the ends reman blunt and come together perpendicularly to create a directional pattern with less cutting. In order to achieve both of these looks, you must purchase bathroom shower tile in a rectangular shape.

Basketweave 

Think about the look of a traditional basket, with one tile appearing as though it is traveling under another vertical tile. This is done by installing a horizontal tile, then a vertical tile, and continuing the pattern until the entire wall or floor is complete. 

The basketweave pattern is achieved by choosing shower tile that is rectangular in shape. The short end must be one half the length of the tile. For instance, a shower tile that measures 3 inches by 6 inches would make a great basketweave pattern. If you choose shower tiles with a different ratio, small square tiles can be used to fill in the spaces created.

Encaustic Tile 

Encaustic tile isn’t technically a pattern of laying tiles, it’s a pattern achieved by installing tiles in either a grid or offset pattern. With encaustic tiles, the pattern is featured on the surface of the tile itself and then as you start pairing tiles together, the patterns match up to create a continuous pattern. 

Considerations for Choosing the Best Tile for Your Shower 

Now that you know how to choose the best tile for your shower, it’s time to get a little inspiration for the bathroom shower design. As you look for the tiles that appeal to you visually, it’s important to keep a few factors in mind, including care, slip resistance, appearance, and functionality. 

Easiest Bathroom Shower Tile to Clean

Keeping your new shower tiles looking great requires proper cleaning. Before you make your final selections for the best tiles for your shower, consider the care instructions for that tile. Smaller-scale tiles will have more grout lines to keep clean while larger-scale tiles will have fewer grout lines. The texture of the tiles and material of the tiles will also help determine what type of care is appropriate. 

Most Slip Resistant Bathroom Shower Tile 

If you’re using the shower tile to create the floor of the shower, you want to consider the slip resistance of the tiles. High-shine tiles can be too slick for the shower floor. Using a tile with a bit more texture and a more matte finish will help prevent accidents and injuries.

The Addition of Accent Tiles 

Often, accent tiles are used to provide a bold accent to a single stripe or small design element within the overall shower design. If you want to feature accent tiles, you may want to start by choosing the accent tiles and then buying shower tile in a neutral tone to complement the accent tile you’ve selected. If you do offer an accent tile, the accent tile should be much different in size than the general bathroom shower tile to enhance visual appeal. Limit the different tile designs to three or less to prevent overwhelming the space visually.

Functional Design Details 

A shower needs to be a functional part of your overall bathroom design. As you select your tile and pattern, consider incorporating in functional elements such as recessed niches and incorporated shelving for all your favorite bath and shower products.

Shower Tile Design Ideas 

Choosing the bathroom shower tile is just the beginning. Considering the overall design of the shower is every bit as important. Choosing the best tile for your shower requires thinking about how the whole design will come together. 

Do you gravitate toward something clean and monochromatic? Do you like the nature-inspired look of pebble tile shower floors? Do you want to create an artistic statement with a colorful mosaic tile inlaid into the shower walls? You can always reference inspirational bathroom photos to help plan out the style of your bathroom.

Shower Tile Installation

After choosing the shower tile itself, there are a couple additional considerations regarding the shower tile installation. Once the tile is mortared to the wall, the even spacing between the tiles is filled with grout. Grout comes in a wide range of different color options. Make sure to consider the overall color scheme of your bathroom, as well as the style of the tiles when you pick your grout color. Keeping the grout the same color of the tile helps to minimize the look of the grout for monochromatic results. Choosing a contrasting grout tile calls more attention to the pattern you chose for the tile installation. 

Another important decision is whether you are tiling the shower floor or using a shower pan as the base for your built-in shower design. A shower pan eliminates the need to tile your shower floors and they can also help to dictate the size and configuration of your shower. 

Finally, it’s time to choose all the small items that help to give your shower that gorgeous finished look, including the drain, shower head, and all the other shower hardware essentials. These will be the items that tie the whole look together.