Things to remember when ordering tiles samples:
We understand how tough it can be choosing tiles, which is why it's always a good idea to order samples. To help further, here at Baked Tiles, our team of qualified interior designers – and not salespeople - are ready to offer impartial advice and inspiration.
If you have an idea of what you like, but you're worried about committing, our fabulous new Visualiser allows you to upload an image of your room to the Baked Tiles back-catalogue, seamlessly adding the virtual tiles of your choice into your design. As impressive as it is, our amazing software won’t always be enough to reassure you that you’ve chosen the perfect tile - that’s when ordering samples can prove invaluable.
Here are the top things you need to remember when ordering samples.
Baked Tiles offer two types of tile samples.
Our most popular are our free 10cm cut samples, where you can order up to five separate tiles with a small refundable P&P charge of £5. Here, you will be sent small, example cuts of your preferred tiles - ideal if you wish to cast your eye over the colour, texture and suitability for your design. This is always our suggested first step, allowing you to narrow down your options before then settling on a final decision to buy full tiles.
As touched on above, you can also buy single tiles from us but be aware carriage charges on large single tiles can seem disproportionate. Single tiles are often very heavy and made from fragile ceramic or porcelain, so we cannot simply pop a full tile in an envelope or parcel. Prior to ordering a full tile sample, please bear in mind our design team, who would be more than happy to email photographs of suitable combinations of tiles for your design, offering a variety of tile designs and suggestions to match the aesthetic you desire.
Remember!
Once you receive your samples, keep hold of the voucher included inside to redeem the postage and packaging charge when you move on to fully ordering your tiles!
It is always best to view your tiles in the light of the room they will be used in. Check them out in the natural light of daytime, as well as the artificial light of the evening, as you can be surprised how colours and textures appear to vary as lighting changes!
Find a spot where your tile will be installed and take a step back. Make sure you judge how the tile looks at the distance it will be generally viewed. When you look in detail at the tile you may see little specs of colour, or detail, that could have little impact when viewed at the normal distance, so don’t be tempted to think that small visual elements will have an impact on your completed wall or floor, as they are often too subtle to notice when installed.
It isn’t just the colour and texture of the tiles you choose that will have an impact on your room, but the size of tile and layout; certain designs can make a room look smaller whilst others will make a room look wider. Here are a few visual examples. It may come as a surprise for you to hear that large tiles can visually expand the size of a room, whereas smaller tiles - typically feeling more suited to smaller space - can in fact make a small room look even smaller. Alternatively, very small, organic style tiles offer an additional fabulous textural interest to the space.
If you’re considering a small tile, mosaic or faux mosaic, have a think about the impact of the grout you choose. In surfaces tiled with larger format product, the percentage of grout shown is minimal, whereas for smaller tiles, the proportion of grout on show is much higher, impacting the overall look. As a rule of thumb, grouting with a matching colour allows the tile and grout to merge, giving just a soft outline between the tiles, and creating a relatively expansive, softly textured surface. However, contrasting colour grout will highlight each tile individually, creating a surface where the layout is more prominent and the grout colour an integral and important aspect of the overall colour scheme.
Our designers have taken the time to offer grout options for each of our tile ranges, and these can be seen at the point of ordering on our website and within images shown on the tile pages. That said, as always, our design team are at the end of email or phone to offer advice - we are here to make sure your rooms look amazing!
Please be aware that just like paint and wallpaper, tiles are subject to batches. Certain glazes are what is known as 'reactive’ and as such, they can vary quite dramatically. If you’ve have had your sample for a short period of time, it might be worth checking if there is generally a small or distinct variation from batch to batch with that particular tile. We always recommend checking, as most tiles will vary slightly - but some far more than others!
You’ve found and fallen in love with the perfect tile - now don’t miss out! We are always surprised at Baked Tiles that people can regularly leave the ordering of an element that can transform a space until the last minute! Certain tile ranges are higher on customers wish lists, thus leading to a growth in the demand, and potentially longer lead times. We implore people please, to not wait until you’re head deep into your design before beginning to think about the tiles that will be used to tie it all together – plan ahead, and order samples as far in advance as you can to avoid any potential slip-ups down the road.
I hope this outline will help you make the perfect choices for your room scheme, but as you know, helping customers to create beautiful rooms is what brings us the most pleasure at Baked. Please, always feel free to speak to our design team if you have any worries or concerns - it’s what we do!
Lesley Taylor BIID
Member of the British Institute of Interior Design
Founder of Baked Tiles
