Grey Floor Tiles

What grey floor tiles covers

This collection gathers every tile on the site that carries both the grey colour tag and the floor tile application tag. The tiles inside share a colour and a use, so the page is a mix of looks: terrazzo, concrete, travertine, other stone looks, marble, encaustic pattern, cobble and brick. Sizes run from a 22.5 x 900mm plank to 600 x 1200mm panels, with small-format squares and mosaics in between. Sizes and slip ratings sit on each listing, so this guide stays with what the listings print and with how grey behaves on a floor.

Two sister pages cover the same ground from other angles. Grey tiles holds the colour across walls and floors, and floor tiles holds the use across every colour. The tiles hub links every category on the site. If the room is a bathroom, bathroom tiles adds the wall and wet area view, and if the floor is outdoors, outdoor tiles narrows the list to tiles made for it.

One caution applies to the whole page. The floor tag is applied to tiles whose listings describe themselves quite differently. Some print Walls and Floors, some print Floors only, and one prints a wear rating for light traffic only. Slip ratings run from P2 to P5 and one listing prints none. Read the slip, wear and area lines on the tile you like before it goes on a floor plan. The sections below show where the differences sit.

What shade of grey means on a floor

Grey sits between white and black, and between warm and cool palettes. A Sydney tile retailer's grey design guide describes it as a colour that copes with limited light without harsh glare. A Melbourne retailer makes a related point: grey pairs with timber, white cabinetry and natural stone, which is why it shows up in so many different rooms. The word covers a wide range, though, and the listings here use names that show it: Light Grey, Soft Grey, Silver, Dark Grey, Grey Brown, Greige, Taupe and Derby.

Light greys read as calm and spacious, which is how a national tile retailer describes minimalist rooms built on light grey floors. Mid greys are the broad middle of this page. Dark grey gives contrast and a heavier mood, and the Nuvira listing in Dark Grey is described as a bold, modern look with a deep, moody tone. Greige and taupe lean warm, and listings such as Roccia in Greige, Vela in Greige and Nimbus in Taupe suit rooms with timber, cream or sand in them.

Grey also hides everyday marks better than very light or very bright tiles. A Brisbane retailer's care notes say most grey tiles need only regular cleaning with a damp cloth or mop, and a Melbourne retailer says grey hides everyday marks better than bright or very light tiles. That is a point in favour of a mid grey with some pattern or fleck on a hallway or kitchen floor. Where the floor catches a lot of light or a lot of traffic, a surface with variation shows less than a flat, even one.

Terrazzo and concrete looks

Several ranges here borrow from terrazzo or polished concrete. The terrazzo look tiles page has the full family, and concrete tiles has the concrete look. Three terrazzo ranges and one concrete range appear on this page.

Southside is described as bringing the classic Venetian terrazzo look into everyday homes. It is Australian made, matte, glazed porcelain, and the grey listings come in 300 x 300mm, 300 x 600mm, 450 x 450mm and 600 x 600mm. The slip rating changes with the listing. The 450 x 450mm Natural Terrazzo listing prints P2, which its own spec calls a high slip risk not recommended for wet areas, so the choice of room matters on this range.

Clio is a large grain terrazzo, described as bold, exciting and full of personality. It prints P4 in a Tech Grip matte finish in 300 x 600mm and 600 x 600mm, and its spec lines read Indoors and Outdoors on the 300 x 600mm listing and Indoors on the 600 x 600mm one. Island goes the other way with a subtle small-chip terrazzo in neutral matte colours, P4, in 300 x 600mm and 600 x 600mm, and its listing says indoors and covered outdoor areas.

Frankie is described as a combination of terrazzo and polished concrete, a fine grain fleck in warm and cool hues from light to dark. The grey listing shown here is the Light Grey External Porcelain tile at P5 in a grip finish, available in 300 x 300mm, 300 x 600mm and 600 x 600mm. A Sydney retailer's guide to porcelain concrete look tiles makes the useful point that a concrete look keeps the industrial surface without the maintenance of real concrete, and that is the trade this range offers.

The difference between the terrazzo ranges and Frankie is scale. Clio shows large chips of colour, Island shows small ones, Southside sits in the classic Venetian style, and Frankie reads as a fine fleck. On a floor, a larger grain suits a bigger room, and a finer grain reads more like a plain surface from a distance.

Travertine and limestone looks

A second group borrows from travertine and limestone. The travertine look tiles page covers the family, and four of its ranges have grey floor listings.

Tuscan is described as capturing the look of natural travertine with the durability and low maintenance of glazed porcelain. The grey listing prints a matte finish, P3, and a rectified edge, in 300 x 600mm, 600 x 600mm and 600 x 1200mm, and its area line says walls and floors indoors and covered outdoor areas. Nimbus captures the soft movement of natural stone and prints P4, with 24 unique faces per its own description, in 300 x 600mm and 600 x 600mm. Ardenne mixes cross cut and vein cut patterning, prints P4 rated to AS 4586-2013, and says no sealing is required.

Valerie is the widest range on this page. It includes 300 x 600mm and 600 x 600mm tiles, finger mosaics, a French pattern set and a crazy pave sheet, and its listings print P4 and P5 depending on the format. The crazy pave tiles page is the place to look if the irregular format appeals. The 600 x 600mm and French pattern listings suit a larger floor, and the finger mosaics suit a feature area.

An Australian paver supplier and an interiors firm both describe travertine as a stone with soft, natural variation and warm tones. A porcelain version keeps that surface and drops the sealing that real travertine needs. If a listing in this group says Easy to clean and no sealing, that is the difference being sold.

Other stone looks

Several ranges are described in more general stone terms. Auralis brings soft earthy tones and a smooth honed finish, and it is the range to read most carefully on this page. Its grey brown listing prints a 3D finish, a slip rating of Not rated, and a wear rating of 3, which its own line describes as suitable for floors in light traffic areas with normal shoes. That makes it a floor tile for a bedroom or a quiet living room before a hallway.

Avalon is described as an innovative twist on regular stone production, with subtle vein movement. Its listing prints P2 in the title, so the same caution applies as on Southside: use it away from wet areas. Casuarina is a modern take on natural stone with four colours in two finishes, and its matte finish is described as specifically designed to give extra grip when water is applied. Burleigh is described as natural stone without the care that comes with natural stone, and it prints a cushioned edge. Kew prints P5 and a slight matt texture, and it is described as having soft, subtle textures with gentle veining.

Three newer ranges lean raw. Roccia captures raw stone with a modern twist. Its Greige listing prints P4 in a grip finish in 600 x 1200mm and 600 x 600mm, and its area line says Outdoors. Vela is described as contemporary minimalism with a raw, stone and concrete look in a soft matt surface, with a matching textured feature tile, and it prints P3. Tilly Tundra, described as a Tundra look porcelain with a subtle gold flecked vein, prints P5 in a Tech Grip finish in 300 x 300mm and 300 x 600mm and reads Indoors and Outdoors.

Plastra suits a different look. It brings the raw elegance of hand-trowelled or pressed plaster into porcelain, with soft linear textures and a matte, chalky finish. The listings are 22.5 x 900mm and 450 x 900mm, and the slip line reads R10. Nuvira, the dark grey, prints P5 in a grip finish in 300 x 600mm and its texture line says matt slight texture.

Marble looks, mosaics and natural stone

The marble look tiles page covers the family. Two ceramic marble ranges appear here in grey. Paradise is a marbelised ceramic tile in a matt 300 x 300mm, and Kings Marble is a Carrara look with fine grey veining, a lappato finish and a cushioned edge in 450 x 450mm. Both listings are ceramic, so check the wear and area lines on each before laying one in a high traffic room.

Cottesloe is the range for a feature floor. It is a series of honed marble mosaics in a 23mm penny round or a 35 x 150mm herringbone, and the listing describes delicate, sophisticated and subtle marbles. A mosaic floor has many grout lines by design. A Melbourne retailer makes the same point from the other side when it notes that large format tiles mean fewer grout lines, so the two formats suit different jobs.

The tumbled natural stone listings are the one place the page includes real stone. The 50 x 200mm Woodstone subway tile is natural stone with a tumbled finish and a slip rating of Not rated. Its own spec says use on floors and in wet areas may require more care and regular sealing, and its maintenance line says it requires sealing. The tumbled natural stone tiles page covers the range. For anyone who wants a floor that needs no sealing, the porcelain ranges above are the alternative.

Patterned and traditional looks

The patterned tiles page covers the family. Three grey listings here bring pattern to a floor. Tamarama is a modern take on a classic encaustic pattern, Australian made, with a matte finish and a cushioned edge in 300 x 300mm, printing P3. Airlie is a traditional patterned tile in 200 x 200mm, P3, matte. Alicante is federation style with geometric patterns, in 316 x 316mm, printing P3/R10 with a note that it is suitable for flooring in dry areas.

All three are small format, so a pattern floor will have more grout lines than a large tile floor. The Alicante and Airlie listings are matte porcelain with a cushioned or non-rectified edge, which means a slightly wider grout line than a rectified tile. On a hallway or a bathroom floor, a pattern like these makes the floor the feature.

Two more listings sit at the traditional end. Settlers is a cobblestone look tile in 150 x 150mm, at P5 / R12 with a grip finish, and its description says it is a choice for external paths and outdoor areas. Its maintenance line says it is more difficult to clean in indoor areas because of the grip texture. Eton is a brick look tile in 60 x 250mm, R10/P3, with a wear rating of 5 for high traffic and commercial areas, and its application line includes exterior cladding. The Settlers range page and Eton range page have the full colour sets.

Matte, polished and honed, and what grip means

Most listings on this page print a matte or grip finish, with the exception of the lappato Kings Marble, the honed Cottesloe mosaics and the 3D Auralis. A Sydney retailer's grey design guide says matte or textured surfaces grip better than polished ones. A Melbourne retailer says gloss reflects light and brightens compact areas while matte is understated, and that textured greys avoid looking flat.

The practical choice follows the room. A small, dim room can take a lappato or honed grey for the light it reflects. A bathroom or laundry floor is better with a matte finish and a printed rating. A covered outdoor area wants a grip finish.

The ratings in the listings use two systems. The P system (P2 to P5) and the R system (R10 to R12) measure slip resistance, and the listings above print one or both. For a bathroom, a Sydney retailer's guide recommends R10 or R11 as a minimum. For outdoor floors it recommends R11 to R13. Several listings print P5 or R12, and those are the ones to look at for outdoor and pool surround use. Tiles printing P2, such as the Southside Natural Terrazzo and Avalon listings, print a note that they are not recommended for wet areas. The outdoor tiles page lists tiles made for outdoor use.

Choosing a size and layout

Grey floor tiles come in small squares, standard rectangles and large panels. The 300 x 300mm, 450 x 450mm, 600 x 600mm, 300 x 600mm and 600 x 1200mm collections each cover one format across every colour.

A Sydney retailer's guide says a vertical lay makes a ceiling look higher and a horizontal lay makes a room look wider. A Melbourne retailer says large format tiles mean fewer grout lines for a cleaner look. Small formats such as 300 x 300mm and 300 x 600mm suit smaller rooms, and 600 x 600mm and 600 x 1200mm panels mean fewer grout lines across a larger floor.

The rectified listings, which print Edge: Rectified, allow a fine grout line of 1.5mm to 3mm, which is the gap several of these listings recommend. Non-rectified and cushioned edge listings have a slightly softer, more irregular edge and need a wider joint.

Pairing grey floors with the rest of the room

A Brisbane retailer's notes say grey pairs with whites, blacks and neutrals and pops against blues, greens and pastels. A Sydney retailer's guide describes a spa look with light riverstone greys in 600 x 600mm or 300 x 600mm, white fixtures and light grey grout. Both ideas hold on a floor.

The white tiles page and the black tiles page cover the two colours most often paired with grey. For a kitchen, the kitchen tiles page covers the use. Grout colour matters on a floor as much as on a wall. A light grey grout keeps the surface calm, and a darker grout shows the layout.

Timber and stone are the usual companions. Greige and taupe listings suit a warm timber floor next to them, and a cooler light grey suits white cabinetry. Samples settle it, because a Sydney retailer notes that a tile looks different in your own light than in a photograph.

Cleaning and care

Most grey porcelain listings here print Easy to clean. Regular cleaning with a damp cloth or mop is the guidance a Brisbane retailer gives for grey tiles in general. A grip finish asks for a little more. The Settlers listing says it is more difficult to clean in indoor areas because of the grip texture, and any heavily textured floor holds dust in its surface. The tumbled natural stone listing needs sealing, per its own spec, and the porcelain listings do not.

The listings on this page suggest pairing tiles with underfloor heating for a warmer, drier floor, and they recommend ordering extra tiles over the measured area for cuts and waste. Both lines appear on the listings themselves.

Samples and ordering

A grey tile changes with its light, so the safest step is to see it in the room before ordering. For related ranges, the full range pages above show each collection's other colours and formats, and the tile category pages show other looks in grey. The grey tiles page shows wall and floor tiles in the colour together.