The Tiler’s Secret: Why Big Tiles Make Small Bathrooms Feel Huge

If there is one thing I see too often in West K, it’s a small bathroom that feels… busy. You walk in, and it feels like the walls are closing in on you.

Usually, the culprit isn’t just the square footage—it’s the tile.

There is an old myth in renovations that says, “Small room? Use small tiles.” As an expert tiler who has laid thousands of square feet of ceramic and porcelain, I am here to tell you: that is dead wrong.

If you want your powder room or ensuite to feel spacious, you need to go big. Here is why.

1. It’s All About the Grout Lines

Think about a mosaic floor. It looks cool, but your eye stops at every single grout line. It creates a grid. In a small space, that grid looks like clutter. It chops the floor up into thousands of little boxes.

When you use a large-format tile—say, a 12×24 or even a 24×24—you drastically reduce the number of grout lines. The floor (or the shower wall) looks like one continuous, seamless surface. This tricks your brain into thinking the room is much wider than it actually is.

2. Less Scrubbing for You

Let’s be real for a second: nobody likes scrubbing grout with a toothbrush.

• Small tiles: Hundreds of lines to clean and seal.
• Big tiles: Mostly smooth surface, easy to wipe down.

A cleaner look literally makes a room feel bigger. And it frees up your weekend for better things—like enjoying the Okanagan weather.

3. The “Pro” Factor (Why You Need Me)

Here is the catch with large tiles: they are unforgiving.

If your floor isn’t perfectly level, or your wall isn’t perfectly flat, a large tile will “lip.” That’s when one edge sticks up higher than the neighbor. It trips your toe and it looks amateur.

This is where the West K Home Works difference comes in. Because I do the drywalling and the tiling, I make sure the “bones” of the room are dead flat before I even open a box of tile. I have the tools and the patience to install large-format tiles so they lie perfectly flat and smooth.

The Verdict

Don’t be afraid of big tiles in a small space. They are modern, they are clean, and they maximize every inch of visual space you have.

Staring at a cramped bathroom? Let’s open it up. Give me a shout. I’ll bring the laser level, the tile cutter, and the design ideas.