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Updated : July 17, 2025
Published : July 17, 2025
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Metro tiles have been a bathroom and kitchen interior design staple for decades and there’s no signs of that changing any time soon. Their appeal is timeless, from the beautiful traditional and more modern takes on the tile to the suitability of the materials they’re made out of when it comes to both bathroom and kitchen interiors.

But today, we’re here to talk about the suitability of metro tiles when it comes to bathrooms specifically and why they’re a great choice if you’re looking to retile your bathroom.

What Are Metro Tiles?

The design of metro tiles originates back in the early years of the 20th Century, where the tiles originally adorned the walls of subway and underground train stations in the likes of New York and London. The specific design of these tiles is rooted in the obsession that the Victorians had with cleanliness and not only were these tiles easy to clean (they still are) but they were often white, which reflected a lot of light in these typically dark places, giving the appearance of a sanitary space.

Typically made of ceramic and often featuring a bevelled edge, metro tiles (also known as subway tiles) are a durable and versatile tile choice that’s sure to complement and enhance your bathroom interior design

Why Are Metro Tiles A Great Choice For Bathrooms?

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the reasons why metro tiles are such a great tile choice for your bathroom.

The Choice Of Materials

Metro tiles are available in both ceramic and porcelain, the two most popular material types when it comes to this particular design. Both ceramic and porcelain tiles have their pros and cons when it comes to their suitability for bathrooms, but all in all, they’re both a great choice.

Ceramic metro tiles are technically more porous (absorb more water) than porcelain tiles, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a great choice for bathroom areas where their exposure to moisture is less such as bathroom walls and sink splashbacks. After all, they still have water-resistant properties, just less so than porcelain.

With their non-porous nature, porcelain metro tiles are a great choice for all areas of the bathroom, especially those that are exposed to more moisture such as shower walls and bathroom floors. Porcelain tiles are also ever so slightly more durable than ceramic tiles due to their construction too. They’re denser and harder, making them less susceptible to scratches, cracks and other forms of damage.

The Colours & Finishes Available

Both ceramic and porcelain metro tiles have a wide range of designs, finishes and colours to choose from. For example, both tile types are available in either a matt or gloss finish, both of which have their own pros and cons.

Matt tiles are a great choice for flooring tiles with their non-slip nature and provide your bathroom with a subtle, understated look that’s perfect if you’re going down the ‘natural’ route. However matt tiles can hold onto dirt and grime a little more, which can make them harder to clean and as they're less reflective, they can make the room feel darker, but this of course depends on the entire implementation of all the elements within your bathroom interior.

Gloss finish tiles help to reflect light around your bathroom fantastically and can help it to feel more spacious, bright and airy. But gloss finish tiles are less suitable for bathroom floors as they can become rather slippery when wet and the reflective surface of the gloss tiles can also show fingerprints and smudges more easily.

Both matt and gloss metro tiles are available in a wide range of beautiful colours too, so you’re sure to find a shade that matches your style down to the ground. From bold and beautiful ocean blues and blush pinks that give your bathroom a colourfully playful finish to refreshing mint greens and traditional whites that give your bathroom that classic look.

Tile Layout Versatility

With their rectangular nature, metro tiles also lend themselves to being laid in a variety of different patterns. There’s the traditional horizontal ‘brick bond’ pattern that many will be familiar with which can help to make your bathroom feel more spacious and the option to lay your metro tiles vertically in a ‘step ladder’ pattern to give the impression that your bathroom is much taller than it really is.

But alongside those more common tile laying patterns, there’s a variety of even more playful options, such as the herringbone layout. This pattern is created by placing rectangular tiles at a 45 degree angle to one another, essentially creating a zig-zag or ‘v’ pattern. This pattern can also be laid both horizontally or vertically too.

Then there’s the block and double block herringbone pattern which looks to combine both the brick bond and herringbone patterns. This is essentially achieved by either placing two or four blocks in an upside down ‘L’ shape and repeating that pattern across the wall.

Grout Contrast

As we’ve established, metro tiles were originally white with white grout, but a more modern twist on this has been the use of black grout instead, which really makes the white tiles pop even more, resulting in a fantastic contemporary look. This design decision has evolved as time has gone on and there’s now a wide range of grout colours available, allowing you to create striking contrasts with your tile and grout selection.

Can Be Easy To Clean

How easy your chosen metro tile is to clean, all depends on the type of metro tile you opt for, but generally, ceramic and porcelain metro tiles are easy to clean and often only need a combination of a mild detergent and water or a shop bought cleaner to get them looking as good as new.

Gloss finish tiles are certainly generally easier to clean, whilst dirt and grime can cling more easily to matt finish tiles, which can make them a little harder to clean. You also need to be wary of using too much water when it comes to ceramic and matt tiles in particular, as they can absorb more water than the likes of porcelain or gloss finish tiles. A few things to consider before making your final choice.

Affordability

As with anything, you’ll find varying prices across various manufacturers and stockists both across the web and on the high street. However generally, metro tiles are an affordable choice for many, making them very appealing if you’re looking to redecorate your bathroom.

Generally you’ll find that porcelain tiles often cost more than their ceramic counterparts as they are denser and more durable than ceramic tiles in many cases. But various factors such as the finish, pattern and size all have an effect on the price you’ll be paying.

Are Metro Tiles The Right Choice For Your Bathroom?

As you can see, there’s plenty of benefits when it comes to metro tiles and they’re a great choice when it comes to tiling your bathroom. But of course there’s plenty of choice out there when it comes to bathroom tiles, with a wide variety of shapes, sizes, finishes and colours to choose from.

Hopefully we’ve helped you to understand why metro tiles are a very popular choice when it comes to bathroom tiles, but if you have any further questions regarding metro tiles or any other tile type, our experts are on hand to help.

Why Metro Tiles Are A Great Bathroom Choice