Disclosure: AD, I was sent the Heritage Star Tiles to review free of charge, however, all images and opinions are 100% my own.

Tiling a hallway can be a great way to enhance its appearance and add durability to high-traffic areas.

In our last home we tiled the hallway and it was such a talking point everyone would comment when you opened the door. We loved it too and it definitely helped when we eventually came to sell.

When we moved house to our new spot in Kent, our hallway was a little dismal and we knew this part of the house was destined for better things!

We were thrilled when Porcelain Superstore asked if we wanted to use some of their tiles for our project. This was the perfect excuse to get on with improving the space and try out a supplier of a wide range of tiles.

Types of tiles and how to measure them

Luckily Porcelain Superstore has lots of buying guides to help you work out the types of tiles and which suit different areas. Things to consider are if this is a high traffic zone of the house? Are the tiles going to be outside/inside or both? Some tile finishes can be slippery when wet.

Measure your hallway in square metres and add on 10% for chips or awkward shapes which need cutting and then cause wastage.

You can order samples of your tiles with their free and speedy sample service. So you’ll find out quickly which ones suit your room without the worry that you ordered the wrong thing.

We didn’t order samples as I had my eye on the Heritage Star Patterned Tile. My mother actually has these in the blue and white shades so I know how wonderful they look. We love the monochrome colours and it really suits our 1930s home.

Heritage star tiles from porcelain superstore.

Choosing the tiles and decor

We’ve decided that the decor in the hall will eventually be white walls and a charcoal grey staircase. We’re planning to take up the old carpet and have the charcoal paint on the staircase and bannisters, then a stair runner down the middle.

So with this in mind the Heritage Star tiles in rustic black and white were a great match. They have a slightly worn appearance so they appear well loved and a bit vintage.

They really suit our style and the latin encaustic patterns give a nod to the Italian husband’s heritage too!

These are ceramic tiles and come in 45x45cm pieces. So two placed side by side fit the width of our hallway well and create a lovely flow through the space. Which brings me on to…

Plan your layout

When you choose a tile design, think about the size of the design on each tile and how it will work in your space. When we open our front door, your eye is drawn from the tiles at the door in a line straight through to the kitchen. This is despite there being a slight curve through the hallway. If you don’t consider how you will lay the tiles you could end up with the pattern not lining up all the way through the room.

Another way of solving this if your tiles will have an awkward cut off point, is to have a border. You lay a plain border of tiles around the edges and inside add your perfect uncut tiles in the main design.

It’s important to check this before you start laying them. Other design tricks when using tiles in kitchens or bathrooms is to use brick tiles vertically to add height to a room or horizontally to add width.

Ordering and delivery

Very conveniently, we ordered our tiles online, you can order by area or by the box. There is free express delivery on orders over £500. Ours arrived promptly and were delivered on a pallet, very securely wrapped. We didn’t have any breakages.

If you do have any damages there is a form where you can submit details and photos to get this addressed quickly.

DIY or professional

We decided to have a professional tiler install ours mainly because we know a very good one! However, it is possible to do this yourself and in the Buying Guides on PorcelainSuperstore.co.uk there is advice on how to install your tiles yourself, how to cut them and how to use a levelling system.

Our tiler put down concrete backer boards beneath our tiles as he was laying onto an old wooden floor. As wood contracts and expands it can move around under your tiles and make them crack. So we used this method to prevent this.

Lastly, consider which colour grout to use to bring out the best in your design. Our tiler used charcoal which matches the darker shade of our tiles.

We are very happy with the finished look of our hallway, it’s completely transformed. Or it will be once we get the painting done! One job at a time!

Our experience with Porcelain Superstore was very positive. It was easy to order, there are so many beautiful designs to choose from. We found communication from order through to delivery simple and speedy. It’s been a very straightforward process gathering our materials from them and we would definitely order from them again.